Two Book Signings, One Introverted Author
TLDR: This introvert went bicoastal, met amazing readers and authors, got stared at all day by an eyeless cardboard surfer in CA, and proved (again) that I can do hard things… even when I’m panicking on the inside.
As a lover of books and reading, book signing conferences have always intrigued me. As a reader, they sound like the best possible day: books, authors, merch, tropes, cover models (sometimes), and the kind of reader energy that makes you feel like you found your people.
As an author, however? They terrify the ever-loving shit out of me.
Why? Because I’m both shy and introverted. And putting myself out there—talking to strangers, pitching my books, being “on”—is hard for me.
But on this author journey, I’ve tried to do one thing that challenges me each year. Something that forces me to grow.
This year I decided to go big.
The “Amy Goes Bicoastal Tour”
This year I signed up for two book signing events roughly two months apart, and I affectionately called it my Amy Goes Bicoastal Tour:
- Get Witchy With It (GWWI) — Boston/Salem (September)
- Love & Tech Bookfest — Santa Clara, CA (last weekend)
Each conference came with its own set of challenges—and wins.
Stop One: Get Witchy With It (Boston/Salem)
GWWI was an overload for a few reasons, starting with the biggest one…
Challenge #1: Flying across the country
I was flying all the way across the country, and I’m a nervous flyer. (I don’t let it stop me, but that’s a different story for another day).
Challenge #2: I walked all over Boston before the event
I spent several days before the event getting my Boston sightseeing in with BFF Misty—all on foot. So I walked into the signing weekend tired. What did I do in Boston besides the signing?? A lot:
- Rode a ferry
- Rode a subway (actually… many)
- Walked the Freedom Trail
- Went to the Boston Public Library (and WHAT a library it is)
- Did View Boston (brave of me since I don’t love heights)
- Threw tea in the harbor
- Ate lunch at a bar in Cambridge called Grendel’s just because I’m a nerd and I love Beowulf
- Visited the campuses of MIT and Harvard “just because we could” (and added a hoodie from each to my hoodie collection)
- Ate cannolis and lobster rolls (not at the same time)
- Had lunch at Union Oyster House (the oldest operating restaurant in the US)
- Had lunch at The Bull & Finch (aka Cheers on Beacon Street) and lucked out and got put in the Cheers set dining room
- Boston was honestly a blast.
Biggest Fear + Biggest Regret (Boston Edition)
Biggest fear:
Not selling anything. THANKFULLY that didn’t happen. I was delighted when I nearly sold out of Bridging the Silence copies. I should have brought more but not really because getting them there.
Speaking of- a huge shout out to author Samantha Michaels and her husband for giving me a safe place to send my books and for helping me ship them back to me!
Biggest regret:
Not taking enough pictures at Gettin’ Witchy! Especially when I met Christian Black, who narrated my Blind Rebel twins (Callum in Blending Chords and Killian in Finding Harmony).
I didn’t even think about it until I had gotten back on the West Coast! Ugh.
Stop Two: Love & Tech Bookfest (Santa Clara)
Love & Tech was closer to home for me, but it presented its own set of challenges.
Biggest Challenge? BFF Misty couldn’t come
BFF Misty, who did a wicked job keeping me organized at Witchy, was supposed to fly in for Love & Tech but ended up getting sick. So sick she couldn’t fly in.
Not only does she keep me totally organized at the table, she helps with everything else too! She’s number one for moral support, keeping me entertained, keeping me calm. And it doesn’t hurt that she’s been my BFF since junior high. Plus I didn’t think about it until I was at the signing for a bit but sometimes a girl needs to leave her table…if you get my drift.
I freely admit that the desire to call off Love & Tech last minute was strong when I found out Misty couldn’t attend with me. But I decided not only would I go, I’d stay in the hotel and everything. Instead of driving back and forth.
Doing the Whole Event Solo (Including a Hotel Stay)
I live just over an hour away from Santa Clara, but between setting up my table Friday night and everything else, I decided to keep the hotel reservation. Plot twist: staying in a hotel alone was not as weird as I made it out to be in my head.
Yep, I’d never stayed in a hotel alone before. It wasn’t nearly as creepy or awkward as I feared. I actually enjoyed it.
The Hyatt upgraded me to a stadium view king bed room when I told them at check-in I didn’t really need the double bed room I’d booked. I ended up with an amazing view of Levi Stadium from my room. Who knew they run the stadium lights even when there isn’t a game.
I enjoyed the quiet of the room and spent a lot of my free time finishing up my last edit of Drummer Girl and enjoying silence.
Introverts will understand how luxurious that sounds.
The “Unhinged Goals” I Set for Love & Tech 😅
On a lark, I decided to set some crazy goals for Love & Tech. They were:
- Sell one complete set of the Blind Rebels books
- Sell out of one of my books
- Create a new rock star romance reader
And guess what? I sold not one but TWO complete sets of the Blind Rebels series books.
That right there made my entire weekend. Thank you Tanya and Honey (if you’re subscribed to my newsletter) for absolutely making my day at Bookfest.
Tanya is a Shinedown fan like me, and that’s what brought her to look for me at the Bookfest! She’d seen I’d used a Shinedown song in one of my Instagram posts. (I use Shinedown a lot actually… because I love them).
And Honey? It turns out she grew up not far from where I am on the Central Coast, which instantly made me love her.
Did I sell out of one of my books? No.
Did I create a new rock star romance reader? TBD. I’m still holding out hope.
But selling those two full sets? That felt absolutely HUGE.
Author Community: The Best Part I Didn’t Expect
One of the best parts of Love & Tech was meeting other authors because for an introvert like me, that’s me pushing myself to be out there. I had a wonderful table neighbor in Swati M.H. It was so nice to meet her and her husband. They even watched my table for a few minutes so I could stretch my legs.
Best part was listening to her talk up her books and tropes throughout the signing. Let me tell you… she can SELL her stories. I need to learn that skill seriously.
And yes, I bought some of her books.
I also bought a whole series from LJ Evans, whose books had tropes I love and they’re about a band, so you know I couldn’t resist adding a rock star romance series to my collection. Plus we share the same cover designer, Emily Witting, who is as sweet as she is talented.
And yes, I’m admitting it: I absolutely judged those books by their covers, because the covers are stunning and contain some of my favorite colors and I couldn’t pick just one so yes I bought the whole series.
I know I was there to sell books, but I’m also a reader and I love books. I can’t help it.
The Eyeless Surfer Who “Stared at Me” All Day 😂
I also met another new-to-me author down the aisle from me: J.A. Forde.
All I could see was that an author at the end of the aisle I was in had set up these featureless, life-size cardboard standees. I assumed they were of the MMCs in her books. Every time I looked down the row, I felt like the surfer one was staring at me…hilarious since the standee had no actual eyes.
Finally, when I had a moment (thanks to Swati and her partner), I walked down and chatted with J.A. because I HAD to tell her: Your surfer has been staring at me all day…
She was super nice and her tropes are also all ones I love. Originally, I was only going to buy the surfer’s book because I thought it would be a funny memento for my shelves. But after hearing her talk about the series? I ended up buying all three.
Also: Her covers are gorgeous. And I got character bookmarks that looked like the standees for each book so bonus points.
Final Thoughts: I’m Proud of Myself
Overall, this trip was a really good one… though I still think it would’ve been even better if Misty had been there too.
But I did it I did two conferences within two months of each other on opposite coasts. I did one signing event completely solo. I stayed in a hotel alone. I met amazing authors. I met new readers. I sold TWO full sets of Blind Rebels.
And for someone who’s both shy and introverted?
That’s huge.
