I met Guy Kawasaki yesterday at a book signing. Not only is he an extremely talented communicator and writer, he’s just a really nice person. Just look on Twitter, hashtag #guykawasaki, and you’ll see what I mean. Now I’ve been thinking, it’s kind of odd to go to a book signing without a book. Knowing that he would be at SXSW, I decided to go to the used book store to find his new book. I knew my chances were slim to none on finding his new book Enchantment, but I thought maybe I could find one of his older books. I’ve been following Guy for a long time on friendfeed and he always has great stuff out there.
I had to go to a few locations before I found one of his books. I found The Art of the Start. I bought it and I was happy that I would have a book for him to sign, although I wondered what I would say to him as I asked him to sign my not-so-new book with a red half price sticker on the front.
Yesterday, I found myself in a long line of people to have my book signed. It’s pretty safe to say that I was the only weirdo in line without a fresh-off-the-press copy of Enchantment. Soon, it was my turn. I proceeded to the table and quickly explained my story. “I’m doing a year of no retail shopping, so I can’t buy your new book, even though I really want to. I bought a used copy of one of your older books, so could you sign this one?” First, he laughed a bit and said he wouldn’t last a week without shopping. Then he asked where I got the book. I told him I bought it at a used book store and showed him the bright red price tag on the front. He then proceeded to tell me that The Art of the Start never came out in paperback. Mine is a paperback. Either it’s a illegitimate copy or an unmarked advanced reading copy, intended for bookstores. Either way, he said that was the best reason he’s ever heard from anyone as to why they’re not buying his book.
He signed my book and he even allowed me to have a photo taken with him. I have to say, if there were more people in the world like Guy, the world would be a noticeably better place. I plan to buy his new book and I found 3 used copies on amazon.com. If anyone should teach us about enchantment, it should be someone that understands it and lives that way. Guy seems to get it.
If you’re interested in his new book, here’s the amazon link. There’s 2 used ones left, the 3rd one is mine, so leave it there. ;)
Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds and Actions
I had the opportunity to just buy a new copy of his book, and I wanted to, but I didn’t. I might be waiting a little longer to read his amazing book (prejudged from his awesome session at SXSW), but it goes to show that with a little pre-planning, you can have what you want while saving money and being good to the environment. Thanks Guy!