Sarah Palin had her work cut out for her as hundreds of fans hit Borders in Upper Kirby for a few seconds of face time and a signed copy (or copies) of her new book America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith, and Flag.

It was just after 11 a.m. when the first Palin fans emerged from an endless, snaking line with signed books in hand. "18 hours! It was worth it!" they whooped about the wait as the crowd applauded.

Palin herself seemed energetic and engaged, asking people about their businesses and cooing over babies. Her apple green jacket popped against the red Borders backdrop for a combo that was either Christmas-y or garish, depending on who you asked. Her outfit might have been perfect politician polish, but her four-inch black stiletto sandals winked at a less-buttoned-up Sarah.

Palin's signing was hectic, though more relaxed than the Secret Service-heavy signing by George W. Bush just a couple weeks ago at Barnes & Noble. People deposited all phones, cameras and purses when they entered the holding area immediately around Palin and the press were cordoned off 10 feet from the former governor and forbidden to ask questions.

(Even "What do you think about all these Houstonians thinking it's cold today?" I would have loved to hear her opinion on that.)

When either Borders or Palin's people suspected someone was shooting video, Shania Twain's greatest hits were cranked up to prevent the press outlets from using the footage with sound.

Members of the crowd described themselves as unabashed Palin fans, with Jonathan Reazin of Houston declaring he was "all wee-wee'd up" to meet her (we think that means excited), in part because his Palin-loving colleague couldn't make it. But even among the fans, opinions on Palin's political future were mixed.

Todd Killenger said he thought Palin should "definitely" run for president, while Elizabeth Lott had a more circumspect view.

"We were just talking about that. I would like it if she ran, I'm all for it, but there may be too many people with a negative opinion of her. It comes down to balancing what you want against who's going to win," Lott said.

At the bottom of the Borders stairs a second Palin celebrity emerged, posing for photos with fans and handing out line markers/bookmarks. To our surprise it wasn't Bristol, the recent headline-making Dancing With The Stars finalist. It was 16-year-old Willow Palin, whose only claim to fame so far is being the butt of a bad David Letterman joke and calling her classmates homophobic slurs on Facebook, as well as 9-year-old cutie Piper. But when you're a Palin, I guess fame follows you.

According to Amazon, Palin's book is still behind Bush's memoir, Decision Points in sales. But if this crowd is the judge, that will not be the case for long.

Editor's note: Don't miss CultureMap's exclusive video and story on W.'s River Oaks book signing visit earlier this month.