Are Author Signings Worth Attending?

This weekend, I attended MASE (Mystic Author Signing Event) with four other authors with my publisher, Limitless Publishing, and about 50 other authors both self-published or signed with other publishers. The event was hosted by Abby P. Cook and Lisa Ravenscroft of Abby & Lisa’s Book Blog. These two ladies did an awesome job arranging the event that took place in the Grand Pequot Ballroom at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut.

This was my first signing with other authors and the first event to which I had to travel. I drove up with my husband who assisted me at the table I shared with Jennifer Allis Provost. Seated next to us were fellow authors, Marianne Rice and Alison Mello. Apryl Baker, NYTimes Bestselling author also with Limitless Publishing, attended the event and signed a copy of “The Ghost Files” for me.

It took us 4-hours with a stop to drive from our home on Long Island, New York to Mashantucket, Connecticut where we were booked at the Two Trees Inn at the group discount for the event.

Although the weather driving in was overcast with some drizzle, the day of the signing was sunny and warm. That might explain why attendance at the event wasn’t as high as expected. However, it was great seeing the eager readers who passed our tables and asked us to sign their tote bags or homemade autograph books. It was also wonderful to meet fellow authors, some of whom we’d only communicated with online and others whom we’d never heard of before. Following the signing, the authors gathered for a delicious buffet turkey dinner and got to know one another better.

There was also some time for entertainment, as those traveling to the signing and staying over, as we had, were able to participate in some casino gaming, visit the Pequot Indian museum, Pick up souvenirs or gifts at the Tanger Outlets or other Foxwood shops, and dine at the many fine or casual restaurants.

Since my husband and I are not gamblers but we still wanted to try our hand at casino betting, we opted to play the slots. We set limits and didn’t exceed them, but the machines seemed to be against us the first night. I also left my phone in the casino. Luckily, it was recovered by Security. My luck improved Saturday night when I found a cute cat slot machine that even meowed when I won. I was excited to cash out my big win of $20, but I spent much more in the gift shops. In the Native Nations shop, I purchased some special Totem stones, t-shirts, and Indian herbal tea for my daughter as well as an Indian doll for my daughter’s friend whose family she stayed with while we were away. My husband found a hat at the same shop. Another store sold adorable Pusheen items, and I couldn’t resist the cat slippers with a tail and the mug that I used to store raffle tickets from my giveaway at the author signing.

We also enjoyed our stay at Two Trees. The inn had a nice restaurant where we dined for breakfast on both Saturday and Sunday morning. The grounds are lovely with a gazebo, deck chairs, stone bunnies, and babbling waterfalls. Throughout Foxwoods, there are also beautiful statues. I particularly enjoyed the Rainmaker area as well as the Theater section of old-fashioned storefronts. I took a break from my dieting for a special treat at the Cake by Franck store where I ordered a strawberry custard pastry.

Regrettably, there wasn’t enough time to visit the Pequot Museum, and there weren’t any shows that weekend of interest to us. All in all, it was still a worthwhile experience. While I didn’t sell all the books I came with or break any jackpots in the casino, I met a lot of people, both authors and readers. I hope to attend many more signings in the future.