My name in lights

Academics have many ways of gauging their career progress. Favorable book reviews in scholarly journals, high citation rates for their research, and being awarded tenure are just a few. Because I’m on the fringes of academia (I have a Ph.D. in history but don’t teach in a history department, and gambling is far from a hot topic among academic historians), I have to set my own benchmarks.

I don’t know what to make of my latest “accomplishment,” but it’s got to be significant. In advance of my November 12 book signing at the Reading Room at Mandalay Place, I have gotten my name–and face–in lights on the Las Vegas Strip.

Here is a photo:

It’s great to be up there next to the dinner specials at the Giorgio Caffe, the House of Blues schedule, and ads for Forty Deuce, the burlesque nightclub. Just for fun, here’s another picture:

And one more:

Remember, you too can be a part of the fun on Saturday if you show up at the Reading Room at 2 pm. I’ll do a brief reading and answer questions about my books.

I wonder what the break even point is for this? How many books do they have to sell to justify giving me valuable time on the big sign? And if I don’t generate those sales, do they send me a bill? I hope not.