One of the world's most successful authors was mistaken for a vandal in an Alice Springs book shop yesterday.
Stephen King was seen signing several of his own books at Dymocks in Alice Springs.
Store manager Bev Ellis said other customers thought he was vandalising the books.
But the horror novelist was soon recognised. Ms Ellis followed him to a nearby supermarket - where the multi-millionaire was buying fruit and veg - and thanked him for autographing seven copies of his latest work, Lisey's Story.
A customer immediately bought one of the books and the shop plans to donate the rest to be auctioned for charity.
King is believed to have left Alice yesterday afternoon.
Ms Ellis said the author's surprise visit and private signing session was not particularly eccentric. 'Lots of authors do it,' she said. 'They'll come into the shop and check if their works are on the shelves. 'If they are, they'll often sign a few copies. If they're not, they'll ask about them. 'It's embarrassing if we haven't got their work on the shelves.'
Ms Ellis said King was on a private visit to the Territory and wanted to keep a low profile. 'His Australian distributor rang me and he didn't even know King was in the country.'
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Author "Vandalizes" Own Books
Midnight Lily picked this lovely story up on news.com.au:
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15 comments:
>> 'It's embarrassing if we haven't got their work on the shelves.'
It sort of happened to Kam Raslan when he showed up for the March Breakfast Club event (the one with Dr Farish and Ms D), but it was the readers who asked for the book and the shop assistants had to hunt high and low before they finally came up with 3 copies.
And can you imagine Tan Twan Eng turning up at one of our Malaysian bookstores to ask to sign The Gift of Rain?
This is where Kino looses out by plastic wrapping....
Kam, Dina, Mr Eng et all: Times don't wrap their books.
By the way Times KLCC has an entire stack of The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Cost RM60.
Still haven't found the other Booker books.
MR ENG SHALL WIN THE BOOKER
MR ENG SHALL WIN THE BOOKER
MR ENG SHALL WIN THE BOOKER
Animah - who's Mr Eng?
go back a few posts chet :-D
i have set wheels in motion animah and hope to have some expressly sent review copies failing which i'll start amazoning
please can we meet in the enxt day or two so i can get "reluctant fundamentalist" from you??
haha i coined a word:
{v} to amazon
"i amazoned" "i am amazoning"
We following the Mat Salleh way, then?
Animah - you coming for the MPH Readers' Circle talk at One Utama this Saturday? Or is it Writers' Circle?
chet - you aren't picking up the irony lah.
this saturday??? oh gawd i'm chairing it! i'd better attend it!
And next Saturday is Readings. Are we taping?
no i am not taping. when i am ready to go ahead with a website (after consulting) various others about the format because this is not my project alone, we'll probably record under better conditions, and small sound samplers of the best stuff. most writers i think would like to showcase their best effort and if they are "immortalised" on a website. the acoustics at seksans aren't very good for a start. also another friend has a plan to make recordings and i can hopefully combine efforts with her.
i will hire you to do it after you've done so well with kam's website, but as with all projects i can't start anything new until i have cleared my present ones. (which will also pay for a really nice website and hopefully for a publication too!) november then!!!! not until!
for the moment just start thinking about what it all could look like and how it might work.
>> And can you imagine Tan Twan Eng turning up at one of our Malaysian bookstores to ask to sign The Gift of Rain?
He'll be in & out of the store quite fast. I could only find one copy in Borders (The Curve) last Friday.
What's happening on Saturday?
Kino loses out?
yeah, riiiiight. Kino wins, cos less damaged goods, less write-offs. more sales (from genuine book lovers like me who want their books in good condition).
who's losing out eh?
Viz
this sat is writers circle at mph 1 u and i will put up the ad soon
Echo the Viz:
Anyone check out the dog eared copies of books (in the highlights shelf no less)at MPH in Bangsar Village 2?
Some are so contorted they need a professional chiropractor. Most second hand book shops plastic wrap their wares now but the brand new stuff at a major chain is mangled! Isn't that...er..what's that word..metallic?
Actually, legally speaking, I think it IS vandalism. I mean, the book belongs to the publisher. How can it not be vandalism if he scribbles on a book he doesn't own ? he may own the intellectual property contained therein, but he doesn't own the physical book.
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