tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30975557.post6357431304648144427..comments2024-03-27T14:58:25.730-07:00Comments on View from the Cottage: I gave a party and no one cameJudy Alterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05147106159914535549noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30975557.post-66427894742562452392016-04-30T06:39:29.259-07:002016-04-30T06:39:29.259-07:00We all have war stories, Randy. I remember once in...We all have war stories, Randy. I remember once in OK City when someone from WWA was signing with us. If anybody walking by was wearing jeans, he'd call out, "Hey, you look like you read westerns." Joyce Roach and I considered crawling under the table-and neither of us sold a book. But as I hope I said in the blog I'm fairly philosophical about last night--weather, not a Texas subject, etc. And I always had someone for company. Thanks, though, for understanding.judyalterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13767466505891813090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30975557.post-13721485588875570402016-04-30T06:16:53.508-07:002016-04-30T06:16:53.508-07:00Oh, lord! I'm so sorry for you, Judy! You are ...Oh, lord! I'm so sorry for you, Judy! You are right; many (if not most) authors have had the same thing happen to them. Dick Wheeler had a real bad one years and years ago when Forge sent him out on a "tour" that turned out to be disastrous---especially at the Tattered Book in Denver! He sat there for three hours and sold only one book! I remember a couple of times when I sat, lost and forlorn, waiting helplessly for some to come by. One, when I showed up in Omaha and they hadn't even set up or announced my coming. They scrambled around to get a card table and chair and what books they had in stock. I don't think I sold any there. If I did, it was only to a passer-by who saw me sitting in Walden Books and came in out of curiosity. Another time (and I was very angry about this) happened at a Walden Book store (again!) when the manager scheduled another author at the same time---a local author who had published a vanity book. The local obviously had a leg up on the visitor and did sell quite a few books. That one pretty much sealed Walden Books for me and after that one, I refused to go to any Walden stores. I remember Bob Gleason and Tom Doherty were livid when they found out about those two events. I've never seen Tom so mad in all the years we were together! Shortly after, I withdrew from the "author's trail" and refused to do any signings except for a few friends who owned individual "little" stores. And, now, I don't do any at all. Occasionally, I get a request from someone who wants to know if I'll autograph a book if they send it to me but at that time, I autograph a book plate and send it to them. In the past, when I've agreed to do that, I'd get burned with return postage on occasion. But, I'll also admit that I very seldom go out anymore anyway. I'm pretty much a recluse.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10302909967873564863noreply@blogger.com