I’m a small-town boy.Having the opportunity to hold a book signing, even if nobody requested said signing at the event, in the oldest continuously operated bookstore in the country was an honor.This is a prelude to the Easton Book Festival next weekend, in which I have two roles—part of a panel discussion and an individual presentation on Holy Horror.Putting yourself out there when you’re a writer is important, even if nobody pays attention.I thought quite a lot about it; horror movies are almost always successful, but do people like reading about them?Well, some of us do, obviously, but the average viewer, probably not so much.And then there’s the somewhat embarrassing juxtaposition of the Bible.People know what it is, but don’t want to talk about it.
Two people stopped to chat at the signing desk.One was an adjunct geology professor.We discussed science and religion, which is something on which I used to teach classes.He thought the book idea was interesting, but not enough to read it.The Moravian Book Shop scheduled this on the evening of their sold out ghost tours.Quite a few people came in for a Saturday night, mostly for the haunted Bethlehem walks.The second conversation was with a ghost tourist who thought the book idea was unusual.It is.I admit it.As I say in the book itself, “If you see something, say something.”So it was with me, with Bibles in movies.The bookstore did a nice display, but then, I have an awareness of the smallness of my impact.No surprises here.
The thing that really struck me was just how many people avoid looking at you when you’re behind a table with your books.I know I’ve done the same thing.I’ve gone into bookstores when an event was going on, not knowing about it and having no interest whatsoever in the book being presented.That’s the way these things go.I wasn’t doing this to make sales.McFarland isn’t the kind of publisher you use to make money.For me it was all about the experience.It was like seeing my name outside a church in Manhattan.It doesn’t do anything for you materially, but at least you can say you had it happened to you once.The signing was advertised in the local paper, and on its website.Maybe someone out there took a glimpse and saw something that sparked their curiosity.It doesn’t matter if they buy the book.As a teacher at heart, it is simply the interest that I’m hoping to raise.