[I] Lincoln Signing
Kevin Bean
shop in Lincoln today. Managed to get 3 books signed by Terry (TCOM, TAMAHER
and TLH). The staff were great and came round with nibbles for the fans in
the queue had a rat-on-a-stick (not bad but there was no ketchup), had a
good time waiting for the signing to start and I will be back again next
time Terry Graces Lincoln with his creative presence. Can't wait for the
next Discworld book to come out.
Kev
hippo
Kevin Bean <Than...@btinternet.com> wrote in message news:9t193s$a9o$1...@plutonium.btinternet.com...
Agreed : the nibbles (including 'sausage-in-a-bun') were very nice
Full mark's to Ottakar's, who also moved the queue out of the cold into
the warm shop very early on, less marks to W H Smith's in Sheffield the
day before who only handed out boiled sweets.
Both queues were some of the longest I've seen at Pterry signings :
I have yet to check, but I presume that TAMAHER and TLH are well up
or even top in the current best seller lists ?
I came to meet another afper in the queue (after morning shopping in Lincoln)
and wasn't aware of other afpers attending aside from one other.
(now wondering which one of the cast of 'thousands' Kevin was)
Anymore afpers in the neighbourhood ?
Future Lincoln meet anyone ?
hippo
--
Mark Datko
Three signings, and one afpmeet makes one weak .....
hippo
Kevin Bean <Than...@btinternet.com> wrote in message news:9t193s$a9o$1...@plutonium.btinternet.com...
Agreed : the nibbles (including 'sausage-in-a-bun') were very nice
Melody S-K
"hippo" <mda...@btinternet.com> wrote in message
news:9t1ukv$9j8$1...@uranium.btinternet.com...
>
> Kevin Bean <Than...@btinternet.com> wrote in message
news:9t193s$a9o$1...@plutonium.btinternet.com...
> > Just thought I would delurk for a second to say that I
was at Ottakar's book
> > shop in Lincoln today. Managed to get 3 books signed by
Terry (TCOM, TAMAHER
> > and TLH). The staff were great and came round with
nibbles for the fans in
> > the queue had a rat-on-a-stick (not bad but there was no
ketchup), had a
> > good time waiting for the signing to start and I will be
back again next
> > time Terry Graces Lincoln with his creative presence.
Can't wait for the
> > next Discworld book to come out.
>
> Agreed : the nibbles (including 'sausage-in-a-bun') were
very nice
> Full mark's to Ottakar's, who also moved the queue out of
the cold into
> the warm shop very early on, less marks to W H Smith's in
Sheffield the
> day before who only handed out boiled sweets.
oooh yes , the nibbles were excellent , presented by a young
lady dressed up(down) as CMOTD , ickle sausages with bread ,
white and milk chocolate meeces , jelly babies.
>
> Both queues were some of the longest I've seen at Pterry
signings :
> I have yet to check, but I presume that TAMAHER and TLH
are well up
> or even top in the current best seller lists ?
When we joined the queue it started at the front desk
downstairs where Terry was due to sign and snaked all the
way to the back of the shop , up the stairs all the way upto
almost the second floor .....after we joined people kept
arriving , going up the few stairs left behind us and onto
the second floor . I have a feeling that Ottakers in Lincoln
has some sort of LSpace going on on the 2nd floor as far
more people seemed to go up there than was actual floor
space :o)
>
> I came to meet another afper in the queue (after morning
shopping in Lincoln)
> and wasn't aware of other afpers attending aside from one
other.
Me ...me ...me :o) ...Was a lovely surprise to walk up to
the front door of Ottakers and see hippo standing there
waiting for me :o))) I knew Kevin had said he would try to
be there but when I saw the amount of people in the queue I
realized that that was a snowball in hells chance of finding
one person that I didnt actually already *know* ..ah well ,
next time :o)
>
> (now wondering which one of the cast of 'thousands' Kevin
was)
>
> Anymore afpers in the neighbourhood ?
> Future Lincoln meet anyone ?
I have to add that Terry was his usual congenial self ,
finding time for a quick chat with almost everyone who had
turned up. There was a rumour going around that he was only
signing for an hour as he had a Spalding signing later in
the day ...don't know what time he actually left Ottakers
..anyone have any idea?
Whilst signing my 4 books he sighed and said ...*It's
starting already* ...what? I asked ..*a journalist asked me
what that was* ..pointed to the UU .....*when I said the
Unseen University they asked if I had got the idea from
Hogwarts.........* so it isn't just on afp that it happens
;o)
Melody - who really enjoyed yesterdays signing
--
Hey, if you cut off your foot, you wouldn't keep putting it
in your mouth, but your body wouldn't be the same, would it?
Andrew Irish
He only wants more free nibbles! <g,d&r>
--
Andrew
https://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/~agi100
Email: agi...@ecs.soton.ac.uk,
a_i...@yahoo.com,
a_i...@lycos.co.uk,
a_ir...@hotmail.com
Simon Round
news:9t193s$a9o$1...@plutonium.btinternet.com...
> > Just thought I would delurk for a second to say that I was at Ottakar's
book
> > shop in Lincoln today. Managed to get 3 books signed by Terry (TCOM,
TAMAHER
> > and TLH). The staff were great and came round with nibbles for the fans
in
> > the queue had a rat-on-a-stick (not bad but there was no ketchup), had a
> > good time waiting for the signing to start and I will be back again next
> > time Terry Graces Lincoln with his creative presence. Can't wait for the
> > next Discworld book to come out.
>
> Agreed : the nibbles (including 'sausage-in-a-bun') were very nice
> Full mark's to Ottakar's, who also moved the queue out of the cold into
> the warm shop very early on, less marks to W H Smith's in Sheffield the
> day before who only handed out boiled sweets.
>
I was stood outside, in the queue, looking at the womens underwear in the
window next door (and getting told off by the missus) when we were moved
inside. The member of staff who came out to move said that it was Terry who
wanted us moved inside out of the cold.
I can't help thinking that the manager of the store either hadn't planned
things very well or just didn't want us cluttering up the shop for hours. Of
course there is also the possibility that he just had no idea how big the
response would be and was more used to having only short queues of people at
book signings.
I was also dismayed that the had only one copy of the Rincewind Trilogy in
stock. The chap in front of me in the queue got there before me. Other
signings that I have gone too all over the country have made sure that they
have plenty of stock of all of Terry's books, not just the newest release.
---
Simon
Terry Pratchett
<mda...@btinternet.com> writes
>
>Agreed : the nibbles (including 'sausage-in-a-bun') were very nice
>Full mark's to Ottakar's, who also moved the queue out of the cold into
>the warm shop very early on,
Because I asked them to-- although, to be fair, they didn't put up a
fight, and did run a very good event. It's beginning to seriously
depress me how so many stores are willing to make hundreds of people,
who on this tour were usually buying over £50-worth of books, stand out
in the cold. Does it only happen with fantasy fans? It is
understandable in a small shop, but some of these places have three
floors!
This is the end of the second week of a very gruelling tour; the reason
I'm driven around in a Jag is that it's the only way to get everywhere
in time. I think we ought to reduce the sizes of tours, and that is
probably going to happen.
--
Terry Pratchett
MP
<tprat...@unseen.demon.co.uk> wrote:
<snip>
> It's beginning to seriously
>depress me how so many stores are willing to make hundreds of people,
>who on this tour were usually buying over £50-worth of books, stand out
>in the cold. Does it only happen with fantasy fans? It is
>understandable in a small shop, but some of these places have three
>floors!
I think the staff of WHSmiths in Sheffield were rather shocked by the
sheer number of people there - the manager kept going out, looking
round and shaking his head in disbelief. You couldn't see the end of
the queue until about 6:20...
>This is the end of the second week of a very gruelling tour; the reason
>I'm driven around in a Jag is that it's the only way to get everywhere
>in time. I think we ought to reduce the sizes of tours, and that is
>probably going to happen.
I doubt anyone would blame you - both of the signings I've been to
have had _huge_ numbers of people there, and I know I'd get baffled by
the number of people prepared to stand around in queues for me to sign
a book, should I be in that position.[1]
Have you considered doing less condensed tours - in the last week,
you've been to Sheffield, London, Lincoln, and goodness knows where
else, so presumably been shunted up and down the country like crazy.
What if they were more of a holiday style - leisurely travelling
around for a month or so, couple of days signing each week, and the
rest of the time to call your own, see a few sights, get to know the
areas? Of course, you might have to try and force the publishing dates
to be when it's a bit warmer... :-}
MP
[1] I was even baffled by the woman in front of me at Sheffield. She
and her son bought about 8 books whilst in the queue. One at a time,
as they noticed them. This isn't a technique I've come across
before...
Martin Julian DeMello
>
> [1] I was even baffled by the woman in front of me at Sheffield. She
> and her son bought about 8 books whilst in the queue. One at a time,
> as they noticed them. This isn't a technique I've come across
> before...
Sounds logical to me :) Might as well do *something* while standing in a
queueueue, and bookshopping is as nice a way of passing the time as any.
--
Martin DeMello
Terry Pratchett
writes
>
>I think the staff of WHSmiths in Sheffield were rather shocked by the
>sheer number of people there - the manager kept going out, looking
>round and shaking his head in disbelief.
...which was odd. Sheffield signings have always been big. Maybe they
just don't remember.
>Have you considered doing less condensed tours - in the last week,
>you've been to Sheffield, London, Lincoln, and goodness knows where
>else, so presumably been shunted up and down the country like crazy.
You've got to do them within a reasonable time after publication date.
It's as simple as that.
--
Terry Pratchett
Michel Klijmij
tprat...@unseen.demon.co.uk wrote on 18-11-2001 23:57:
> In article <3bf81b70...@News.CIS.DFN.DE>, MP <m...@bleurgh.net>
> writes
<snip>
>> Have you considered doing less condensed tours - in the last week,
>> you've been to Sheffield, London, Lincoln, and goodness knows where
>> else, so presumably been shunted up and down the country like crazy.
>
> You've got to do them within a reasonable time after publication date.
> It's as simple as that.
In that case, have you considered visiting the Netherlands? It's warm and
sunny round this time of the year ;-) plenty of fans anyway looking at afp
Michel.
--
I'm not a fan, I just like stuff.
Richard Bos
> in article +O6iTtAz...@unseen.demon.co.uk, Terry Pratchett at
> tprat...@unseen.demon.co.uk wrote on 18-11-2001 23:57:
>
> > You've got to do them within a reasonable time after publication date.
> > It's as simple as that.
>
> In that case, have you considered visiting the Netherlands?
He has, several times already.
> It's warm and sunny round this time of the year ;-)
It's always warm and sunny in the Netherlands. Well known for its
gorgeous weather, this country.
> plenty of fans anyway looking at afp
Sure. Problem is, we get the books at just about the same time as the UK
does. This is a good thing, but it also has its disadvantages - if
PTerry's publishers want to promote a new book, they're much more likely
to do so in the UK than over here. More people and all that. They'd have
to want to promote PTerry in the Netherlands specifically to bring him
here. And they do, but, well, the publication of a new book isn't likely
to be sufficient reason in itself to skip a UK tour.
Richard
VT52
news:+V9SlUAh...@unseen.demon.co.uk...
Arrrgh, does this mean XXXX could be bypassed[1]?
Regards,
Garry
[1] Who will sign an APF? Sorry, lots of people after an author's signature
but I don't think the signature changes enjoyment of a book.
Terry Pratchett
<VT...@bigpond.just.one.fullstop.here.com> writes
>Arrrgh, does this mean XXXX could be bypassed[1]?
Almost certainly not. Existing commitments will, gods willing, be
honoured -- the UK May tour, the Canadian visit shortly after, and the
Oz/NZ tour next November. But we'd planned a reasonably-sized UK tour
before the Oz visit, and I'm saying right now that it'll be cut shorter.
Last week a different publicist was with me, who is new to DW tours. I
think she was horrified at the intensity of it all. And, this time, so
was I.
Important note: I'm not talking about The End Of Signing Tours. But I'm
not going to do any more three-week marathons.
--
Terry Pratchett
The Stainless Steel Cat
Terry Pratchett <tprat...@unseen.demon.co.uk> wrote:
So they'll be more like Snack-Size Snickers then?
Cat.
--
La Rustimuna ^Stalkato
stee...@mac.comtrousers
Spamtrap: Remove trousers to reply
Andy Davison
>Last week a different publicist was with me, who is new to DW tours. I
>think she was horrified at the intensity of it all. And, this time, so
>was I.
>
>Important note: I'm not talking about The End Of Signing Tours. But I'm
>not going to do any more three-week marathons.
I've been to two signings. One was when FoC came out in p/b and the
other was Carpe Jugulum (h/b) Jingo(p/b). I went to the second one to
get books for the children of a couple of cousins of mine. The first
one was sort of an accident.I went into Books Etc in Oxford St to buy
a garden book for my mum's birthday and found a signing going on. The
second one (in Watford) was far more intense thant he first (at least,
by the time I got to each of them). I decided not to go to another
signing as it's not fair on newer readers to have to wait for me to
get another book signed and I don't think it's fair on Terry (yes, I
know it's part of being a big author these days). While I appreciate
that the people going to the signings are the fans who are after all
<mode=RP Tyler>the people who pay your wages</mode><gd&r> if I were in
the same situation it would piss me off no end.
I have just read Pushkin's Button[1] by Serena Vitale and I started
wondering, if signing tours had been around at the time, how long
would Alexander Pushkin have lasted before challenging a customer to a
duel? :)
[1] Not my favourite book by a long way. The author has her own ideas
about what happened and pushes the story down her preferred route
while trying to make it look like she's giving you the option to
choose and your choice is the same as hers. As far as Pushkin was
concerned I can't see why nobody shot him earlier. To be honest, by
the time she put forward her theory as to who had written the
anonymous letters I couldn't have cared less who it was. I was willing
to own up to it if she'd have cut the book by 100 pages.
--
Andy Davison
andy.d...@btinternet.com
Terry Pratchett
<mu...@lspace.org> writes
>So, in future years, will we see a Pterry with not just a Clarecraft
>made "ex libris stamp", but also a Clarecraft made
>"demon-holder-which-dispenses-little-numbered-tickets-then-tells-the
>recipient-to-bugger-off-somewhere-until-their-number-is called" device?
As a matter of fact, I have suggested this to a number of shops,
especially ones which have coffee shops. I've seen in done in America
to very good effect. The shop in that case used an old tear-off
day-at-a-time calendar. It meant that people could browse or go and sit
down; every so often the PA system would make announcements like 'now
signing for September and earlier!' It was also less stressful for me,
since at any one time the queue was only thirty people or so.
--
Terry Pratchett
DinkiPixie
<tprat...@unseen.demon.co.uk> writes on numbered tickets:
> I've seen in done in America
>to very good effect. The shop in that case used an old tear-off
>day-at-a-time calendar. It meant that people could browse or go and sit
>down;
That would be a relief. I'm fairly sure I emerge from the queue several
inches shorter.
--
Angela Touchstone
momo
Does that mean visting Japan is out of the question? I know the Rising
Sun Readership is almost inexistent, but dropping in would be
appreciated
by all those who have dared to peek over the Wall only to realize,
that the
Japanese sense of sarcams is equal to that of Twoflower, Cohen or just
generally dwarves.
What _is_ your opinion concerning the translations of 7 of your novels
(Equal Rites, Mort, Wyrd Sisters, Pyramids; Diggers, Truckers, Wings)
into Japanese? Ever come face to face with one? It's a sight to
remember.
Momo
Richard Bos
> But for you. People would come out to get you to sign
> whatever was in the the store - even if it was only the new
> wall calendar. It's not as if your stuff is out of print.
The aim is not to display PTerry to the public[1], nor really to boost
overall sales. The aim of such a campaign is, I gather, to boost sales
just after the book has been published, so it gets as high on the
bestseller lists as possible.
This is, of course, done not primarily for PTerry's profit but for the
publisher's. An author would not, I suppose, care much whether he sold
umpty books during a year or umpty-minus-a-bit books in the first week,
and the bit during the rest of the year. Publishers do.
Richard
[1] as if he were an interesting exhibit - I'm sure I would feel that
way after being toured all around the country.
April Goodwin-Smith
> MP writes
> >Have you considered doing less condensed tours - in the last
> >week, you've been to Sheffield, London, Lincoln, and goodness
> >knows where else, so presumably been shunted up and down the
> >country like crazy.
>
> You've got to do them within a reasonable time after
> publication date. It's as simple as that.
First of all: I wonder whether, for you, this is true anymore.
Sure, in the field of teeny-tiny print runs of thin books of
short stories published by shoe-string presses, well, yes,
somebody gives a venue for a reading, and all the wannabees
diligently come out, listen, applaud, and buy the book, and
get the author to sign it. It's harmless envious fun. And,
yes, it needs to be pretty close to publication or the poor
slob in print eventually looks pathetic.
But for you. People would come out to get you to sign
whatever was in the the store - even if it was only the new
wall calendar. It's not as if your stuff is out of print.
Any store could make a decent profit off your visit simply
by stocking what there is already available. I need new
copies of several books that have been lent to death. I would
like to buy gifts. I would like to upgrade some of my paper
backs to hard backs.
The problem, of course, is then you are never free of the
demands to flog your stuff. However. I don't see why
you shouldn't be able to holiday somewhere and business-
expense some of the cost by doing a single book signing.
Although I don't suppose extra beans in your jeans holds
the allure it once did.
Anyway. Second thing. Thank you very much for The Last
Hero. I hope the heck that writing these books gives
you as much pleasure as reading them gives me.
April.
--
"Things that try to look like things often do look more
like things than things. Well known fact."
Esmerelda Weatherwax (Pratchett 1988)
April Goodwin-Smith
>
> April Goodwin-Smith <lor...@telusplanet.net> wrote:
>
> > But for you. People would come out to get you to sign
> > whatever was in the the store - even if it was only the new
> > wall calendar. It's not as if your stuff is out of print.
>
> The aim is not to display PTerry to the public[1], nor really
> to boost overall sales. The aim of such a campaign is, I
> gather, to boost sales just after the book has been published,
> so it gets as high on the bestseller lists as possible.
>
Ah. I did not realize. Does it work? I mean, if you trot
out a new or newish author and make her/him press the flesh
a little, I can see that that might help. But for an
established author? Does it bunch up the sales over and
above the sales to people who want the new work right away
anyways? If it does, then I suppose the biggest the shop
in the more affluent-than-most-neigbourhood is the prime
target of a tour of this nature. Isn't the length of
time on the bestseller list also important? Or is it not
as important as a quick zoom to the top?
<snip>
>
> [1] as if he were an interesting exhibit - I'm sure I would
> feel that way after being toured all around the country.
>
Well, we're not paying 2 cents to get into the curtained
alcove, but it has a similar feel to a raree show. See
the Amazing Pratchett! The only one in captivity! See
it sign books! See it emit jocularities! See it imitate
all the functions of animal life!!!!!!!!
Anyways.
Terry Pratchett
<in...@hoekstra-uitgeverij.nl> writes
>The aim is not to display PTerry to the public[1], nor really to boost
>overall sales. The aim of such a campaign is, I gather, to boost sales
>just after the book has been published, so it gets as high on the
>bestseller lists as possible.
No. This sounds right, but it's rubbish. Let's say there are 800
bookshops in the country -- I expect there are fewer. By no means all
the bookshops are sampled by Booktrack, who compile the bestseller
lists --I think they select a number every week. I think I'm right in
saying that none of the specialist sf shops are included in this.
I can, on a three week tour, cover maybe 23 shops. We won't know which
ones will be sampled, if any.
Booktrack demand of all reporting shops that they indicate if they have
had a signing in that week. They then apply some magic formula to the
sales to ensure that, if a few signing tour shops are in the sample for
that week, they don't distort the average for the country.
I've talked to Booktrack about this, and they think that an author would
have to be very fast and lucky to influence the figures -- we're talking
a mad rush from shop to shop and straight signatures, no
dedications--and even my tours would be leisurely by comparison. In
fact the type of author who might *just* be able to nudge the figures --
David Attenborough, perhaps, doing a TV tie-in-- would already be
assured of a high billing in any case. They're confident that in the
real world a signing tour does *not* influence the listings.
--
Terry Pratchett
Carrie Cota
<tprat...@unseen.demon.co.uk>
><in...@hoekstra-uitgeverij.nl> writes
>>The aim is not to display PTerry to the public[1], nor really to boost
>>overall sales. The aim of such a campaign is, I gather, to boost sales
>>just after the book has been published, so it gets as high on the
>>bestseller lists as possible.
>
>No. This sounds right, but it's rubbish. Let's say there are 800
>bookshops in the country -- I expect there are fewer. By no means all
>the bookshops are sampled by Booktrack, who compile the bestseller
>lists --I think they select a number every week. I think I'm right in
>saying that none of the specialist sf shops are included in this.
>
In that case, pTerry thank you for coming out and doing signings.
Because it souns as if the only real advantage that comes from it is
that you get to meet your fans and they you. In which case, please
take it easier on yourself. Not just for the selfish reasons we all
have, but because we would like you around for a long time. I hope
that someday I can make it to a signing. Perhaps if you come to the
San Francisco bay area soon, I might get to meet you in person. Or
else it might work out that the plans some of us are working on for my
son and I to move to England, do actaually bear fruit.
Carrie
--
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of SMART?
"coeuntor si iocum non capere possunt"
Lister
far away, Ca...@sfo.com (Carrie Cota) slammed a pint glass on the table
and said :
perhaps PTerry should invest in the idea of Cryopreservation(I'm
considering it)
--
www.friendsreunited.co.uk
www.lostschoolfriends.com
everyone from the UK visit these sites, pass it on!
Martin Julian DeMello
> perhaps PTerry should invest in the idea of Cryopreservation(I'm
> considering it)
Oh dear, are we back to telling him to Chill?
--
Martin DeMello
Lister
away, Martin Julian DeMello <mdem...@vermiculated.owlnet.rice.edu>
slammed a pint glass on the table and said :
>Lister <fa...@clara.net> wrote:
>
>> perhaps PTerry should invest in the idea of Cryopreservation(I'm
>> considering it)
>
>Oh dear, are we back to telling him to Chill?
hehe, I was more concerned with him writing as many novels as possible
(although I suppose they will run out sometime)
Richard Bos
> In article <3bfcaf4a...@news.worldonline.nl>, Richard Bos
> <in...@hoekstra-uitgeverij.nl> writes
> >The aim is not to display PTerry to the public[1], nor really to boost
> >overall sales. The aim of such a campaign is, I gather, to boost sales
> >just after the book has been published, so it gets as high on the
> >bestseller lists as possible.
>
> No. This sounds right, but it's rubbish.
Is it? Drat. I certainly trust you to know more about this than my
previous sources (who were into economics more than into publishing, and
we all know about lies, damned lies, and statistics), but in that case,
I can't for the life of me think why there would need to be a signing
just after the book has come out, rather than at any other random time.
It just doesn't seem rational to rush things so if there isn't a
measurable reason to do so. So why do you (and the publishers, and all
the others) put up with it?
Richard
Terry Pratchett
<in...@hoekstra-uitgeverij.nl> writes
>It just doesn't seem rational to rush things so if there isn't a
>measurable reason to do so. So why do you (and the publishers, and all
>the others) put up with it?
Well, to start with:
Tradition.
Both the publishers and the shop want that shop to sell a lot of copies
in a short time so that the expenses of the signing can be defrayed, and
the best time to do that is shortly after publication.
Because if I did random signings I'd be inundated with requests all
year; at least this way means there's a short 'open season'.
And probably some other reasons I'm too tired to think about at the
moment...
--
Terry Pratchett