---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The best thing about doing a signing tour…"
description: "\"The best thing about doing a signing tour is that numbers become faces. I got to sign books for six or seven thousand people, all of whom were dreadful..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1d/neil-gaiman-29_best-sellers_the-best-thing-about-doing-a-signing-tou_1813546.jpg"
---

#  The best thing about doing a signing tour is that numbers…

![“The best thing about doing a signing tour is that numbers become faces. I got to sign books for six or seven thousand people, all of whom were dreadfully nice. Everything else, the interviews, the hotels, the plane travel, the best-seller lists, even the sushi, gets old awfully fast. Well, maybe…” quote by Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1d/neil-gaiman-29_best-sellers_the-best-thing-about-doing-a-signing-tou_1813546.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1d/neil-gaiman-29_best-sellers_the-best-thing-about-doing-a-signing-tou_1813546.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1d/neil-gaiman-29_best-sellers_the-best-thing-about-doing-a-signing-tou_1813546.jpg)

> “The best thing about doing a signing tour is that numbers become faces. I got to sign books for six or seven thousand people, all of whom were dreadfully nice. Everything else, the interviews, the hotels, the plane travel, the best-seller lists, even the sushi, gets old awfully fast. Well, maybe not the sushi.”

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Public appearances turn abstract statistics into personal connections, making fame feel human.

**In simple terms:** Numbers become faces when you meet people.

Key Takeaway

Value personal interaction over fame.

Themes

celebrity human connection fatigue

Mood

reflective humorous

Type

personal observational

When to use this quote

- book signings
- tour life
- media interviews
- travel
- marketing

Key Concepts

personalization celebrity culture

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you stay grounded amid fame?
- What moments made the tour rewarding?

A Different Perspective

The novelty wears off quickly, leaving only the people matter.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Best sellers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-sellers/) [Best things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-things/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Doing Signing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-signing-2135193/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Hotel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hotel/) [Interviews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interviews/) [Lists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lists/) [Nice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nice/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Planes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planes/) [Sellers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sellers/) [Seven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seven/) [Sign Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sign-books-1348136/) [Signing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/signing/) [Signing Tour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/signing-tour-2135192/) [Six](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/six/) [Sushi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sushi/) [Thousand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand/) [Tour Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tour-numbers-2135194/) [Travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/travel/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/)

## Related quotes

> [Whenever I sign books, I get this line over and over again from men: "I don't read fiction, but my wife does. Would you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/whenever-i-sign-books-i-get-this-line-over-and-over-again-from-men-i/)

[Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/)

> [I always give a little talk before I sign books and ask for questions. I love the Q&A sessions. We have a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/i-always-give-a-little-talk-before-i-sign-books-and-ask-for-questions/)

[Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/)

> [I'm a fan of meeting readers face to face, at reader events, where we're able to sit down and take some time to talk.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-brockmann/i-m-a-fan-of-meeting-readers-face-to-face-at-reader-events-where-we-2/)

[Suzanne Brockmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-brockmann/)

> [People make me key chains... someone attached a Dauntless symbol to a silver pen. That one is what I use to sign books. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/people-make-me-key-chains-someone-attached-a-dauntless-symbol-to-a/)

[Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/)

> [When I sign books, I get lines of people and what they usually say is: "Thank you. You have changed my life." I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/when-i-sign-books-i-get-lines-of-people-and-what-they-usually-say-is/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [I've been out on the book tour going through Pittsburgh, St Louis and Cleveland, Dayton and Orlando, Raleigh-Durham. I sign many books for people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-farr/i-ve-been-out-on-the-book-tour-going-through-pittsburgh-st-louis-and/)

[Jamie Farr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-farr/)

> [My books always make the best-seller lists in Wolf Hole, Arizona, and Hanksville, Utah.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/my-books-always-make-the-best-seller-lists-in-wolf-hole-arizona-and/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [Writing isn't generally a lucrative source of income; only a few, exceptional writers reach the income levels associated with the best-sellers. Rather, most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-scott/writing-isn-t-generally-a-lucrative-source-of-income-only-a-few/)

[Melissa Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-scott/)

> [Ironically, white America will catapult books about race to the top of the best-seller list, even as racism remains a national open wound. Obsession…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marita-golden/ironically-white-america-will-catapult-books-about-race-to-the-top-of/)

[Marita Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marita-golden/)

> [I haven't won any prizes or had any best sellers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-duncan/i-haven-t-won-any-prizes-or-had-any-best-sellers/)

[Glen Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-duncan/)

> [It had been fourteen years and I hadn't had anything published. I had 250 rejection slips. I got my first novel published and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-alther/it-had-been-fourteen-years-and-i-hadn-t-had-anything-published-i-had/)

[Lisa Alther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-alther/)

> [The Apple iPad is not going to be the company's next runaway best seller. Not if the industry can help it... With the iPad,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-dvorak/the-apple-ipad-is-not-going-to-be-the-company-s-next-runaway-best/)

[John C. Dvorak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-dvorak/)

> [The measure of a great writer is not how many weeks his books spend on the best-seller lists, but how many years his books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-thomas/the-measure-of-a-great-writer-is-not-how-many-weeks-his-books-spend/)

[Cal Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-thomas/)

> [My father didn't want to go to Manhattan for me, and I came to Manhattan and I have done a great job in Manhattan.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/my-father-didn-t-want-to-go-to-manhattan-for-me-and-i-came-to/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [If it so happened that I had once written a best-seller, this was a pure accident, due to inattention and naivete, and I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/if-it-so-happened-that-i-had-once-written-a-best-seller-this-was-a/)

[Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/)

## More by Neil Gaiman

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“Like all sentient beings, Fat Charlie had a weirdness quotient. For some days the needle had been over in the red, occasionally banging jerkily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/like-all-sentient-beings-fat-charlie-had-a-weirdness-quotient-for/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“Shadow crawled across the floor to the yellow foam-rubber pad and climbed onto it, pulling the thin blanket over himself, and closed his eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/shadow-crawled-across-the-floor-to-the-yellow-foam-rubber-pad-and/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [ “\[T\]hey could not help being amused every time another little human believed itself the center of its world, as each of us does.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/t-hey-could-not-help-being-amused-every-time-another-little-human/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [So many things to see, people to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/so-many-things-to-see-people-to-do/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.’ – Ben Franklin,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/three-may-keep-a-secret-if-two-of-them-are-dead-ben-franklin/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [You need more than a beginning if you're going to start a book. If all you have is a beginning, then once you've written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-need-more-than-a-beginning-if-you-re-going-to-start-a-book-if-all/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [You can tell the date of an old science fiction novel by every word on the page. Nothing dates harder and faster and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-can-tell-the-date-of-an-old-science-fiction-novel-by-every-word/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“The quickest way is sometimes the longest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-quickest-way-is-sometimes-the-longest/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“They were spells, spelled with words to make worlds, waiting for me, in the pages of books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/they-were-spells-spelled-with-words-to-make-worlds-waiting-for-me-in/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [Finish what you're writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/finish-what-you-re-writing-whatever-you-have-to-do-to-finish-it/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [What do stars do? They shine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-do-stars-do-they-shine/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“What," asked Mr Croup, "do you want?" "What," asked the Marquis de Carabas, a little more rhetorically, "does anyone want?" "Dead things," suggested Mr…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-asked-mr-croup-do-you-want-what-asked-the-marquis-de-carabas-a/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [You get on with your own life. Lettie gave it to you. You just have to grow up and try and be worth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-get-on-with-your-own-life-lettie-gave-it-to-you-you-just-have-to/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“Eyes will not see you. Minds will not hold you. Where you are is nothing and nobody”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/eyes-will-not-see-you-minds-will-not-hold-you-where-you-are-is/)

[neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

[Explore all 2,526 Neil Gaiman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

## More Best sellers quotes

> [If it so happened that I had once written a best-seller, this was a pure accident, due to inattention and naivete, and I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/if-it-so-happened-that-i-had-once-written-a-best-seller-this-was-a/)

[Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/)

> [My father didn't want to go to Manhattan for me, and I came to Manhattan and I have done a great job in Manhattan.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/my-father-didn-t-want-to-go-to-manhattan-for-me-and-i-came-to/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [The measure of a great writer is not how many weeks his books spend on the best-seller lists, but how many years his books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-thomas/the-measure-of-a-great-writer-is-not-how-many-weeks-his-books-spend/)

[Cal Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-thomas/)

> [The Apple iPad is not going to be the company's next runaway best seller. Not if the industry can help it... With the iPad,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-dvorak/the-apple-ipad-is-not-going-to-be-the-company-s-next-runaway-best/)

[John C. Dvorak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-dvorak/)

> [It had been fourteen years and I hadn't had anything published. I had 250 rejection slips. I got my first novel published and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-alther/it-had-been-fourteen-years-and-i-hadn-t-had-anything-published-i-had/)

[Lisa Alther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-alther/)

> [I haven't won any prizes or had any best sellers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-duncan/i-haven-t-won-any-prizes-or-had-any-best-sellers/)

[Glen Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-duncan/)

> [Ironically, white America will catapult books about race to the top of the best-seller list, even as racism remains a national open wound. Obsession…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marita-golden/ironically-white-america-will-catapult-books-about-race-to-the-top-of/)

[Marita Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marita-golden/)

> [Writing isn't generally a lucrative source of income; only a few, exceptional writers reach the income levels associated with the best-sellers. Rather, most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-scott/writing-isn-t-generally-a-lucrative-source-of-income-only-a-few/)

[Melissa Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-scott/)

> [My books always make the best-seller lists in Wolf Hole, Arizona, and Hanksville, Utah.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/my-books-always-make-the-best-seller-lists-in-wolf-hole-arizona-and/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [Young adults that actually read are reading bodice rippers and best-sellers and me. And Horror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/young-adults-that-actually-read-are-reading-bodice-rippers-and-best/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [Like many popular best-sellers, he was a very sad and solemn man who took himself too seriously and his art not seriously enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-pritchett/like-many-popular-best-sellers-he-was-a-very-sad-and-solemn-man-who/)

[V. S. Pritchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-pritchett/)

> [The White Queen in many ways it is representative of the sort of drama that I'm talking about. The books by Philippa Gregory were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-callender/the-white-queen-in-many-ways-it-is-representative-of-the-sort-of/)

[Colin Callender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-callender/)

> [Some books and authors are best sellers, but most aren't. It may be easier to self-publish than it is to traditionally publish, but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-hocking/some-books-and-authors-are-best-sellers-but-most-aren-t-it-may-be/)

[Amanda Hocking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-hocking/)

> [“The ragged curtains were reaching out across the room and the foot of the bed was soaked with rain. She got up and closed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-b-brewer/the-ragged-curtains-were-reaching-out-across-the-room-and-the-foot-of/)

[Nancy B. Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-b-brewer/)

> [ 10 years ago \[in 2006\], nearly 90 percent of those albums sold enough in that year to reach Gold status. 10 years later, about… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cary-sherman/10-years-ago-in-2006-nearly-90-percent-of-those-albums-sold-enough-in/)

[Cary Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cary-sherman/)

[Browse all 63 Best sellers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-sellers/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The best thing about doing a signing tour is that numbers become faces. I got to sign books for six or seven thousand people, all of whom were dreadfully nice. Everything else, the interviews, the hotels, the plane travel, the best-seller lists, even the sushi, gets old awfully fast. Well, maybe not the sushi.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Neil Gaiman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-best-thing-about-doing-a-signing-tour-is-that-numbers-become/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Best sellers"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-best-thing-about-doing-a-signing-tour-is-that-numbers-become/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1d/neil-gaiman-29_best-sellers_the-best-thing-about-doing-a-signing-tou_1813546.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1d/neil-gaiman-29_best-sellers_the-best-thing-about-doing-a-signing-tou_1813546.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1d/neil-gaiman-29_best-sellers_the-best-thing-about-doing-a-signing-tou_1813546.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The best thing about doing a signing tour is that numbers become faces. I got to sign books for six or seven…” — Neil Gaiman",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Neil Gaiman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The best thing about doing a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-best-thing-about-doing-a-signing-tour-is-that-numbers-become/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-best-thing-about-doing-a-signing-tour-is-that-numbers-become/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```