# Where Does the Author Autograph an Anthology? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 6, 2015, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-author-autograph-an-anthology/739654 "2015-12-06T22:48:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2015, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-author-autograph-an-anthology/739654/1 "2015-12-06T22:48:07Z")
A friend of mine just had a story published in an anthology (magazine format.) I want to get her autograph. Where? In this case, the cover art refers to her story, so would the cover be a good place? The title page of the magazine? The t.o.c., near her name? Or on page 21, where her story starts? What’s the convention here? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2015, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-author-autograph-an-anthology/739654/2 "2015-12-06T23:07:35Z")
AFAIK, there is no “convention” here. She can sign anywhere she wants. Most likely it will be on the page her story starts or the TOC, but there aren’t any rules to this. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2015, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-author-autograph-an-anthology/739654/3 "2015-12-06T23:13:54Z")
Congrats to your friend! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2015, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-author-autograph-an-anthology/739654/4 "2015-12-06T23:33:16Z")
The page their story begins. Not a hard and fast rule, as silenus says, but it’s the norm. With an anthology, the fun is in getting every writer to sign their own story. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2015, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-author-autograph-an-anthology/739654/5 "2015-12-06T23:38:09Z")
If you want to frame it and give it as a gift (or sell it as a collectible) ask her to autograph the cover. Otherwise, anything goes. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2015, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-author-autograph-an-anthology/739654/6 "2015-12-07T00:43:57Z")
Thank’ee all kindly. If there’s no real rule against it, in this case, I’ll go with the cover, because the illustration is of her story. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2015, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-author-autograph-an-anthology/739654/7 "2015-12-07T00:53:32Z")
I usually autograph the first page of my story. Some anthologies have tipped-in sheets with all the contributors, so in that case you sign there. Zombies Needs Brains, Inc. has a page in the front for contributors’ autographs – a line with your name. The first page of the story would be the best choice in this case. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2015, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-author-autograph-an-anthology/739654/8 "2015-12-07T02:02:55Z")
**RealityChuck** : Okay, I’ll go that way. The cover would be maybe a bit presumptuous. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2015, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-author-autograph-an-anthology/739654/9 "2015-12-07T04:09:36Z")
I have lots of anthologies which I’ve had several of the authors of the individual stories sign. I always open the book to the beginning of their story. Occasionally they just grab the book and sign the title page. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-author-autograph-an-anthology/739654/10 "2015-12-09T16:29:12Z")
When I went to Bouchercon, the mystery writers’ and readers’ conference, in Cleveland in 2012, I was lucky enough to get one of only 50 copies available of this book on the day of publication. About two-thirds of the contributors were there, and they all lined up for a mass signing for us. We were instructed to open the book to the page of each author’s story. It took about two hours because they all talked to us and most personalized their signature. I consider it a treasure. John Connolly! Cara Black! Lee Child! Michael Connolly! Charlaine Harris, Laurie R. King, Sara Paretsky, Ian Rankin, S.J. Roman, Yrsa Sigurdarsottir. /brag > **[Books to Die For: The World's Greatest Mystery Writers on the World's Greatest...](https://www.amazon.com/Books-Die-Greatest-Mystery-Writers/dp/1451696574)** > > Books to Die For: The World's Greatest Mystery Writers on the World's Greatest Mystery Novels \[Connolly, John, Burke, Declan\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Books to Die For: The World's Greatest Mystery Writers on the World's...