Comments on: Man busted for forging famous author signatures

By: william

william — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Oh my god. I thought the LongPenâ„¢ thing was a joke, satire. But it’s real! And possibly the world’s biggest (well, longest) exercise in missing the point. Sigh. Also, Atwood doesn’t look that creepy in person, does she?

By: demidan

demidan — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

What a dumb ass! Even I have three different Ebay accounts,(need to hide Bday and Xmas present purchases from wifey). If he just took a little more time,,,well I guess he would have screwed even more people. Dumb ass.

By: deckard68

deckard68 — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

But he was released after producing a signed pardon.

(Lame. Sorry.)

By: adonai

adonai — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Caroline nailed it. I also have books signed by Neil Gaiman, and also by Cory & Terry Pratchett (who says non-signed copies of his books are rarer than signed ones). Even if they’re just signing a standard line or two, they’re doing it for you, while you’re in front of them. Buying a pre-signed book is rather lifeless.

By: JohnCJ

JohnCJ — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Wow. The long pen is an insult to fans.

I went to the London launch of Cory’s Makers and waited for an hour to talk with him. I got some face-time with a favorite author of mine and got to shake his hand. The signature is merely a physical object which only has significance to me because it is linked to that event. If I had shown up and he faxed in the signature, I would have been pissed.

By: Caroline

Caroline — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Anne Trubek’s article is thought-provoking. I own several books signed by Neil Gaiman. They’re valuable to me not because of any monetary value. I doubt they’re worth anything extra; signed Gaiman books are hardly rare, as the man signs hundreds or thousands at every appearance he makes, and will undoubtedly sign many more, long may he live.

No, I value them because they’re a tangible souvenir of meeting and talking to one of my favorite authors, however briefly. The signatures and dedications make a connection to the real person who wrote those books. it’s the same reason I’d value a personal letter from a favorite author. “Hey, this person does awesome work, and I’m connected to them in some small way.”

I don’t see much point in buying a signed copy of a book from a living author unless I was there to get it signed, because it doesn’t hold that personal connection. Maybe that’s just me. It might be different if I was a collector. (I’d bid on a signed book for a charity auction, if I had the money, because that would still be a kind of personal connection — a cause the author personally supports.)

A signed copy of a book from an author no longer living is different. I would really value a book signed by, say, Asimov or Heinlein, despite not having gotten it signed in person. Because I can’t make a personal connection with that author anymore, owning a signed copy is a way of experiencing a kind of secondhand, historical connection — like touching a tiny piece of that person’s life and history.

A mass-produced signature copy isn’t valuable in either case. It is about the connection.

I really don’t think the signed copy is going to disappear, even if e-books become the prevalent way to publish. Fans of an author will still want that tangible memento of meeting hir, so they’ll still buy a paper copy and get it signed. A book is really the appropriate item for an author’s autograph and I don’t think that’ll change.

By: David Pescovitz

David Pescovitz — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

@Caroline, I totally agree with you. Signatures and other personalizations make physical books even MORE valuable (not necessarily in monetary terms either). It’s all about the story, not the product.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Reminds me of a certain former Secretary of Defense, who deemed appropriate to use an Autopen to ‘sign’ letters to families of fallen soldiers.

“What we want from a signed book is the actual living breathing body of the author leaving a trace on our copy.”, indeed.

Can you get arrested for forging your own signature?