If you’ve spent any time on the exhibit hall floor you know that one of its major draws is the book signings (and the free swag!). As an extroverted-introvert, or an introverted-extrovert depending upon the day, I do find myself getting occasionally shy around authors and illustrators who have so kindly lent their time to us librarians. It can be unnerving to wait and stumble out a few sentences to these awesome human beings, but I love walking away with a signed book I know I am going to cherish and the experience of meeting its creator.
While I really do relish those few brief, and slightly scary, seconds to express in a tongue-tied, awe-inspired way the impact a beloved author’s book have made on me and my patrons on the exhibit floor; I also try to strategically hit up the newer or perhaps lesser known authors that have come. Not only do you have a chance to engage with them more than the starlight names, there are some really high quality first books that these newer authors are putting out. Talking with new authors and illustrators I’m not as familiar with is an eye-opening experience and often endears me to their work far more. In fact, I was up way too late last night completely drawn into the very first book a new author had written that I got yesterday. I may have easily passed it over had I not stopped to talk with the author, and now I’m excited to order a copy for the kids at my library! So, my advice, if that line for your favorite author seems too long, look around the corner for a new face – you just might find a gem.