It’s funny how we have ideas in our heads about what we want and what we will or won’t do and how we so often end up doing things we said we wouldn’t or not doing things we said we would. When I started seriously working on the publishing process for Discovering My Outside Voice, I had no intentions of promoting it, let alone getting it into a local store or having a book signing. This started as a passion project and still is for the most part, but I’m now a bit more excited about how exposure for the book can change my plans in great ways.
Over the weekend, I had my first book signing at the most adorable bookstore we’ve ever had in Clermont, FL. Our family moved to Clermont in 2001, and there have been a couple bookstores that have made their way into the downtown area, but none of them lasted more than a few years. As a person who likes cute local bookstores, it was always a bummer when the store would move out of the area or close down entirely. But now we have Sunshine Book Co. to enjoy, and I hope they stick around a while.
Sunshine’s owner, Beth, has been incredible since the first day I walked into the store. She was incredibly welcoming and made this whole process so simple. She has an entire shelf dedicated to local authors, and it was fun to look through and see if I recognized any of the names. There are a few books on local history, and I definitely recognized some of the names written about in those books.
For my signing, I arrived just as the store was opening Sunday as I had the 11am-1pm time slot. Beth had a little bag with a bottle of water, a mint, and the store’s bookmark sitting on the table, and then laid out a blanket as a table cover. I’d brought five copies of the book (in addition to the copies already in the store) and laid them out on the table along with the bookmarks I’d had made previously as advertising material.
I spent much of the day chatting with Katherine, a retired massage therapist and fellow author who recently moved to the area. I was visited by friends, family, my mom’s girl gang from work, and also met a few new faces—Lori and Jessica—who each purchased a copy of the book. I was incredibly excited to see my stack of books dwindle to nothing as people came in to purchase and have me sign their copies.
This was the first in-person event for Discovering My Outside Voice, and I’m actually excited about the possibility of doing more. I have saved a video to watch about doing a virtual book signing. I really enjoyed the in-person book signing (more than I thought I would), but I’m also curious about the virtual signing process, so we’ll see what that’s about.
I will make it known when I have other events on the calendar. I’m excited to see where this book takes me.
Happy Reading!
♥
Christine Gabriélle 