Last night, Neil Gaiman held a reading and book signing in Decatur, Ga. The event was co-hosted by Little Shop of Stories — an independent bookstore in Decatur — and Agnes Scott College. By the end of the evening, I’d met Neil, gotten some books signed and had my picture taken with him.

If you’re a fan of Neil Gaiman, that probably sounds cool, but it doesn’t really sum up what was most awesome about the event. Perhaps more than any other fan event I’ve ever attended, last night’s signing required extraordinary patience and perseverance from pretty much everyone involved. Here’s what had to happen for me and about 1,000 other people to get to attend:

1. Neil had to decide to hold a contest. Independent bookstores could enter by hosting a Halloween party themed after his Newbery-winning “The Graveyard Book.”
2. Little Shop of Stories had to throw a fantastic party, and people had to attend. You can see pictures at the store’s blog. There’s video below.
3. Neil had to decide that Little Shop of Stories (along with McNally Robinson Booksellers in Winnipeg, Manitoba) had the very best party of all the entries.
4. Little Shop of Stories had to get together with Agnes Scott College to secure a venue, plan the event and spread the word.

But that’s only Act 1. In Act 2, Little Shop of Stories started distributing tickets. The first batch went within hours on Nov. 30, as fans of Neil’s work, about 100 of whom lined up before the store opened, drove in from all over the Southeast. A lot of us didn’t make it in time — I arrived about 15 minutes after the last ticket was gone, and while I browsed the store, a stream of sad-faced fans came and went. Little Shop of Stories offered up a second batch — including a newly opened overflow room with a live feed — on Dec. 7. The 30 or so tickets that weren’t gone by the time the store closed got snatched up the next day.

Act 3 was last night’s signing. The fans who’d driven, flown or walked to Little Shop of Stories — or, like me, obsessively hit “redial” on their phones  – lined up once again, first to be seated and then to get their books signed. And they waited patiently for hours.

The most patient person, though, was probably Neil himself, who signed books for seven straight hours. I made it to the front of the line after about hour six, and he was kind and gracious, while I was so tired that I only managed to say, “Just a signature on that one. And that one’s for me! Thank you very much.” And then, he went back to his hotel, slept for 3 ½ hours, and headed off to Winnipeg for the second award-winning signing.

So after all that, I think Neil Gaiman is as much a fan of us as we are of him.