Story by National Post Staff •
Almost 40 people RSVP’d to Chelsea Banning’s first official book signing for her debut fantasy novel, and she relayed her excitement with exclamation-filled tweets and memes of a cheering SpongeBob.
Chelsea Banning, who said she was 'embarrassed' by the woeful turnout at her book signing, heard from famous authors who shared their own memories of similar no show events© Provided by National Post
That excitement was soon replaced with disappointment, however, as she explains in a tweet:
“Only 2 people came to my author signing yesterday, so I was pretty bummed about it,” Banning wrote the next day.
“Especially as 37 people responded ‘going’ to the event. Kind of upset, honestly, and a little embarrassed.”
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She wrote the tweet on a whim and considered deleting it a few hours later, she told NPR . Instead, as Banning looked on, her replies started to fill with kind words from a long line of authors with similar no-show stories. Among them were a number of the world’s most celebrated authors, including Jodi Picoult, Margaret Atwood and Neil Gaiman.
“Join the club,” wrote The Handmaid’s Tale author, Margaret Atwood, in response to Banning. “I did a signing to which Nobody came, except a guy who wanted to buy some Scotch tape and thought I was the help.”
Best-selling horror author Stephen King also replied: “At my first SALEM’S LOT signing, I had one customer. A fat kid who said, ‘Hey bud, do you know where there’s some Nazi books?'”
Korean American author Min Jin Lee, who wrote “Pachinko,” added that she had once attended a book reading where only “my husband’s cousin showed up.”
“One Day” author David Nicholls added his memories: “Ooh, boy, too many to share. The one where the bookshop staff kindly pretended to be customers so I wouldn’t feel too bad, that stays with me,” he tweeted.
Author of “My Sister’s Keeper,” Jodi Picoult, said she had “sat lonely at a signing table many times only to have someone approach . . . and ask me where the bathroom is.”
“We’ve all been there,” said British author Malorie Blackman, offering comfort. “I once did a talk at a library and five people turned up, including a mum who planted her two infant school children in front of me and then strategically ‘withdrew’ to get some peace for a while.”
Banning told The Washington Post her reaction to the global literary support, was “pure shock,” adding, “I’m still trying to process everything.”
“I love the writing community, it is so supportive,” she added.
Actor Henry Winkler also joined the chorus, writing “That is the beginning … then word gets out and they come!”
Word had gotten out. As of Wednesday morning, Banning’s tweet has close to 75,000 likes. And ‘Of Crowns and Legends,’ which Banning worked on for 15 years, now holds the number one and two spot in Amazon’s Arthurian legends category.
The book is the first of a trilogy, was published in August and follows the fate of King Aurthur’s children. It has some fight scenes and “light gore,” she tweeted.
Banning, who works as a librarian in Ohio, said she’s planning another singing as people snapped up her book: “I am working out details!”
“I am working on book 2 and am hoping for a December 2023 release date! MAYBE sooner,” she told her new online fans, with more magic and new characters promised in her follow-up.
Additional reporting from The Washington Post
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