Real Words

I just spent some time back at home in Tucson with my family. While I was there, I went to the local independent bookstore (Antigone’s) with my dad and my sister to check out a book reading that was being done by an author named Richard Polsky. I admit that I had never heard of this author before my dad suggested that we go to this book reading. However, based on the reading alone, I am now a fan of his.

Richard Polsky is an author who has spent the last several decades working as an art dealer. His first book was called I Bought Andy Warhol and is all about the art world. He wanted a good piece of art as an investment but it took him twelve years to pick what he wanted. He tells the tale of looking for this piece of artwork and uses that tale as a framework for describing what the art buying / art dealing world is all about.

The book that he was specifically promoting at this particular book event was his new book, I Sold Andy Warhol (too soon). It’s essentially about the fact that he eventually sold his piece and made a pretty penny but that he would’ve made millions more if he’d held off for another couple of years on that sale. In more depth, this book is about what makes art valuable in the art world today. Interesting topics.

What really interested me, however, was not the books or their topics so much as the approach Polsky took to his book reading / book signing event. If you’ve attended many of these things then you know that they typically involve a brief introduction to the author followed by him (or her) reading a passage from the book and then doing a brief Q&A. Polsky threw that plan of attack out the window. Instead, he decided to give us just the briefest overview of what’s in the books and then to tell us what is not in the books.

He described the things that had been taken out of his books by his editors or his legal time or by himself at the last minute due to external circumstances. This was interesting because it gave us listeners a lot more insight into his writing process. It gave us greater insight into the topic that he chose to write about because we learned what can and can’t be talked about in this art world. It showed off a more personal side of the writer than what you normally learn from a standard book reading. And, undoubtedly, it was a great marketing approach because as Polsky said, “you can just read the book to find out what’s in the book” and his approach surely made more people there want to buy the books themselves.

This whole thing not only got me interested in Polsky but also got me interested in the book signing event in general. I am curious now to learn more about how different authors have taken creative approaches to their book reading events. I am interested in coming up with my own creative ideas for book signings that are out of the norm and therefore more interesting to potential readers. Are you aware of any authors that have taken a creative approach to their book signings? If so I’d love to know more about them!!