“Only 2 people came to my author signing, so I was pretty bummed about it,” she posted on Twitter. “Kind of upset, honestly, and a little embarrassed.”
The fantasy creator didn’t really feel down for too lengthy, nonetheless, as famous person authors swiftly chimed in to share reminiscences of their very own book signings that had flopped — illustrating how it may be an extended street to success and to filling up rooms.
“Join the club,” wrote “The Handmaid’s Tale” creator Margaret Atwood in response to Banning. “I did a signing to which Nobody came, except a guy who wanted to buy some Scotch tape and thought I was the help.”
Join the membership. I did a signing to which Nobody got here, besides a man who wished to purchase some Scotch tape and thought I used to be the assistance. 🙂
— Margaret E. Atwood (@MargaretAtwood) December 5, 2022
Best-selling horror creator Stephen King additionally replied: “At my first SALEM’S LOT signing, I had one customer. A fat kid who said, ‘Hey bud, do you know where there’s some Nazi books?’”
Neil Gaiman shared a reminiscence of a signing in New York with fellow writer Terry Pratchett that “nobody came to at all. So you are two up on us,” he wrote.
“One Day” creator David Nicholls added his reminiscences: “Ooh, boy, too many to share. The one where the bookshop staff kindly pretended to be customers so I wouldn’t feel too bad, that stays with me,” he tweeted.
“My Sister’s Keeper” creator Jodi Picoult said she had “sat lonely at a signing table many times only to have someone approach…and ask me where the bathroom is.”
“We’ve all been there,” said British creator Malorie Blackman, providing consolation. “I once did a talk at a library and five people turned up, including a mum who planted her two infant school children in front of me and then strategically ‘withdrew’ to get some peace for a while.”
I’ve sat lonely at a signing desk many occasions solely to have somebody method…and ask me the place the lavatory is.
— Jodi Picoult (@jodipicoult) December 5, 2022
Korean American creator Min Jin Lee, who wrote “Pachinko,” added that she had as soon as attended a book studying the place solely “my husband’s cousin showed up.”
“You know, a lot of people think of writers and authors and imagine the glitz and glamour of events,” Lee advised The Post. “Actually, however, there’s a lot of getting served humble pie.”
Over the previous decade, Lee stated she’s had a whole lot of book signings and associated occasions. “Sometimes you fill venues. Other times, you’re lucky if your mom shows up,” she added. “But what’s important to keep in mind is that someone cared enough to show up and read what you had to say.”
Never in her “wildest dreams” did Banning ever think about her try at “literally venting into a void” would flip right into a viral second of worldwide literary support — being shared over 7,000 occasions and garnering greater than 77,000 likes on Twitter. On Wednesday, her debut novel, “Of Crowns and Legends” — the primary of a Camelot-set trilogy — rose to the No. 1 bestseller in Amazon’s “Dragons & Mythical Creatures Fantasy” class. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Post.)
The “spark” for Banning’s Arthurian novel got here to her in a highschool British literature class. She’s additionally a daily at Renaissance festivals and a full-time librarian, who as soon as dressed up as Disney’s Queen Elsa from “Frozen” for an occasion with youngsters.
“I mean, I love fantasy. So I try to make it as much of a reality as I can, I guess,” Banning stated.
Now, Banning stated she is hoping extra magic will observe as she works on the trilogy’s second book. But, within the meantime, she stated she will’t assist however really feel as if her highschool self — the one who first bought the “crazy idea” to write down the book — can be in awe of how the storyline has unfolded thus far.
“She’d faint,” Banning stated. “I’d want to tell her to never stop writing because it’s going to pay off — even if the first drafts of the book were so cringey.”