There's one thing I hate seeing in a used book bookstore, an autographed book.
Yes it's luck to happen upon one but it always make me go, "I'm sorry little book that you've been sold even though you're unique. I'll take you home and give you a shelf to sit on." .
Autographs are semi hard to come by in this area. The only authors to visit and do book signings are local authors or religious ones. I once stood in a large line at Wal-mart to get Joel Osteen to sign a book for my grandmother. Although it was worth it, my grandmother is worth it and always will be to me.
But other than that I haven't been to a physical book signing. The autograph copies I have I've won through some sort of contest. Although a lot of writers have a deal where you can mail them the book and they will dedicate it and return mail it to you. That just isn't as personal to me.
As a fan of that persons work I want the right to stand in front of them and gush about how much I love their books like a school girl meeting her favorite rockstar. Or even winning a signed copy of an authors book seems a bit more personal to me. Something about communicating your love through entering the competition in the first place.
A dedicated signed copy of a book is the writers gift to you no matter how you come by it. They took the time to get on of their works, that is their baby, and passed it on to you to care for. NEVER would I sell any of my autographed books. I don't care if I liked the story or not. It's a gift and should be treated as something precious.
One of the many used book stores that I frequent recently got a TON of rare, autographed and really pampered books in on CHEAP buy at her store. A guy came in selling his deceased aunt's entire book collection. She said he probably did not even realize what he was selling, he was just trying to empty her house. My thought there, at least now they are going somewhere they will be loved agin.
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