Yesterday, I caught part one of Oprah Winfrey’s interview with James Frey. This is a follow-up to her 2006 interview with the notorious author and his publisher. Oprah had chosen his memoir “A Million Little Pieces” as a book club selection and later felt betrayed when it was revealed many of the book’s details were fabrications.

After that initial interview, Oprah was blasted by a number of people for being hard on Frey. I watched the 2006 interview and agree. She picked on Frey for fabrications that didn’t strike me as that terrible. He lied about undergoing a root canal with no anesthetic. He changed an acquantance’s method of committing suicide. Frey claimed he did that protect the woman’s identity. Oprah insisted he chose a more sensational suicide method. Isn’t any suicide, by however means, awful enough?

My impression from this recent interview is that Oprah hasn’t changed her tune in the intervening years. Frey suggested that both his agent and publisher knew the memoir was borderline fiction. He’d been struggling for years to publish the book as a novel and obviously grabbed the chance to get his story published. The publisher and agent were the experts. In both interviews, Oprah skimmed past their guilt and heaped the blame on Frey.

In yesterday’s interview, Frey was contrite. He accepted full responsibility for his mistake. I wanted to see him argue back, but his approach is probably better for gaining sympathy and, perhaps, respect.

In his own defense, Frey did say that most writers of memoir fabricate. Oprah seemed startled by this remark and took it as evidence that Frey still doesn’t understand or accept that he did wrong. From my friends who write creative non-fiction, I gather that today some fabrication is acceptable and encouraged. This includes things like re-creating dialogue the writer could not have recalled literally. Some claim it’s even okay to alter facts to improve the story. I’m surprised that no one has told Oprah this is being done. Possibly they have and she still believes she’s right.

Part two is airing right now – Tuesday, 3:00 PM. I’ll watch the repeat show at 5:00.

On Wednesday, April 27th, I experienced my first author book signing. It took place at Indigo Spirit TD Square, in downtown Calgary. Most of this store’s patrons are office workers on their lunch hour, so we scheduled the signing from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. Since we hadn’t organized the event with enough lead time for Indigo to order extra books, they asked me to bring in my own copies to sell through the store. 

My husband, Will, dropped me, a box of Deadly Falls and my supplies off at TD Square and left to find a place to park. Inside, customers milled around the store. The manager had set up at a table facing the mall entrance door. I arranged books, posters I had made and postcards featuring Deadly Fall’s cover and information into an attractive and welcoming display. 

For the next hour, I stood beside the table trying to catch the attention of people who entered the store. Most avoided me. A few I pounced on lingered to talk. One or two said they were interested, but had to dash off to a meeting. Right. Will lurked in the background, trying not to look conspicuous.  He had sent e-mails to his former colleagues and was was looking forward to catching up with any who arrived. 

Toward noon, a colleague turned up. While the three of us chatted, a woman swooped by me, picked up a copy of Deadly Fall and excitedly said she wanted buy it. Wow. The next hour was hectic. More colleagues appeared, including one who’d come in to shop and hadn’t heard about the signing. A friend dropped by to wish me well and give me a power bar to propel me into the afternoon. The sister of my sister Lynn’s colleague breezed in. She said she was 80 pages to the end of Deadly Fall and wanted to tell me how much she was enjoying it. She bought a copy for her neighbours and convinced a hesitant woman standing by the table that Deadly Fall was a great read.  The woman said she was glad to support a local writer. A man who had escaped to a meeting returned to say he’d decided to buy the novel for his wife. 

Store traffic eased after 1:00 pm. By 1:30, I felt done. In the end, we sold 10 books – 4 of them to Will’s colleagues. I also handed out about 25 postcards. Perhaps a few of those people will follow through and later buy the book. Several asked if it was available online. Yes, it is.

As we packed up the table, I felt exhuasted and moderately satisfied and not feeling I’d entirely enjoyed the experience and already talking of doing it again.

My next author signing will be at Indigo Signal Hill on May 15th, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm, a longer stint with Sunday shoppers who may be more willing to browse and chat with an author at the signing table.

Friday, en route to Costco, Will and I visited Chapters in Chinook Mall. The store was reasonably crowded for a weekday, but few booksellers prowled the aisles. We found three copies of Deadly Fall on the shelf – the computer had said there were four. Since there was no one in the checkout line, I asked a clerk behind the counter about my book. 

She called Deadly Fall up on her computer.  “Only three in the store,” she said. Evidently one book had sold. Good news and also good that Deadly Fall, in this branch, is eye-level. She gave me the name of the events manager. With summer coming up, my thinking now is to only do only a few books signings and deal directly with the individual store managers. If these signings go well, for the fall I might try to arrange multiple signings through head office and, with some signing experience under my belt, be better able answer their question of how I see the event unfolding.

Saturday, we went Mission to see an artist friend’s gallery show and walked downtown to Indigo Spirit in TD square. They displayed four copies of Deadly Fall. The booksellers raised the possibility of an author signing and gave me the events manager’s card.  I phoned her on Monday. 

Indigo Spirit TD Square is open to more flexible selling arrangements than the other Chapters/Indigo branches that have the book in their system. Rather than order in a supply of books, I can bring in my stock and sell the books through the store. They will give me an invoice for sales that I can reclaim from the distributor. Independent bookstores can also function this way. It means zero risk for the bookseller and signings can be arranged with shorter lead times. 

For most Calgary Chapters/Indigo stores, Saturday is the busiest day of the week, followed by Sunday. Being downtown, Indigo Spirit TD Square sees most of its traffic during weekday lunch hours. Wednesdays and Thursdays are the busiest.

I have now confirmed two book signings in Calgary:

Wednesday, April 27, 11:00 – 2:00 PM at Indigo Spirit TD Square, 317  – 7th Avenue, SW, Unit T159

Saturday, June 18, noon-4:00 PM at Chapters Spectrum, Spectrum Shopping Centre, #500 – 2555  32nd Street N.E.

Drop by and visit if you’re in those areas. 

Susan

Wednesday, April

Our weekly Wednesday walk took place in the city’s northwest. On the way, Will and I stopped at Chapters Dalhousie. Three copies of Deadly Fall stood on the shelf. We asked the manager about book signings. He looked up Deadly Fall on his computer and said the distributor allowed easy returns, so he’d be happy to host a launch. He expected he’d order 15 copies of the book, hold them for 90 days and do a second signing, if I only sold four or five the first time. 

I guess I was due a reality check regarding sales.

Sales aren’t everything. Signings get the word out about the book; it might be fun to discuss writing and Deadly Fall with customers as well as a store’s Saturday bookseller staff, who might become intrigued enough to read it and, hopefully, later recommend it to customers.  

After the walk, we drove home via Indigo Signal Hill. Walking through the store, I spotted Judy, a bookseller acquaintance. In the mystery section, we found Deadly Fall on a bottom shelf – where, unfortunately,  my “Ca” name falls alphabetically in this store. Judy shuffled a few other books and turned Deadly Fall facing out. Now the large yellow cover page leaf gazes upward at browsers – a decided improvement. 

Judy gave me the manager’s business card to contact about a possible book signing.  From our online checking, Will and I knew that one or two books have sold at this store. Judy said an automatic system places a re-order for each book as it leaves the store. That’s good to know.

That afternoon, I heard back from Chapters/Indigo’s home office and received a two-page Event Request form. It asks questions like, “Please describe in detail how you envision the event unfolding.” Since I’ve never done an author signing, I don’t know.  Chapters/Indigo said they would require 4-6 weeks lead time to arrange an event. With my spring schedule, I won’t be able to do a signing until the last two Saturdays in June.  After that, comes Canada Day weekend and two weekends of Stampede – would the influx of visitors to Calgary drop into bookstores and take an interest in a novel set in this city? I’ll have to think about that.