Tomorrow afternoon at 5 PM, Bill Clinton will be at the Brentano's in Century City to sign his new book. Today at around the same hour, I had to stop in there to look for a book that — it turned out — they didn't have. The place was already in a bit of a tizzy.
Outside, a security guard was trying to politely shoo away some folks who came to camp out all night so they could be first in line. The guard was explaining that the mall closes overnight so no one can be there. Three people with knapsacks and picnic baskets were telling him how devoted they were to the former President…as if that might make a difference.
Inside, phones were ringing constantly and all the store employees were having the exact same conversation with callers, explaining The Rules. The line starts at 6 AM and you can either buy a ticket (for the price of the book) or get one by showing the receipt for the copy of My Life that you already purchased at that store. Then you have to be back in line by 4:00 — or maybe it's 3:00 — and you'll be processed in order. It's one book per person. Clinton will only sign his book and he will only sign his name. No personalizations. No cameras. No cell phones. No purses. (There are other rules, too. If anyone reading this is thinking of going, don't presume that I'm giving you the entire story, or that I didn't get something wrong.)
Clinton, they said, is committed to sign 1000 books. He may sign more "at his discretion" — and when was the last time you heard the word "discretion" in a sentence about Bill Clinton? I suspect he won't sign many more than that…and I say that as someone who occasionally has to sign his own 11-letter name on 1000 copies of some Groo book or print. I couldn't do it all in one sitting, and I didn't have to keep stopping and shaking hands between signatures, as Clinton presumably does.
I delighted one clerk by going up to her and saying, "Could I ask you a question that has nothing to do with Bill Clinton?"
"It'll be the first one today," she grinned…and seemed more disappointed than I was that their computer showed they aren't carrying the book I wanted. Then out of nowhere, she said, "We're putting on ten extra people to help tomorrow and we're closing for several hours before he arrives, and it still won't be enough. I don't know why we're doing this."
I do. It's just about the only thing a bookstore can offer us that Amazon can't.