Author Signings at BEA
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ba501d4-f874-4f0e-b379-3277aed47981_375x500.jpeg)
Author signings at Book Expo America almost always have really huge lines, and in some cases, attendees have to get up early to get free tickets to get books signed by certain, popular authors. Tickets are given out each morning at 6:45 AM and many of them go quickly, especially for high profile and prolific authors like Joyce Carol Oates.
The only author at the Expo that I wanted a ticket for was Oates because I've loved her writing ever since I was younger, and I grew to appreciate it even more in college. I'd like to say I'm her biggest fan, and I do love hearing stories about her need to write and her eccentricities.
However, after getting up at 5 AM to get my ticket when I was on vacation and didn't have to get up early for work, I was sorely disappointed after waiting in line for nearly 40 minutes to get Oates' new book, Sourland, signed and to meet one of my all-time favorite authors.
We were told she was stuck in traffic and would be at Javits soon, but after 20 minutes more of waiting, they told us that they would hand out the books so we didn't have to wait in line. Authors are only given between 30 minutes and an hour to sign books, and ticketed authors don't even guarantee that everyone with a ticket will get to meet the author or receive a signed book.
For me, waiting for my writing inspiration in line for more than 40 minutes only to find out that she couldn't be bothered to show up at the appointed time was more than disappointing to me. I had heard that she doesn't like public functions and that she doesn't like when fans talk to her in autographing lines, but I still wanted to meet her and have my book signed, but to me, her absence was a slap in the face. I have vowed to meet her someday regardless of this incident.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6d1cd660-ae6b-4748-80a9-9bbab4b17a58_240x180.jpeg)
I do want to share with you some photos of author signings for non-ticketed authors. The Girl from Diary of an Eccentric got to meet R.L. Stine and I got to meet the poetic YA author, Beth Kephart, and The Lace Reader author Brunonia Barry.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9201d99b-dd5f-495d-b74f-abab8021279d_240x180.jpeg)
What authors were you anxious to see? Tell me about your author signing experiences.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F98beba3d-b59c-4e92-8018-602bbb621308_240x180.jpeg)