by Anthony Chatfield

Created on: February 14, 2007   Last Updated: November 04, 2010

I have a moderately large and steadily growing book collection. I started it only three years ago after settling into my new home and city and found that it was growing rather quickly. I decided that rather than having stacks and stacks of books with no story other than that I'd read them, I'd try and get every one of them autographed (by the living authors at least).

So far, I have more than 75 of my 400 plus books autographed and will have most of the rest of them done soon enough. The act of getting an autograph may seem daunting, especially if you live in a smaller town or city where you don't have access to author readings and specialty bookstores, but here a few tips for everyone for getting all those contemporary pieces signed while you can.

1. Get all the fliers from your bookstores. Check often, usually every month or so, for the new signing schedule at your local bookstore or bookstores. They're usually posted online, too. You'll want to know ahead of time in case there's a need for a ticket that might sell out. Often with big name authors you might not be able to just walk up and get your book signed.

2. Bring a friend. The friend is a good tag along when you go to get your books signed. Often they'll make a rule of one book per person which means you have to usually buy the new book and get that signed. If you bring a friend, he or she can bring along whichever old book you want signed as well.

3. Bring everything anyways. Sometimes the list says only one or two books, but often times the authors are nice people and will sign everything you have anyways. The rules are usually set by the agents and bookstore staff trying to keep a schedule. The author may or may not care about their schedule, so if they don't, take advantage of it. I attended a Chuck Palahniuk reading a while back and brought seven books with me. The sign said two, but I brought them anyways and he happily signed them all for me.

4. Ebay is a great place to pick up old signed copies of books that may or may not be in perfect condition. If you're not a super picky collector trying to build monetary value, consider going the Ebay route and picking up some of the old pieces you haven't had time to get signed yet.

5. If a writer rarely comes through and you can't get tickets, try and ask a friend or a colleague, or a teacher if you're in school, to help you out. You might even be able to get a book on hold with the bookstore sponsoring the event to be signed. They always sign extras for the stores, so if you can sneak in a copy with an extra helping hand, you might be able to pull it off without making it into the signing.

6. Local bookstores will sometimes carry extra signed copies of books by an author who lives in the area. Look up where your author lives and check local bookstores to see if they sign books for their showcase. Once again, Chuck Palahniuk signs excess books for a local bookstore in Portland which in turn sells them online to willing buyers for normal MSRP. It's a good way to get a brand new book signed by your favorite author without having to spend all day in line and not even make it in.

The art of book signing is half skill and half luck. I was lucky to see that Bill Clinton was signing at a certain time in Seattle three years ago and I got tickets, but sometimes it's also a matter of who you know. I've missed out on tickets before and asked a professor of mine to get a book autographed by Salmon Rushdie. She did and now I have a book signed that very few people do as Rushdie spent the years before and after writing it in seclusion. It's all in the dedication you show.

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