Book Signing Announcement
On November 15, Keystone author Fay Risner has been invited to a book signing at Lemstone Christian Bookstore located in Collins Plaza Mall across from Linndale Mall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa from one to three p.m. Risner will talk about the two books the store sells for her – "Open A Window – Alzheimer’s Caregiver Handbook" and "Hello Alzheimer’s Good Bye Dad" the story of her father Bill Bullock’s struggle with Alzheimer’s.
I’m excited to be invited to this book signing at the Lemstone Christian Bookstore. The owners have been planning this event for months. The main hitch was trying to set a date that three authors could commit to.
Other authors at the book signing will be Kent Stock from the movie "The Final Season" the story about Norway, Iowa’s baseball team and Karen Ross from Texas with her newly released book about growing up in Czech Village in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Sorry that I don’t have the name of either of their books, but will share those titles next week along with my story about meeting these authors.
I’d been forewarned for months that a book signing was coming soon, but a week’s notice has me rushing to plan my portion of the event. First I am very glad to have email. I alerted friends and family.
With such a short notice coming in on Saturday, I don’t expect much publicity to be done. I know the local weekly paper has a Monday noon deadline. Monday morning was going to be a busy morning for me between a dental visit and errands. I don’t own a cell phone which might surprise most people. That means while I was driving I couldn’t call the newspaper. That’s why I emailed my book signing article in to the office on Sunday. Also, I emailed a daily newspaper at the county seat.
Next, I made up a flyer to put up on every bulletin board in the area. That will catch people going to the bank, telephone office, post office, library or the local nursing home.
I plan on arriving at the bookstore early Sunday with a copy of each book. The bookstore has a supply, but I want customers to be able to see my books while they are speaking to me. "Hello Alzheimer’s Good Bye Dad" has a 1947 picture of my parents on the cover. The customers that will gravitate toward me are ones who are facing Alzheimer’s with a family member, or they fear the disease is in their future. What better way to sell a book than to come face to face with someone who was a caregiver (me) and see first hand what a healthy, youthful man (my dad) looked like before he fell victim to the disease. Plus, I share some of my family’s experiences that are in the book.
To pick up the book "Open A Window" and hold it long enough to read the reviews on the back doesn’t explain stories within that tells of the battles people faced with Alzheimer’s. I can convey that verbally in person much better. I just sold both these books to a dental tech. She read a potion of "Open A Window" before my last visit. She told me what she read made her cry because it reminded her of her grandmother’s struggle. Holding the book doesn’t make a customer feel emotions or empathy. Reading about the people in my book does that. In order to learn more about Alzheimer’s disease and understand what happens to people who have it, you have to buy the book and read it.
I’ll let you know next week about my book signing.