I’ll be the first to admit it, I love signed books, especially if it was one of my favorite reads and personalized. Just admiring the author’s unique signature makes me happy. During these past few months ever since I started book blogging, I’ve met with three different authors personally and got my books signed. I would literally stare at their signature for days, wondering why I couldn’t have such a fancy, unique signature like they do. I mean, seriously, do they take author signing classes or something?
Last Sunday, I was at Books of Wonder (for those of you who don’t know what Books of Wonder is, it’s a popular bookstore in NYC). Books of Wonder usually have some signed books in stock, ranging from Anna Carey’s Eve to Brodi Ashton’s Everbound. Now here’s the thing – I picked up a copy of Clockwork Princess, signed, and looked at Cassandra Clare’s signature, but didn’t buy it although her books are popular and the cover of Clockwork Princess is completely gorgeous. Why? Well, I’m a bit ashamed to admit this, but her signature didn’t amaze me. (For those of you who haven’t seen her signature, click here.) I personally felt that anyone could copy off her signature and pass it off as a signed book signed by her since her signature is so simple. Since I already had a non-signed copy of Clockwork Princess, why buy a signed copy when her signature didn’t amaze me?
Now let me get this straight – I didn’t write this topic to make fun or talk bad of her signature. No, far from it. I’m just saying that to me, how an author’s signature looks plays a huge factor in whether I would buy that signed copy or not, especially if I already owned the book. It’s something I can’t help but do.
What about you? Do you feel the same way I do or are you happy to get your hands on any signed book you see, despite how the signature looks like?
Personally, I’d just be happy with whatever their signature looked like :)
Charlie recently posted…‘The Journey of a Thousand Eyes’ by Kia Garriques – Giveaway + Interview
I wish I can be like that. o:
Kelly recently posted…Let’s Speculate: Judging A Signed Book By Its Signature
Signatures means a great deal to me. Not necessarily as a reader, but in a professional sense. In my line of work I deal with signed books all the time. Sometimes it might not be anyone huge, but then there are the days where I’m selling signed books for $1500+. I need to be 100% positive the signature is authentic. If I don’t, that $2000 book suddenly just dropped to $5.
Oh man. Cassie’s signature makes me nervous. That looks like it’d be WAY too easy to replicate!
Leah @ The Pretty Good Gatsby recently posted…On Remembering Diana Wynne Jones & Being a Howl Newbie
Wow, $2000? Are you talking about the really old signed books like The Great Gatsby?
And yeah, her signature makes me VERY nervous. And she changes it! In the bookstore, they had all her books for sale, signed. I opened a copy of Clockwork Angel and it had “Cass” then the long dashed line signed by her. In another copies of Clockwork Angel, it shows the signature shown above in the post. You can see why I didn’t want to buy a signed copy of her book now. :l
Kelly recently posted…Let’s Speculate: Judging A Signed Book By Its Signature
Not necessarily old (though I have dealt with an original Hemingway!), but rare or extremely renowned authors. The $1500 book I mentioned was a copy of Gravity’s Rainbow signed by Thomas Pynchon.
Hee! I’d love to get an original – or even signed! – copy of Gatsby. :) That’d be fantastic.
Whoa. Whoa. ..WAIT. She changes it?! Oh man. Sometimes I have a hard enough time determining whether or not a signature is real. Trying to do that when an author changes the way she writes would be AWFUL!
Leah @ The Pretty Good Gatsby recently posted…On Remembering Diana Wynne Jones & Being a Howl Newbie
Yeah, she changes it constantly. So far I saw her signing her books in three different ways, two different ways I saw with my own eyes and another way I saw on the web. :l
Kelly recently posted…Book Review: The Goddess Inheritance – Aimee Carter
I haven’t thought about it before and unfortunately, I don’t have many signed copies, but I can see your point! That is why I love personalized signatures even more, because it makes me feel special, haha.
Mel@thedailyprophecy. recently posted…Review 143. Dan Wells – Partials.
Yeah, personalized copies definitely make it better! It’s unique and I can stare at it all day. :D
Kelly recently posted…Let’s Speculate: Judging A Signed Book By Its Signature
I really never thought of this before, maybe because authors just don’t have signings in my state so I never seen them sign one of my books. However, I do have three signed books that I either won or bought in a store. I just don’t find a signed book more exciting then a non-signed book, I like it because its one of a kind now, but it doesn’t amaze me. The only reason I really want to go to the book signing would be to meet whatever author, because it would e cool to meet an author of a book.
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Really? I treat my signed books extra special, especially if they are personalized, because they are basically one of a kind to me. I wish I was like you, not really amazed if a book is signed or not.
And yeah, meeting authors is super fun! :D
Kelly recently posted…Let’s Speculate: Judging A Signed Book By Its Signature
Yeah, I looked up Cassandra Clare’s signature and the same thought enters my mind: “Anyone can forge that signature! Why must it be so simplistic?!” I imagine she probably has a more elaborate and unique signature memorized and skilled for regular business signing, but this is just carelessness on her part.
It’s probably because she’s so famous and has to sign TONS of books, so she got lazy.
But yeah, I saw signed copies of her books in a bookstore and I couldn’t/didn’t want to buy it for a giveaway because really, anyone can fake her signature. :l
Kelly recently posted…Book Review: The 5th Wave – Rick Yancey
Ive noticed Cassandra’s signature often changes too.. She may just write the C or she may write out Cass then a line..
I would add that I found this post because I just so happened to pick up a hard copy at a used book store not even knowing it was signed! So i was searching the web trying to figure out if it was real or not =)
It’s REALLY hard to figure out if her signature is real or not because she changes it constantly, plus it’s VERY easy to copy.
I hope my post was somewhat helpful to you. :P
Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [44]
I’m the same as you! If a signature looks too simple, or doesn’t amaze me, I won’t buy it… ESPECIALLY if I’ve already got the book. I think one of my main worries is that the signature turns out to be fake… simple ones are so easy to copy. Why would I waste my money on something that could potentially be fake? What if her or his agent signed it for them? It doesn’t have the same impact for me. I like to think that authors signing books have their readers in mind, always, and I don’t want to be screwed out of a nicer signature for one that is simple, unattractive and on a book I already own.
Does that make sense?
Aly (@bookishaly) recently posted…Reader Rights: An Open Letter to Those Authors Who Can’t Deal With It
I’m so glad I stumbled upon your post!
I recently won a signed copy of Lady Midnight, and when I opened it up to the title page, that signature also made me a little nervous! It is super simple, and looks as though anyone could forge it. I understand she signs loads of books. But for us, I think it’d be nice to just have a little more confirmation that it is legit.
Maybe a special sticker on the title page next to the autograph… I dunno….