Fans Wait Hours to See Clinton at Book Signing

… after a carefully scripted rollout that included high-profile television interviews and planned leaks to the news media, Mrs. Clinton arrived just after 11 a.m. for her first book signing on a nationwide tour to promote her new memoir, “Hard Choices.” Wearing a hot-pink blazer and a splashy silver necklace, she waved and thanked the crowd of more than 1,000 people, many of whom had slept outside the store. They bought their $35 hardcover copies in advance at 30 percent off and snaked through the ropes set up on the fourth floor of the bookstore.

Mrs. Clinton told ABC News on Monday that she would not decide whether to run in the 2016 presidential race before the end of the year. But her book signing brought with it the trappings and logistics of a campaign event.

Not everyone is enthusiastic about Mrs. Clinton’s book tour. Republicans have seized on her comments to ABC News about the attack on an American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, that left four Americans dead in 2012. Mrs. Clinton said she gave “very direct instructions” to security experts and was correct to defer to their judgment.

When the interviewer, Diane Sawyer, repeatedly asked Mrs. Clinton whether she should have done anything differently, she replied, “I certainly would give anything on earth if this had not happened.”

Mrs. Clinton also faced criticism for saying that she and former President Bill Clinton “struggled to piece together the resources for mortgages for houses” after leaving the White House.

Republicans said the comment was evidence that Mrs. Clinton was out of touch with struggling Americans. The hashtag #HillaryIsSoPoor was trending on Twitter on Monday night.

A Barnes & Noble spokeswoman said the crowd’s size was not particularly unusual. Mr. Clinton, the actor James Franco and Suzanne Collins, the author of “The Hunger Games” trilogy, received similar welcomes. The Jonas Brothers and Justin Bieber got bigger crowds.

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