Former President Clinton Adds a Visit to Blytheville

That Bookstore in Blytheville's Mary Gay Shipley had been courting former President Bill Clinton, hoping to convince him to stop by the store, "since he signed the contract" for My Life (Knopf). Her perseverance has paid off: Clinton will be visiting That Bookstore in Blytheville, Arkansas, on Thursday, July 29, at 12:30 p.m.

Shipley had little more than a week's notice to prepare for the bestselling author, but she isn't complaining. "I'm delighted," she said. "I don't mind the short notice. With this kind of event, you don't need to advertise." Within two days Shipley sold 1,000 tickets. She predicted an especially massive turnout since many of Clinton's friends and supporters from his early days, including from his first gubernatorial campaign, live nearby. Many of them appear in the book.

Paul Bogaards, senior vice president and executive director of media relations for Knopf, said That Bookstore in Blytheville was chosen when the tour had a "window of availability" in Arkansas. But he also told BTW that Clinton is "not surprisingly informed about the better bookstores in America because he's married to a bestselling author…. I gather Senator Clinton had a great experience at That Bookstore, so it's no surprise that the President did express interest in visiting the store."

Shipley noted that her sales pitch to Clinton probably didn't hurt her chances either. "At BEA I had a nice conversation with him and got a big hug. I told him, 'When you come to the store, I'll show you a few tips for signing faster.'"

The famous southpaw has already proven himself to be a fast signer, however. Bogaards told BTW that Clinton has signed 35,000 copies so far, and 1.5 million copies of My Life were sold during its first month of release. The book is now in its fourth printing. The audiobook, narrated by Clinton, has sold 150,000 copies and is in its third printing.

The brisk sales are "above forecast," said Bogaards, noting that Clinton will continue to add media appearances and signings through August and September, and Random House expects to see high sales continue "through Christmas and beyond."

Meanwhile, Shipley was preparing for the big event by meeting with Secret Service men, moving endcaps out of the way, and creating commemorative T-shirts that say, "TBIB Welcomes President Clinton. First Arkansas Signing." She told BTW, "I'm just real excited. I'm so proud that the first stop in Arkansas is an independent bookstore."

On July 30, Clinton will sign at the Little Rock State House Convention Center in a partnership between Books-A-Million and the Clinton Foundation, and on the 31st he will appear at a Fayetteville Wal-Mart. -- Karen Schechner