Paula McLain
I suppose it was inevitable—a rather disappointing author event experience for the first time. I was particularly disappointed with Joseph-Beth Booksellers, the local independent bookstore in Lexington, Kentucky, that hosted the event, as well as the author, Paula McLain.
The issue began with the event being ticketed. This means that attendees must purchase the book in advance and pick it up at the event. I had done this numerous times before, so I was not surprised. However, when I arrived at the bookstore shortly after the Paula McLain event for Skylark was announced, I approached a bookseller to purchase a ticket. To my dismay, the bookseller dismissed me with the response, “I don’t know anything about that. You’ll have to do that online.” This was a new procedure for me, and I was left feeling frustrated and confused.
I later visited Joseph-Beth’s website and proceeded to purchase a ticket for the Skylark event. As I was about to complete the purchase, I noticed that I was being charged the incorrect sales tax of 7.8%, instead of the correct 6%. Since Joseph-Beth also owns a bookstore in Cincinnati, Ohio, I suspected that I was being charged the sales tax for that store. I promptly emailed the web manager, and while I received an initial response for additional information, there was no further communication from them. Determined to rectify this significant error, I persisted. To make a long story short, I ended up in contact with their headquarters in Cincinnati. My suspicions were confirmed; I was being charged both Ohio and Cincinnati sales taxes. They corrected the sales tax error on their website if I simply ordered a book online, but it did not rectify the error for purchasing a book for a ticketed event. The staff seemed grateful that I continued to bring these errors to their attention. Since the correction was taking more time and effort than they anticipated, they decided to purchase a copy of the book for me to pick up at the event. I appreciate this compensation, but I couldn’t help but wonder how they compensated the other readers who attended the event and paid the incorrect sales tax.
It’s also important to inform readers that the error on their website has not been corrected as of the time I’m writing this blog post (January 14, 2026). I first reported this error to Joseph-Beth Booksellers the week of Thanksgiving 2025. Therefore, anyone who purchases a book online for a ticketed event held at the Lexington store is being incorrectly charged state sales tax to the wrong state. As I explained to their staff, I don’t enjoy paying taxes, but when I do, I want the state I live in to benefit from my hard-earned money.
Honestly, I wasn’t particularly excited when Paula McLain’s visit arrived. The effort I had to put into helping a private business correct their mistake had tainted the event for me. Especially since they hadn’t corrected the error in its entirety.
I arrived at the bookstore at 6:40, giving me enough time to browse before the event started at 7:00. As people began to arrive, we were informed that Paula was late due to travel delays and no one knew when she would arrive. I understood that travel can be unpredictable, especially with flights. However, it seemed like the event was going downhill from there.
While we patiently waited for Paula, I overheard staff talking to each other that she had arrived and was in another part of the store pre-signing books. Wait! What?! I couldn’t understand why the booksellers were having her pre-sign our books when we had already been kept waiting! There were less than twenty people in attendance. Paula stayed after her discussion and Q&A session to personalize books and meet readers, so I didn’t see the logic in this decision. I thought it was unacceptable for the booksellers to make us wait even longer. It reminded me of being at work when a supervisor scheduled a meeting and then showed up late. That kind of behavior is disrespectful of everyone’s time.
Finally, Paula arrived at 7:30 with a minimal apology. She made a flippant comment about the “woes of travel,” which made me feel like we were supposed to feel sorry for her instead of her having compassion for us who had waited on her.
To top it off, the bookstore was completely unprepared. I showed up 20 minutes early and there were no books on display, pens, water bottles, or mics ready. We all had to wait again. The bookstore’s lack of preparation made me feel like they didn’t care about their jobs, customers, or authors.
When the booksellers finally brought out the microphones, the audio quality was quite poor. Despite feedback from the attendees, no corrective measures were taken. As a result, I couldn’t hear certain parts of the discussion. For instance, Paula invited her author friend, Brian, from Cincinnati, to join her in a conversation about her book, Skylark. However, I never managed to comprehend his last name, and I still don’t know who he is.
Paula’s discussion of her latest book, Skylark, was quite engaging. Her book sounds intriguing, which is why I had been initially eager to attend the event. The inspiration for the book originated from an idea centered around the tunnels beneath the streets of Paris. Paula felt compelled to not only research these tunnels but also visit them. Since it’s illegal to do so, she had to find a clandestine tour guide. Interestingly, the title of the book is inspired by the symbols found on the tunnel walls from centuries ago. Paula explained that the story has two alternating timelines. She described the process of writing essentially two separate books. Then, she spent four hours with her editor in New York City to merge the two stories into a cohesive narrative. I found it fascinating to learn about her writing process, which is quite structured and follows a 9 to 5 routine. Paula emphasized the close relationship between writing and research for her. While my time with her was enjoyable, I must admit that I found her somewhat pretentious. Although I may not have been particularly impressed with her personality, I am still eager to read her book.
Paula’s friend Brian informed us that Skylark has been selected as the Good Morning America Book of the Month for January. He shared that she had an interview on GMA the previous day. You can watch the short video here.
Amidst the chaos of this event, I endeavored to maintain objectivity and patience. However, it stands as my least favorite event I’ve attended. Unfortunately, Joseph Beth hasn’t hosted many authors I enjoy reading in recent years. Their focus seems to be on romance and fantasy genres, which are the two I read the least. It’s disheartening that they haven’t been able to attract the renowned authors I’ve encountered there in the past, such as Joe Hill, Lisa Scottoline, John Grisham, Neil Gaiman, Alix E. Harrow, Erin Morgenstern, Greg Iles, and Josh Malerman, to name a few. I was also surprised by the low attendance at the Paula McLain event, considering her reputation and the number of books she’s published. Well, it’s not surprising when the booksellers fail to host an event effectively.
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