posted
According to geobytes.com and its distance calculator, I traveled 1698 miles last August to visit my new born baby nephew. Coincidentally enough, I ensured that my timing was exactly at the time Mr. Card would be making his appearances in Salt Lake City for the Magic Street Book Signing tour. That was an excellent speech and I was very glad to get my somewhat large stack of books signed by one of my top three favorite authors. I felt like I had a permanent record showing that I didn't need six degrees of separation connecting me and Mr. Card. I only needed one degree and I had the books to prove it. *Grins*
Almost a year later, last night to be exact, I was meandering around my local Wal-Mart and I came across a bargain book table. Yes!!! I love good and cheap books. (One of my favorite places to get cheap and good books is the closest Goodwill Industries. Used books always seem to have a warmer feeling than new books. They carry part of the people that have read them previously...)
Before I diverge too much, I must get to the point of my posting. I wasn't thrilled with the selection of books on the bargain table until I saw the familiar TOR mountain peak on the spine of a book pointing to Orson Scott Card's The Crystal City. I haven't started reading the Alvin Maker series yet, but I thought "Why not? I'm sure I will get to it in the near future. Why shouldn't I purchase the sixth book in a series I haven't started yet?" The book was priced at $6.96 and I was almost ready to put the book down because I was about to purchase $60 worth of yarn (which is soon to be used to make an afghan for my second niece or nephew due shortly after Christmas). I didn't really have the money and I hadn't started the series. Being the bibliophile that I am, I opened the book to the title page and found an all too familiar extravagant signature of Mr. Orson Scott Card himself. Or is it?
I took off my glass and used my near-sited eyes to try to see if the signature was from the printer or from an auto-pen. Both of these signatures are pretty easy to identify because of a computer's need to digitize something very smooth and flowing. An auto-pen is slightly better than a printer, because it uses an actual pen. I've had the privilege of using Governor Jeb Bush's auto-pen when I used to work for the Florida Department of Education. Once you get used to see what an auto-pen looks like, it is pretty easy to spot them in the future. This signature, as best as I can tell, appears to be authentic.
Perhaps I am too much of a skeptic and cannot believe that a signed copy of a book could make its way into a book store with out some sort of special distinction. I've seen copies of books at places like Borders or Barnes & Noble that have a sticker on the front saying "Signed by the Author" and it gives them the chance to charge a special premium or force a change drawing situation to see who gets the special copies, but these situations are far and few between. I have a hard time believing a signed copy of The Crystal City could make its way to my local Wal-Mart and find its way into the hands of the biggest, at least in that Wal-Mart, Orson Scott Card fan on a bargain book table. The chances seem impossible.
Another little tidbit that makes me think this book might have actually been signed by Mr. Card (or his auto-pen, maybe...) is the fact that there were only two copies of The Crystal City on that table (the signed one I had in my hands and a second copy on the other side of the table). I picked up the other copy and did not find a signature on the title page. This probably doesn't prove anything except the notion that all the books that were sent in that particular consignment to Wal-Mart had the Orson Scott Card Signature in them was not true. I had the only signed copy left in the store and I am glad to have it.
Has this happened to anyone else? And is anyone aware of Mr. Card signing books and putting them with shipments to unsuspecting fans in various locations around the globe? Even if the signature if fake, it looks just like the other signatures that I got from him in Utah. I don't think anyone could tell the difference between the real signatures and the one from Wal-Mart, but at least I have an interesting story to tell people about a special trip I made to my local Wal-Mart.
Posts: 2 | Registered: Jul 2006
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So I have you to blame for all the stuff going on pedagogically here in Florida?
-o-
That's a really neat story! I have never had any kind of experience like that. It sounds like it's legit. Did it have any of his cute signature sentences, like "To a friend of Ender" or "It's great to be the Hegemon" or any of that stuff?
I wonder if Wal-Mart is sometimes used to clearance books from other national booksellers, and if maybe a B&N or Borders lost track of an autographed copy.
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
Hey! Are you a grad student at FSU? I'm heading up there in 3 weeks to work on my undergrad degree.
I once found an autographed copy of "The Giver" by Lois Lowry at a yardsale for 25 cents. Or rather, my mom did unknowingly. When she brought it home I said "Mom, we already have 3 copies of that book!", so I tossed it aside, then a few days later got to looking at it and there was her signature, along with a little note. Something about memories. It was pretty sweet.
I also have an autographed copy of "A Wrinkle In Time" by Madeline L'Engle, but that one was obtained legitmately.
Posts: 2827 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
Nice find. It's my understanding that Card (and probably other authors as well) usually sign a number of unsold copies of their books for the stores that they visit during their signing tours. That way, even people who didn't make it to the event can get a signed book afterward. It sounds like you may have found such a copy.
Posts: 1569 | Registered: Dec 2004
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posted
Neo-dragon is right. Scott usually signs stacks of books at every store he does a signing at so he leaves them with stock copies of signed books. But, sometimes they don't all sell -- so the store returns them, esepcially when the paperback is coming soon. Then, the publisher remainders all those returned copies and stores buy them cheap for their bargain book table. That's the scoop.
Posts: 780 | Registered: Jul 1999
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posted
That reminds me--how sure can you be that a signature is legit?
I bought two Gregory Maguire books from B&N with a signature inside and the little "Signed By The Author" sticker on front. However, the two signatures look very different--one is tight and neat, the other large and florid.
Posts: 1735 | Registered: Oct 2004
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quote:Originally posted by kacard: Neo-dragon is right. Scott usually signs stacks of books at every store he does a signing at so he leaves them with stock copies of signed books. But, sometimes they don't all sell -- so the store returns them, esepcially when the paperback is coming soon. Then, the publisher remainders all those returned copies and stores buy them cheap for their bargain book table. That's the scoop.
Sounds like what I said, actually. Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
Actually, they were selling signed copies here in the Hatrack River Store not many weeks ago. They were steeply discounted there too.
Posts: 1167 | Registered: Oct 2005
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posted
1. There has never been, and will never be, an auto-pen or preprinted signature of mine that pretends to be a real signature.
2. I'm reasonably sure that the presigned copies of Crystal City came from a mass signing I did at a distributor's warehouse. I just sat and signed 300 books. No doubt they held these out for 'special' uses. Then, when the book was announced as a remainder by TOR, they had no financial choice but to return their stock - including the signed ones. At that point the same stock was sold for a steep discount basically to clear the warehouse (it happens with ALL hardcovers, even bestsellers, so authors just wince and bear it.) Thus signed copies ended up on the remainder tables.
3. When we bought a bunch of remainders from TOR to sell at a steep discount in our own store, we found a substantial portion of Crystal City had already been signed (by me). So my conclusion was: I signed too many books. I will use this as ammunition the next time I beg not to be sent on a signing tour, or at least to meaningless signings like that one!
This, by the way, is the reason I avoid signing stock on paperbacks, period. (I sign paperbacks for real people and for gifts, etc., quite happily.) At least hardcovers are remaindered and somebody might end up buying the real signed book. Paperbacks that aren't sold are simply destroyed! To waste time signing books that end up as pulp that's turned into McDonald's burger containers just makes me too sad....
Posts: 2005 | Registered: Jul 1999
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quote:Originally posted by Dr Strangelove: Hey! Are you a grad student at FSU? I'm heading up there in 3 weeks to work on my undergrad degree.
I once found an autographed copy of "The Giver" by Lois Lowry at a yardsale for 25 cents. Or rather, my mom did unknowingly. When she brought it home I said "Mom, we already have 3 copies of that book!", so I tossed it aside, then a few days later got to looking at it and there was her signature, along with a little note. Something about memories. It was pretty sweet.
I also have an autographed copy of "A Wrinkle In Time" by Madeline L'Engle, but that one was obtained legitmately.
Yes Dr. Strangelove, I am a grad Student at FSU. I am finishing up a degree in the college of business. Tallahassee is a good place to go to school. It is very friendly for college students. What degree are you coming up to work on?
I love your story about the giver. I always dream of finding books that way. When ever I have a couple of hours to spare, I like to head over goodwill and meander through the used books or I'll stop over at a yard sale when I see one. I've never been so lucky as to find a signed copy of anything until this Wal-Mart incident. The next most interesting story I have about new books purchased with special qualities was a copy of Eldest, by Christopher Paolini, that was printed upside down in regards to the hard back cover. The next time Mr. Paolini goes on a book signing tour, I will have to try to get that copy signed...hopefully with an upside down signature.
And thank you Mr. Card for replying to my mystery signature post. I am glad to know that you do not use an auto pen or pre-printed signatures. I don't feel that those pre-fabed signatures in anyway diminish the excellent feeling of getting a signed copy, but it wonderful to know that you take great pride in giving away your personal recognition. Perhaps if I can see you again on another book tour (maybe Magic Street II: Oberon Strikes Back) I can bring the Wal-Mart copy of the Crystal City and get it personalized.
Posts: 2 | Registered: Jul 2006
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