The Superstars Writing Seminar is an amazing experience. The information about the business side of being a professional writer is presented fast and hard, like drinking from a fire hose, by best-selling authors and experts in the field. After wrapping up, I leave with my brain overflowing, and my creative soul bursting at the seams.

One of the most important pieces of advice I took away from this year's seminar came about in a casual conversation over dinner. I had the privilege of spending a few hours with NYT best-selling author Brandon Sanderson. The conversation ranged from royalties, to plotting, to anything and everything Brandon related. When I mentioned that I had a Barnes & Noble signing coming up, he offered up some practical advice. He said to always bring extra copies of your book. Don���t try to sell them yourself because the bookstore wouldn���t appreciate that; however, you can work out a deal to sell your copies as if the store had ordered the books themselves. After the event, they can order books to replace the ones out of your stock. It's a simple and elegant plan where everyone wins. And I had the opportunity to test it out.    This past weekend I participated in my second book signing. The Brandon, FL Barnes & Noble hosted an event for several local authors. We were a magnificent group of seven, with books spanning the genres from thriller to self-help, religion, inspirational, and my contemporary fantasy. No two authors' genres overlapped, so we had a little bit of everything to offer. After setting up, and before the signing officially started, we mingled a little, handing out business cards and exchanging information. Everyone was really cool.For a local author event like this, Barnes & Noble is pretty conservative. According to their stats, most authors only sell four or five copies. Just in case, they may order a few more. They ordered ten copies of Knight of Flame with the expectation they might have some left over. I was concerned. I shouted the details for the signing from every physical and virtual rooftop I could find, so I had high hopes that I'd have a decent turn out. That being said, I didn���t want anyone who made the trip to the book store to walk away without a signed book. Other authors had said that Barnes & Noble wouldn't let them sell their own books when the store's stock ran dry. Readers wanting a book had to have it shipped to their house. While they did eventually get a book, it wasn't signed. So, keeping Brandon's advice in mind, I brought extra copies in the hope the store would go for the plan. There is a difference in the author selling directly versus providing additional stock for Barnes & Noble to sell. On the day of the signing, I sold out of the B&N copies in the first thirty minutes. It was awesome. At one point I actually had a line four deep. As the stock dwindled and we still had ninety minutes left in the schedule, I made the suggestion Brandon talked about. At first, the Customer Relations Manager thought I suggested selling my books on consignment, and didn't go for it. But, once I explained that I was allowing them to sell my stock as if it was their own, after mulling it over, she went for it. Sweet! I grabbed a few copies from my bag and kept signing. The bottom line is it���s really a win-win-win. The store sells more books, and makes their customers happy. The readers get what they came for -- a signed book. The author gets the additional sales, happy readers, and a stronger relationship with the book store. It helps to be prepared. Good luck with your own book signings. Have fun,Scott"Against the Shadow, burns a noble light."