[vrabinec]

I'm planning to write about 1000 words tonight. I'm charging $5 to get in and see me work. Oh, and you will be charged 2 cents just for reading this message.

 

[vrabinec]

Well, if they won't even allow you to go into that section of the store without purchasing something, that is their prerogative, just as it's your prerogative to not shop there in the future. We vote with our wallets.

As for signings, maybe my worldview is skewed since in the romance world, all our signings at conferences are to raise money for charity, so your purse/totebag/etc is checked at the door ahead of time and you're not allowed to enter with any books, but it just would never occur to me to bring a book to a bookstore. If I already own a particular book by that author and I want to meet her and get her autograph, then I purchase a different book.

You know, if I was a casual reader, I'd probably think the author was being outrageous, and it might actually turn me off from buying that author's book. Most casual readers probably aren't as in tune to the plight of brick stores as we are, and many would treat it with the same outrage baseball fans did when players started charging for their autographs. I'd think twice about agreeing to do this if I was an author. Big risk of alienating a portion of your fan base.