Hi readers! I’m one of Beaufort’s newest summer interns, and for my blog entries I’ll be going by the nom de plume Sherlock Beaulmes; it just seemed fitting to connect my punny Beaufort pen name to one of the most iconic figures in literature! I’m an English and linguistics major at the College of William & Mary (though I was born and raised in suburban New York so the city isn’t too foreign to me). I’ve always been obsessed with reading so I was thrilled to start working with Beaufort–even though my first day came with the caveat that we were only a week away from the chaos of BookExpo. The show was definitely as intense as was promised, and I had an amazing time. That’s what I’m here to talk about in my first blog post! Specifically, I’d like to geek out a bit about one particularly new and exciting experience I had there: getting a book signed by its author.
I’ve always been the kind of person who has balked at questions like “Which celebrity would you most want to have dinner with?” None of them! I’d think, flustered and, frankly, kind of terrified. How would I even begin to talk to a famous person? So when I learned of the dizzying amount of freedom I’d have at BookExpo to wander around and take everything in between working shifts at our booth, I solemnly swore to myself that I’d just avoid all of the signings. After all, one of the reasons I’d been so attracted to reading as a shy kid was because it was so soothingly solitary, and even as a much more outgoing adult, the prospect of small-talking with accomplished authors made me a little sweaty. On Thursday during the show I stuck to my promise, as there was no shortage of other things to see. But on Friday it occurred to me that I’d spent so much of my free time wandering aimlessly that I hadn’t yet accomplished my goal of bringing back the books I had promised to friends and family from their favorite authors–and it just so happened that their favorite authors were the ones doing signings. So I decided to swallow my apprehension and get some books signed. After all, wasn’t having new experiences one of the main reasons I’d applied for this internship in the first place?
With that in mind, I charged bravely towards the 10:30 signing with Daniel Handler (better known, at least to me, as Lemony Snicket). Waiting at the back of a substantial line, I grew nervous about what I’d say when I got to the front; I was a fan, but that definitely didn’t mean I would have any profound declaration to deliver when actually meeting the man behind so many of the books I’d devoured growing up. So when it was my turn, I didn’t worry about spouting out a grand pre-rehearsed speech. I just smiled and politely, cheerfully told Lemony Snicket why I was excited for a copy of his book and who I wanted to get it signed for, just like he was an old friend I was catching up with. And he responded in the same casual, friendly manner! He struck up a genial conversation, teasingly asking me about this “Avery” I was giving the book to; when, no longer fretting about what to say, I responded to one of his quips with a quip of my own, he even–genuinely and loudly–laughed. I had made Lemony Snicket laugh! When I opened the book after walking away, practically palpitating with excitement, I realized that he’d even personalized his signature with a little wisecrack alluding to the conversation we’d had. So I guess the moral of my BookExpo story is, don’t be afraid to try new things… it just might lead you to an inside joke with one of your favorite authors!
Happy reading,
Sherlock Beaulmes
The exciting signature!