Some Event Recaps, With Photos.

It's been a run of events since last Friday. We've generally had some nice turnouts, but of course we should really gauge the events by their quality. Here's the photo, already on Facebook, of Stacie and I posing with Bonnie Jo Campbell and Natalie Bakopoulos.

Truth #1: An event always seems better if it moves to a bar (or at least a restaurant) afterwards.

We were a bit taken aback by John Scalzi's increase (like quadrupled) in attendance from his last appearance, when he was at Schwartz. We had almost 80 people. Our first clue was when our friend Sue at Lake Forest told us she had just over 80. We ran out of books, but no worries--our friends at Word (yes, the very same place I just blogged about) is getting more signed for us. And yes, we convinced them to order more books for tonight. I wish folks would do that for us!

Our Alyson Hagy event on Tuesday was pure delight. Alas, having already done two offsite events with Russ Feingold (at the Rotary Club) and Kirk Lippold (with WE Engergies), I was too tired to stay until the end. Stacie told me it got event better after I left.

Yes, we sold books at a Russ Feingold event just a couple of miles from the store. It wasn't public, so we couldn't get the word out about it. I felt almost guilty about this, knowing that our customers are still salivating for a public event, especially since his first at Next Chapter sold out. Well, one has to move on and focus on the positive. 

The above two photos are for Maya Stein's event, the culmination of her bicycle trip from Amherst with bicycle in tow. Folks typed their thoughts on the sidewalk outside the store, and then joined us inside to hear about the journey.