| So you want to be an urban fantasy author? Be prepared to pay for it. No. I'm not suggesting you can buy your way into publication, though you can do that, too, but if you're like most people who do, your garage better be big enough to store all your pretty books. What I'm saying is, unless you're a lead title at your publishing house, you're going to be spending some money on getting the word out. Websites, swag, mailings, travel to signings, conferences, and conventions. The bills just keep piling up. Even my local convention, Norwescon, ended up costing nearly $500. Though it varies greatly from there, including airfare, hotel, food and con fees. Conestoga was $1500. Romantic Times was nearly $3000. That's $5000, right there, the average advance for most first time novelists. Then there's your promo items. Between postcards, business cards, gift baskets, pens and the ill-fated test tubes, you've racked up another $1000. Then you've got to mail stuff out. If, let's say, you have a publisher that gives you lots of ARCs which I totally love (more ARCs Kensington!!) then you're postage is going to be tremendous. Or if you do lots of reader contests, which so many do. Another $1000. Then there's the website. I'm lucky in that I've got a really cool friend that's revamping the most heinous website known to man into something kitschy and morbid. But if you don't have such a friend. You could pay upwards of $2000 for a good one. I almost forgot office supplies. $500 is probably a low estimate, between paper, ink, computer stuff. Let's round it out at $10,000, because some of us do a lot of driving to do stock signings and readings in nearby states. Hmm. It's a decent tax deduction. Damn good actually. But is it really necessary? Lots of authors would argue no, but I'm not trying to hear that. Why? Two things. I've got a trade paperback out there in a market (sci-fi/fantasy) that prefers mass market paperbacks at half the cost. And second, because of its size keeps it out of tons of stores that don't have the racks to display it. Happy Hour is not in grocery stores or Walmart or Target. It's not on regular reorder at Borders, though Barnes and Noble has gotten behind it. So, word of mouth is huge. Huge. So what works? Does any of it? I think conventions are a great way to network and connect with other authors and readers, booksellers, bloggers and reviewers. I don't think the book would be so widely represented in Library Systems around the world if I hadn't made the contacts I did at Romantic Times. And lest you think I was simply pimping Happy Hour to some poor librarian who was trying to get away from me, let me clear it up. All I did was discuss utilizing libraries for research rather than depending on the spurious accuracy of wikipedia during a panel. It was received pretty well. Does the swag matter? I'm not sold. I love the pens. And those are something we all use so I can't see how it hurts, though I have a Viagra pen and I've never popped a little blue pill not even recreationally. I'm pretty certain that stock signing works. A signed book is going to sell quicker than it's plain homely sister. That's a given and bookstores know it. So they're happy to see you coming, for the most part. It's expensive. But I wouldn't change a thing, 'cause it's also been great fun. In fact, this next year doesn't show any signs of being cheaper. Three more conventions, swag, ARC mailings, even more this time. And my Road Trip of the Living Bookwhore down the west coast. Speaking of Road Trip, I got a ton of cover flats last week and wouldn't mind giving a couple away. How's this... Best road trip stories get cover flats. I'll pick next Wednesday. |
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Hmm... road trip story... that's a tough one. My road trips are normally boring BUT I have one...
My friend Kat and I were heading back from a day trip to downtown Cleveland, then Land of Perpetual Construction Zones. As we tried to get back on the highway, we realized we took the wrong bridge! It was four lanes down to two, one half coned off, though nothing was done to it yet.
It's late. The sun is down. And we're lost but we think we know where we went wrong.
Kat tells me to keep my eyes peeled for cops. I start scanning the area. 'All clear.'
"HANG ON!" she yells.
I'm slammed into the door as she does a U-y THROUGH the cones at like 60 mph and turns us around. I'm screaming, there are no cops, and she's laughing her head off as we zoom away.
Driving with Kat is always an adventure, especially when we get lost downtown. Because despite going there a couple times a year, we inevitably get lost.
I drove my daughter to Florida and survived, though I do regret not getting a photo of the Badcock Furniture Store. Heh.
My road trip involves a directional impaired friend.
Awhile ago (enough said) during spring break a group of friends decided that we should go to las Vegas and stay with my parent who live there (we were living in Tallahassee, FL -38 hr road trip no problem there were 7 of us who could drive!)
We started out around 9 p.m. friday evening. We were in to the trip for about 3 hours - everyone was a sleep but the driver and co-pilot (our first mistake - the only 2 guys on the trip. They stopped for food at a truck stop and then continued to drive. About 5 more hours into it, some requested a pit-stop, that is when we discovered that the "Boys" had gotten on the I10 going east and that we were in Jacksonville, Fl ( a couple miles from the Atlantic Ocean). They were not paying attention and even drove right past Tallahassee again.
We were very upset as we turned around and drove west. Needless to say we eventually got to Las Vegas but the boys were not allow to drive together anymore.
Running out of gas, in the middle of a 3 hour drive, on the way to a funeral. Having hike to a gas station in the middle of nowhere in July in a black dress trying not to sweat, or swear. And of course we were late for the funeral...
I've chosen to do only very targeted, and frankly cheap, appearances at conventions, usually trying to stack reasons for being somewhere before committing. If I know I can have my book selling at a con, while panelling, while meeting with editors and agents, I'll go, but I can't afford to bankrupt myself supporting my book that way.
As far as swag, well, I end up throwing out most of the crap people hand me anyway... I might keep pens and such, but I also feel like the more swag handed me, the worse the book MUST be! As a general rule...
I keep it simple, postcards and book marks.. one is suitable for mailing if need be, and one is simple for marking books and pimping myself.
That and the occasional things my publisher springs for, but that's probably due to being an industry insider a bit too...
Oh- Jasmine! That reminds me of a happening in college... my friend was driving us to my house for a funeral nearby (she was staying with us) when her car broke down. On the turnpike. So we called AAA and they can't go on the turnpike. Then the state troopers stopped and helped us charge her car up. So we were able to get her car to a gate, followed by the troopers, when it died again. Well, the troopers coudln't help any more and we were about 25 feet from the gate. So in our black clothes and heels, we've got the doors open, car in neutral and are pushing it up to the tollbooth. We get it up and onto the scale, pay, and we have to push the car over to the other side then sit and wait for AAA and my dad to come get us. :)
Heehee... ok, that's two. You can take me out of running. *chuckle*
OK, the trip itself wasn't bad, even sitting sideways in the back seat of a Z28 for two days. But I'll always remember passing the big sign beside the freeway in Oklahoma that said "Drive Carefully, Nuclear Warheads use these roads".
Cripes, seeing the budget breakdown like that is disheartening. But it is what it is, right? As a reader/reviewer, free swag is cool, but what's even cooler--and more effective--are book giveaways, or authors that take the time to respond to reader comments and questions ;)
As for a road trip story...well, how's about this. On the way back from a three day binge in vegas, my bf, two guy pals and I are driving on the freeway back to LA. The guy who's sitting shotgun has partied harder than all of us combined, and hasn't slept for the entire weekend. He's totally zombified for the trip. About an hour into the ride, he gets his wallet, pulls out a fifty and slides it across the dashboard, saying "Change this."
Sleep Gambling = Win :p
My grandmother used to take my brother and I on road trips back before I was old enough to drive. We went to the Grand Canyon one time, via Vegas and Edwards Air Force Base. We were asked to leave Edwards (twice) because Gram just couldn't resist driving down the roads marked "Do not enter - live rounds testing". That was fun - we had never seen automatic weapons before.
Leslie
Sakibebe, our friend Karla and I were crammed into the cab of a big ol' Ford F150 and headed to Kelleys Island for a weekend of partying. Saki was driving and Karla and I were taking turns playing a friendly game Wink and Lick the Window. Basically the goal was to get the truckers to smile or laugh at you. You got more points the fewer teeth the trucker had. It's the only time in my life I ever remember being that excited over old truckers, the dirtier and nastier the better. Karla was bummed because it was her turn and the next driver was younger looking (though sporting the lack of hygiene only acceptable in truckerdom). She gave it her best wink and lick combo anyway, certain she had lost. We immediately broke into hysterics when he gave us an enormous smile and there was nary a tooth in his head. Not a one. Needless to say I admitted defeat and we sped away as quickly as our 8 cynlinders could take us. :D
Oh sissy... I remember a road trip with you to Detroit where we played a similar game, and had whole rows of truckers honking at us. :) *sigh* The memories...
We mapped it on mapquest and couldn't understand why 40 miles would take an hour and 30 minutes. When we started up the mountain, it was paved road for about 4 miles. Then the twists and turns started. Then the road went from paved to dirt and gravel. About mile 9, we saw the cows on the road. About mile 15, we had to back down the twisty, windy gravel road to let a pickup with a trailer past. Just past mile 15, were the horses on the road. Finally, we reached the end of the road, and walked 300 yards to one of the most beautiful sites on the trip. Mountains to the left, mountains to the right. Snowcaps on the mountains. Then it was 18 miles back down the windy, twisty mountain road, past the horses and cows. And on to civilization again.
I have several road trip stories, but the most harrowing happened last summer. We was in corsica on holiday, and the road are narrow, and meandering. Unfortunately, the other drivers treated the roads like they was a high way.
Missy - Long car trips bore me. I make my own fun. It helps that I'm obnoxious. ;P
The only other road trip story I could think of was when our car broke down on the way to Grand Rapids. But where's the fun in greasy towtruck drivers, creepy motels, and uber-nice rental car guys helping you push your car across a busy intersection to the garage? That happens to everyone. lol
Sadieloree- I also remember a certain road trip from VA to PA with you, me and Sakibebe... where you almost missed our turn and took the FULL SIZE VAN ONTO TWO WHEELS!!! That still gives me an adrenaline rush!!
And yeah, going to Grand Rapids was great but the road trip certainly was not. Good thing you didn't have Wyatt at that time. That would have made it much worse.
What can I say, I LOVED the Dukes of hazard growing up. And Mom's van had more balls than the General Lee ever did...sissy Hollywood stunt car....
Then again, maybe I'm just a menace. lol
Wow!! Expensive!
My road trip story involves male . . . er . . . anatomy.
We were headed up Four Peaks just north of Phoenix. It's a mountain road, suitable for only high-profile vehicles. It twists and turns. We decided to go up the more rugged north side of the peak because we'd done the south side a few times too many.
We rounded a corner and there they were, three guys, urinating in chorus. With the synchronized movements of line dancers, they all peered around their right shoulder to see if a girl was in the truck. When they saw my face, they pivoted to the left as one, shield their anatomy from view.