Let’s start out with a word of warning: Today’s post contains a photo. If the photo does not appear, try scrolling down through the comments and then go back up to the photo. I’ve heard from at least one reader that that strategy works for her. As a last resort, please send me a request at jajance@me.com and I’ll be happy to send along said photo.
And why is this photo part of today’s story? Lot’s of people are under the mistaken impression that writers spend their lives scribbling away in a small room in some upstairs attic. In actual fact, this is me—three hours on Monday and four hours on Tuesday—hanging out in our garage signing eight hundred books.
Yes, I said eight hundred. That amounts to twenty-seven and a half standard shipping boxes of books. I believe I’ve mentioned before that authors are encouraged to write books that are approximately 100,000 words long, give or take 5,000 words in either direction. Den of Iniquity weighs in at 95,907. Even with those missing 4,000 words, the loaded shipping boxes weighed in at 35 pounds apiece, and dragging them around on the floor of the garage was no joke.
Although the books were already unpacked and flapped (opened to the title page where I sign.) it still took me seven hours to get the job done.
While doing so, I expended a whole lot of red ink. Why do I sign books in red ink? Early in my career, I visited literally hundreds of bookstores large and small—Little Professors, B. Dalton’s, WaldenBooks—where I did what’s called “stock signings.” That means going into stores and signing whatever books they happen to have in stock.
I remember one Little Professor in Orange County, California, where the clerk went into the back room and called out to his manager, “There’s a lady here who wants to sign her books. I have no idea know why.”
During those visits, I signed books with whatever pen happened to be handy. The problem came later on when someone who had purchased one of those books wanted it personalized. At that point I’d have to go searching for a pen with matching ink. By the time book number three came out, I had wised up. I began signing in red ink with one particular brand of pen. As a result, no matter how long ago I may have signed a particular book, I can still make it look like it was personalized to begin with.
In other words, in the process of signing 800 books, I expended a lot of red ink. As I was doing so, I remained grateful to those marketing guys at Avon Books who, back in 1983, insisted I change my pen name from Judith Ann Jance to J.A. because, as they told me, “Male readers won’t accept police procedurals written by someone named Judy.”
So Monday and Tuesday, I would have been stuck out in our rather chilly garage a lot longer than seven hours if I’d had to write out Judith Ann Jance instead of JA Jance.
Forty years later, that suggestion from those marketing guys still has consequences, and boy am I grateful for that!
Good thing it’s not the attic. I’m visualizing 27 1/2 boxes of books crashing through the floor, taking out an upstairs bath and first floor kitchen and finally coming to rest in the basement water pouring down from plumbing pulled apart in the chaos of wonton destruction.
Curious – how many pens did you go through to do this signing?
Only one.
How lovely to have a picture of you,so fit and healthy and happy-looking–maybe even triumphant, with yet another wonderful book on the edge of being ready for the store bookshelves! And how exciting to see all those copies tantalizingly close to our fingertips. I’m doing the RIO thing with the JP series while I wait–just finished Minor in Possession, and, again, loved Beau’s humanness that goes along with his bouts of heroism.
I hope you won’t think this is a silly question, but why do folks want a book signed by the author? I can’t see the reason for it. A person has bought the book. What more do they want? When did it become the expected thing?
All I know is, they do.
Carolyn, when JA has signed a book for me, it is evidence that I have met JA in person and that she has taken the time to personally write a message and sign it for me. It feels very special indeed! I have many of her other books that are not signed because, of course you can’t bring an armload of books to be signed, nor do they need to be. Once, or in my case, twice, is enough.
Why JA was signing so many books ahead of time, I’m not really sure. Perhaps it was for a talk she was giving to a large gathering where everyone had already purchased her book.
Judy, I think having the authors sign their books is marketing idea. Somewhere along the line someone decided it would make a buyer more apt to buy the book. I still don’t understand why, but so it goes.
Great picture, J.A.! I hope you have your hands a good rest after that project. I will be looking for that book fairly soon.
Thank You, Thank You J.A. Jance, we love you, your Books, your in person stories; having read your books over the past few years it was just super meeting you in person in Sun City West and hearing your talk about your books and then seeing you in Tucson last year. Thank you again, all the best from 2 very pleased and committed J.A. Jance followers. Dave + Deb, British Columbia, Canada.
Thank you for taking the time to sign all those books on top of having written them. I’m sure whomever receives those signed books will treasure them as would I if I had one. I guess I wouldn’t have guessed that 800 books took that much space. Now I know. I hope you enjoy writing your books as much as I enjoy reading them. I’m now a fan of Ali Reynolds too. Having learned to love Beau and Joanna already. Thank you or entertaining my brain!
Thanks for the great photo (you look wonderful!) and for the explanation of the other kind of “writing” you do!
God bless you, Judy!
You have a very clean garage! I’m currently making my way through all your series. I’ve completed Beau and the woman from Sedona (I’m 80+ and just lost her name). Am up to #16 with Joanna Brady. Love them all! Thanks for your work.
The book was great…even unsigned! I read it in a day and a half. ( I did have other things that had to be done! Darn. ). But now I know I have to wait for the next one. I’m so eager to read them that I gobble it down and then left waiting. OR, I wait awhile and read it again!
I just wanted you to know that I’ve enjoyed all your books! Thanks so much for writing them!
A daunting task for sure. My hand would have been cramped for days. I’m sure the readers who receive a signed book treasure it. I’m in the middle of DOI and having a hard time putting it down. Thank you for the many, many, hours, days, and weeks of enjoyment you have given us since we discovered your books. We have read every book in every series except Girls night Out which my library still does not have in E-book and I don’t have a kindle.
Wow, what a clean, tidy and bright garage! Where are your cobwebs and grubby old flower pots?
Cheers,
Ceci
Shows that even sexist activity can ultimately have some benefits
Thank you for sharing your picture! I cannot imagine signing that many books! Kudos to you!
I hope your hand wasn’t cramped up afterwards.
No photo; said it was ‘hot linked’…..
As I said above, please send me an email at jajance@me.com and I’ll be happy to send the photo
You are the best, JA!
Wow!!!
What dedication.
I am happy you have so many readers and wish you no hand cramps, but please get better heating in your garage. That’s said with lopped sided smile!
I’m afraid that I would be either loosening friends or lose my copy forever. We pass each book around and, sorry, but only one book is bought.
Then our copy goes to a half-way house for teens. It is our way of a little help on the way to better life.
Please know we would love to keep our copies, but our hope is you bring more light and love into their lives by us sharing your work.
Thanks for sharing. A shared book is a loved book.