I was blessed to see Stephen King speak in Jersey City on his End of Watch book tour. That was enough for me as a fan, but the fact that I got a copy of his new book was even better. My wife came with me and she was lucky enough to get a signed book (they were randomly scattered in with the regular copies). She knows I have a collection and now the signed copy proudly sits in my hardcover collection.
Now I know there are bigger problems in the word and this might be a ridiculous topic to discuss but I personally think that if you are an autograph hunter for profit it is kind of scummy. I'm all for people hustling to make a buck but Stephen mentioned in Jersey City and in a recent Rolling Stone interview that he can't really go outside of his hotels for the last 30 years because of these people. Again, a 1st word problem, but still...I feel bad only because there are plenty of us out there that genuinely respect his space.
I was also personally thrilled to get an autograph via an event that I attended. It is a book and a memory that I'll pass down to my kids or any youngster in my family that loves King. I see these books going for $500-$800 on Ebay and it's all good if you need the cash or are willing to pay top dollar to complete your collections. But there has to be a level of respect and self-respect somewhere. Basically...(and you have every right to disagree with me), I think it's wrong to come to these events for the purpose of making a buck. There are too many real fans out there that just want to express their thanks and make a memory of meeting/seeing their favorite artist/author.
Now I know there are bigger problems in the word and this might be a ridiculous topic to discuss but I personally think that if you are an autograph hunter for profit it is kind of scummy. I'm all for people hustling to make a buck but Stephen mentioned in Jersey City and in a recent Rolling Stone interview that he can't really go outside of his hotels for the last 30 years because of these people. Again, a 1st word problem, but still...I feel bad only because there are plenty of us out there that genuinely respect his space.
I was also personally thrilled to get an autograph via an event that I attended. It is a book and a memory that I'll pass down to my kids or any youngster in my family that loves King. I see these books going for $500-$800 on Ebay and it's all good if you need the cash or are willing to pay top dollar to complete your collections. But there has to be a level of respect and self-respect somewhere. Basically...(and you have every right to disagree with me), I think it's wrong to come to these events for the purpose of making a buck. There are too many real fans out there that just want to express their thanks and make a memory of meeting/seeing their favorite artist/author.