Good morning! Hope all is well with everyone.

Now that the initial excitement of knowing I have a book signing in a bookstore has subsided, it’s time to consider everything else that has to happen in the next two weeks.

The books are ordered. New postcards, too! Everything’s been shipped to me and should be here with almost a week to spare.

I know what I’ll be wearing. The mall-wide event is meant to be rather classy/upscale, so out from the depths of my closet came my little black dress. It’s now all clean and ready to go. A friend will be stopping by later this week to help me decide on the jewelry. Hair and nails will wait until just beforehand. If I do those too early, it doesn’t look right that day. I know, I know. In this respect, I somewhat envy male authors. LOL.

Now is when I start thinking about all the small details. And begin to obsess over them. Do I want to put out a small dish of chocolates? Sprinkle snowflake confetti on the table? Is it better to use book stands and keep the other copies under the table or simply stack them on the table? Did I find the holiday themed table runner and put it in the box with the other display items? Not sure? Check for the third time that day.

On top of this, there’s the fear that every author who doesn’t have name recognition has. Will anyone even come talk to me? What if I don’t sell a single book? Will the store ever want me to come back?

Writing is all about taking risks. We take them in our stories. It happens when we submit to publishers. And we leap that chasm and hope to make it across with every single public appearance. For every ‘what if’ that’s negative, there’s a positive one.

What if no one buys a book – what if you sell out

What if no one talks to me – what if you’re voice goes out because of all the talking

What if they want ebooks – what if my sales skyrocket the next day

So, in the deep throes of panic, flip that coin over. Regardless of how many books I sell or people I meet, I’ve already won. Because I took the risk in the first place.

BB