For bibliophiles like myself, nothing can quite replace a physical book. Ebooks may be more convenient for long commutes or sneaking a quick read during a lull at work, but there are many things ebooks will never have over real books – and one of them is author’s signatures.
Barnes & Noble is counting on bibliophiles and lovers of signed books across the United States to brave the crowds on Black Friday for the chance to purchase an autographed copy of books ranging from crowd pleasers like Dan Brown and EL James to former presidents (or future candidates) like George W Bush and Hillary Clinton. The 100 authors participating signed approximately 5,000 books each, amounting to 500,000 signed copies in total. As Mary Amicucci, vice-president for adult trade and children’s books at Barnes & Noble, told the New York Times, “The goal was to find an exciting reason for people to come to Barnes & Noble early in the morning and get something that they can’t get on any other day of the year.”
Sorry to Barnes & Noble, but signed books aren’t limited to just their store or this Black Friday stunt. While it may be an interesting strategy to try to beat Amazon at the book-selling game, it’s not such a novelty.
We want to hear from you: what are the signed books you have? Is there a story behind how you waited on an hours-long line? Share in the comments below.