Warning: Some Violence and Much Strong Language.HE WROTE: Book Stores
Are cool. Really. As are libraries. Any place that has lots of books.
I looked at Jenny last night and told her we were a quarter way through the books tour and she about died. Seems like we've been doing this forever.
Where was I? Oh yeah. Book stores. And book people. I can honestly say we haven't had a negative vibe, well except from each other, so far. Every store has been wonderful. The managers, the people who work in them, the people who attend the signings. All of it.
I think people who love books are pretty much good people.
We were in Josepth Beth Booksellers last night in Cincy (I seem to have problems spelling that city) and there were author signing pictures on the wall and there was our friend Terry Brooks who, along with his wife Judine, had just sent us a very nice congratulatory email earlier that day after seeing an article in Publishers Weekly. Of course I only saw his picture because it was on the wall on the way to the men's room (don't tell Terry that, at least it wasn't IN the men's room). Terry is a really nice guy who we've taught with at the Maui Writer's Retreat. Another of those good book people.
Being on book tour with Jenny makes it a lot easier, I imagine, than being on book tour alone. Our current escort, no not that kind of escort, geez, Kathy, is still having to smack us in the car. We're currently in a Panera's (product placement? corporate sponsorship? perhaps a free meal? Panera? gift card? cup of coffee? a bowl of gruel?) and Kathy had to go out and make some calls and she threatened to put us in opposite corners if she came back and found us bickering again.
I've just had a brilliant idea after thinking about the Panera thing. Corporate sponsorship for authors. We could wear jackets with decals on them for booksignings tours and have little stickers on the covers. I'd have to discuss this with Jenny I suppose but the possibilities are endless: Penzoil. K-Mart. Viagra. You know. The usual stuff you see on the Nascar circuit. I'll have to float this by St. Martins.
BTW. Last night I noticed a shadowy figure lurking outside the bookstore. I think it was Shannon 'Babyface' Twomey. Calling in to 'Mother' to see if the 'plane had landed' yet. I don't think Jenny and I, her and I, are out of the woods yet with SMP. Jen 'the Enforcer' Enderlin is back in town. And our protector, Meg 'the Closer' is out of the country at a bad time. Who know where 'Needles' is. Probably somewhere here in this Panera masquerading as a potted plant or something.
Ok. We had a tense moment when the blog disappeared. Jenny froze. Quick emails to Mollie and Kari. But it all got sorted out somehow.
Then we went to Books & Co. in Dayton where Jenny worked for a while. Lots of people. I'll let Jenny blog about that because she knew a lot of people there, but once more everyone was very nice. Thank you Sharon and everyone else. Thanks to everyone who came and listened to us ramble. Thanks for getting us home Kathy. But one woman came up with a very nice twist on the darkness and death thing: in the light there is life. I like that.
I just threw out the candy corn cause sometimes you just have to accept it's a bad thing. But I also just ate my second Ding Dong cause we left as seven this morning and got back after 1030.
The book seems to be doing well. Tomorrow we have a radio interview-- morning drive radio in Lexington that we call in. Then we have some time to take care of some stuff here, then drive on down to Lexington in the afternoon and do a signing there. I actually finally go home this weekend which will be nice.
Things are good.
Book people are good people.
40 Comments:
Geez Bob,
Here I was, ready to give you a knuckle rap and then I read this blog and you sound SO DARN SWEET!!!
I feel like giving you some hot cocoa instead...
Guess I'll go knuckle rap my darling husband instead... ;)
I've always thought that about book people. People who don't read are inherently suspicious.
Please tell me you are not just figuring out that book people are good people. Yes, they are. And bookstores are wonderful places. Ditto libraries. And people who write books for us to read are equally phenomenal.
So thank you, Bob and Jenny, for giving us things to read that we enjoy so much.
I wanted to go get Section 8 and/or The Rock today, but was prevented by our persistent downpour. After reading Bodyguard of Lies, I think I need to go read some of Bob's other books. How's that for a ringing endorsement?
Thanks again to both of you and to all the other writers (published or not) reading this blog so that people like me have wonderful books with which to adorn their minds (and homes).
I am inordinately impressed that you waited that long to eat the second DingDong. Wow.
I hate to break it to you, Bob, but candy corn in April is NEVER a good idea.
Who is more pathetic; you and Jenny for not having "real lives" because you spend all your time writing best selling books and then touring to promote them or me not having a real life because I spend all my time reading about you and Jenny spending all your time writing best selling books and then touring to promote them? Yep, I win that little contest hands down.
Okay, you wanted to make the blog more serious so here is what I want to know:
How has this tour differed from the tours you did for your own single authored books?
How are the fans differing? Such as do they have different feedback or types of questions?
What is proper book signing etiquette especially for those of us who will only see you along with the 1 million other fans at the RWA conference in Atlanta? Is it okay to bring all your backlist and ask you to sign it? Can I take a couple of minutes to tell you both how much I loved the book? Can I have someone take my picture with you both?
When does a fan cross the line from groupie (think the Beatles on tour in the 60's) to lunatic (think Kathy Bates in Misery)
Do you accept gifts of food?
Why is this blog so blame addictive?
You know how the product placement thing would work, right...they wouldn't let you wear a cool jacket and call it good. It's not like your body is real estate that they'd rent (unless you're George Clooney in disguise). Nope, you'd have to write about the product.
For example, in DLD, Pepper wouldn't get to drink "root beer," it would have to be "IBC root beer," possibly even "IBC root beer, an all natural product." I dunno; I like IBC as much as the next root beer, but would forcing a product on a character be worth a great patch or jacket?
After all, E.T. liked Skittles because Spielberg couldn't cut a deal with M&Ms.
Just food (Hostess snack cake of your choice, unless you prefer a Little Debbie's or a Rainbo brand treat) for thought.
You are so right, Bob, bookstores and libraries are so very cool. Whenever I am searching for answers I somehow wind up in one of the two. I walk the stacks and the book I am supposed to find usually leaps right out at me.
It's how I found Jenny's books. Tell Me Lies found me and helped save my soul in a very dark moment. So, I agree wholeheartedly with glamour-geek and my thanks go out to you and Jenny for writing such great stuff that works.
Geez- maybe Cherry Bombshell is on to something. We could lock Jenny and Bob up ala Misery style and force them to write another book. "One more chapter and you earn a Ding Dong."
Book people are the BEST.
Didn't E.T. eat Reese’s Pieces?
In fact, it was Reese's Pieces because the brain trust at the m&m company couldn't see any benefit to product placement.
The downside of advertising is that you could get your sponsorship yanked for inappropriate character behavior.
Who wants to read a book full of appropriate behavior? Unless, of course, you are Miss Manners.
Of course book people are good people. I've always found them very helpful.
Just found "Bodyguard of Lies" at Walmart. That first chapter really gets into you with a bang!! ...a silenced bang.
Yeah, book people are the best. One of Jenny's books helped me through one of my roughest periods. It was a little book called, Charlie All Night.
I thought all men stunk until I read Charlie.
In fact I re-read it so many times that I gushed all over Jenny to tell her about it.
I confessed that I think I fell in love with Charlie and she looked at me all weird. You know that really pitying look that says for god's sake woman get a real life, and said, "Well I'm glad I could be of help." He he. Next time we meet I'm getting my book signed and keeping my mouth shut.
And Bob, in Kaballah they say the Zohar is a candle in a world of darkness. It transcend religion, race, politics, and geography. The spiritual light of the Zohar banishes all forms of darkness from our world. Kabbalists have a saying:
A darkened auditorium must respond to the light of a single candle. But no matter how much darkness one adds--say, by enlarging the auditorium--no amount of darkness can snuff out the light.
Ooooh...I like that, Robena...but you've made it hard for me to follow with the comment I'd planned.
Oh well, at the risk of brining the comment section back to the mundane, I was just gonna say: book people and dog people. They're the best.
Good questions Cherry Bombshell. I have all of Jenny's now and want them signed when she comes to the RWAustralia conference next year. Book signing etiquette...a very good thing to know.
Bring them all at once or keep popping up when she least expects it with a couple of more? Spread them out over the weekend?
"Please Jenny, I want some more..."
Hi Jenny and Bob.
Thanks Bob for the nice comments about book people and libraries! I work at Winchester Library in the UK and book people are definately good people! Many are a bit wierd if they are library book people, but mostly still good..... Well, there was that time a guy pulled an axe out of his trousers, but it was OK in the end. The police were very efficient. No harm done!
Just wanted to say I am a big fan Jenny and can't wait to read my copy of DLD - so excited it arrived today!!
Best wishes for the tour, shame you're not travelling via Winchester!
:-)
You like us, you really, really, like us (says the whining overworked librarian counting the days until the end of the term - 16 days!).
Uh, Bob, do you really want to be the poster boy for viagra?
yeah, that's right...Reese's Pieces. Way better than
Skittles (I knew that didn't sound right but I still clicked Publish, dang it).
E.T. obviously knew the magical healing qualities of chocolate.
No corporate sponsorship. Sheesh. Bob do you really want some CEO telling you what you can and can't put in your books? And Leave us this one last area that doesn't come with a corporate logo - except for the splendidly tasteful SMP logo, of course.
Yes, Book people are good people. I've held entire conversations with strangers in more than one bookstore because there we all have a common ground. But do you know, there are actually people who don't get the love of books? Strange strange people.
Just so you know, when you hit Maryland I'm planning on bringing my copy of DLD, natch, but also Bodyguard and Bradley for each of you to sign. Because they are the first titles I read for each of you.
And re: Bodyguard - It occurred to me that the guys reading it probably got worked about about the guns, but I'm still mooning over the black leather coat.
Don't joke about product placement, Bob. It's already happening- there was a romance put out a couple years ago by a diamond company. With many references to their jewelry, of course. I don't think anyone wants to read about a hero who pops Viagra before a date. (Although, come to think of it, there could be great comedy in someone like LaFavre "experimenting".)
Also, Reese's Pieces are peanutbutter flavored (yuck!), not chocolate.
re: Product placement
AND... there are even romance books published to promote Nascar. I read about it on the Nascar web site, and on the publishers web site. It's Nascar's attempt to get more women interested in the sport. The book I read about had the Hero cast as a Nascar driver, and the heroine hired to drive his RV to the races.
Viagra sponsered a race car last year, Mark Martin, and he said he had no problem wearing the shirts. Got to be a man who's very comfortable with himself to wear that sort of thing. I'm sure Bob would have no trouble either.
Personally, I think you should be checking out chocolate companies for sponsorship!
-Robin
Cherry 2000
Bob, you need to get more sleep: Shannon was in New York all day yesterday. But perhaps you saw her "mother"...she does live in Ohio.
Liquor companies have been heard to sponsor book parties (also private birthday parties, if the people are cool enough). Can Viagra be far behind?
And, as so many commenters have already pointed out, book people are the best people.
Bob, you really don't want product placement in books. Think of movies where the action adventure hero has to hold up his wrist for 20 seconds in the middle of a chase scene so that movie-viewers see that it's a Piaget.
Twenty seconds gives villains time to aim and shoot. If Shane tried that in Agnes, he'd be a dead hitman. Hard to finish a book with a dea hero -- unless you and Jenny want to write the first paranormal romantic adventure. *g*
Did anybody see the last Highlander movie? The huge climactic fight scene took place on a roof top in front of a massive red and white JVC electric sign. I was so distracted by it that I couldn't wait for one immortal to take the other's head because I knew the "quickening" would short out and explode the sign.
Needles said
.... companies have been heard to sponsor book parties (also private birthday parties, if the people are cool enough). Can Viagra be far behind?
Oh. There's something decidedly icky about that image. Can we puhleeze not go there?
Needles, don't leave us in suspense. Did "the plane" land safely? Have the SMP spooks once again made the world safe for democracy?
Terry Pratchett's characters have a saying: "it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness'. (Which, in typical Prachett style quickly becomes: 'It is better to light a flamethrower than to curse the darkness' Ten Moot points for the first person to name the reference)
Hey, man. Good things happen in the dark, too!
Margarita Cherrybomb: "And re: Bodyguard - It occurred to me that the guys reading it probably got worked about about the guns, but I'm still mooning over the black leather coat."
Hey, what about that reference to Emma Peel!? Yea, Bob, for citing one of my favorite characters ever. My car license plate is even Em Peel (because Mrs Peel, which I had in Virginia, was already taken when I moved to California--the nerve of whoever that was!).
I'm still thinking about that rock climbing scene. Bob: is Thin Air a real 5.10 climb or did you make that up? Now I want to climb that!! Though an outdoor 5.10 is probably outside my range. I climb 5.10 in the gym, even had a nice top rope fall off a 10b last night, which probably translates to a 5.8 outdoors. And I don't lead (yet?), so someone else would have to do that.
"it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness".
This is normally said to be based on a Chinese saying or proverb, but has been very widely used, not only by Pratchett.
:-)
Dear Sir,
We would like to extend an invitation for sponsorship from the Royal Museum of Fine Jade Reptilian Erotica. The museum is housed on the Island of Moot located in the Indian Ocean. While we understand the usual route of display would be the wearing of signage on clothing, we actually have a more tasteful display in mind. We have in our collection, pieces of small, wearable art. As long as the art is in view, (usually around the neck) we have no problem with your choice of shirts or any other distinctly unusual garb such as 1 sock.
In return, we will display your book prominently in our gift/book shop and feature it in our catalogue. Although tourism here is limited (reptiles are not a huge draw), we feel confident healthy sales will result.
Respectfully,
Professor Komododragon
Corporate Sponsorship Accounts
Royal Museum of Fine Jade Reptilian Erotica
"Jenny and I, her and I"
Bob, do you keep doing this just to see if we're paying attention to pronouns?
My favorite book store is actually called "BookPeople of Moscow" and is owned by a guy named Bob.
Coolness everywhere. (At least in Moscow, Idaho. Also the home of Cowgirl Chocolates. Yeehaw.)
Bookstores are the best. Where else can you go on a rainy day when you just have to get out of the house? And you can browse around all day without someone calling security? And they let you handle the merchandise without dire warnings. And the better ones have places you can sit and leaf thru the book until you get so hooked you just have to buy it (do they know their target consumer or what?). And my favorite Barnes & Noble has that wonderful coffee shop with the world's best cinnamon scones. And they don't drive you insane with constant bass booming from overhead speakers. And ...
Just can't say enough good here.
Margarita Cherry
"It is better to light a flamethrower than to curse the darkness" - Chris S
Men At Arms when Cpl Nobby Nobbs attempts to requisition a Klatchian Fire Engine that is more his meteor?
I know that "It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness" is the motto (mooto?) of The Christophers, but I don't know where they got it.
Anyone remember the PEANUTS cartoon quoting it, with the last panel featuring Lucy yelling, "You stupid darkness!"?
The product-placement novel was written by Fay Weldon (LIVES AND LOVES OF A SHE-DEVIL) and sponsored by the jewelry company Bulgari's. Details here:
http://www.mobylives.com/Fay_Weldon.html
Bloomsbury.com had a contest for novels with product placement:
http://www.bloomsbury.com/writersarea/inthepress.asp?ITPW%5FId=74
Unfortunately, the rest of the entries (including mine) are no longer up.
She and I, Bob. She and I.
Please, Bob.
You can do it...
For your book-backing, library-loving, hardcover-book-buying fans.
Thank you, Bob. You're a hero among men.
(-: L-space: the best space in the known universes.
And I agree with inkgrrl -- you are amazing to have left the Ding Dongs alone. By my calculations, you are averaging one Ding Dong a day. So, you are allowed to eat Ding Dongs. When the daily caloric intake of Ding Dongs exceeds your daily total caloric intake, THEN you have to swear off them until you can control yourself.
(-: Marketing ideas sounds great -- take 'em for what you can, and if they try to pull corporate crap and dictate what you write, tell 'em to stuff it. BTW, Lands End catalog often features short articles and stories by authors. I dunno if it's free advertising for your new book, or an actual paying gig, but they might be worth a look into.
Booksigning: Bujold signs her books at a favorite independent store, and that store will send the books to fans all over the world. IIRC, the bookstore will also take requests from fans, and when she's in the store, she signs 'em to specifications.
AND, IgotitIgotitIgotit! Pelican-bin just rang my doorbell and delivered the book. And the Bodyguard should be here tomorrow or the next day! So, see you again when I am sated!!!!!
In Bob's defense (hee, I just realized I'm defending a man who can kill with his little finger; this blog is full of surprises), he has to say "her and I" on a regular basis to annoy Jenny. It's the grammatical equivalent of that single sock.
I was on the phone with my brother yesterday, and he said "her and I" and I twitched. It must be a little brother thing.
He's good at little things like that.
For instance, I now have "Book people are good people" going through my head to the tune of "There's no people like show people" or however it originally went. It's totally obscured by the good book people.
Bob, I'm begging you here, have mercy!
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