Why a Book Tour is more Brutal than a Political Campaign

[Robinne Weiss]

I saw this article in the NY Times today and had to share...Why a Book Tour is More Brutal than a Political Campaign

 

[Nikky Lee]

"Politicians put on protective gear, fiction writers take it off — fully exposing their creativity, emotions, fantasies. It’s like unburdening oneself on a therapist’s couch, only every reader on earth is your therapist."

So much this.

 

[AgentPete]

Ha! I actually used to love a good, old-fashioned book tour, lots of bookshops,lots of cities, lots of media. And lots of book sales! Makes me nostalgic...

 

[Paul Whybrow]

This aspect of promoting oneself as an author puzzles me, for while in theory you'd be among the converted—book lovers—you're also prey to weirdos! People are naturally curious, so they want to see what an author looks like, how they sound, what clothing they wear, but how much time would there be to discuss the writing in such a pressured environment?

I tend to agree with what Margaret Atwood said:

There's an epigram tacked to my office bulletin board, pinched from a magazine -- "Wanting to meet an author because you like his work is like wanting to meet a duck because you like pâté."

You might sell dozens of copies of your latest work, but don't go thinking that's created more loyal readers. These days people collect stuff as 'investments' to keep and to sell on immediately. A signed copy of a novel would have added value. I once knew a quiet little man, who few knew was a multi-millionaire from industrial patents. He'd retired early and obsessively collected antiques and books. He specialised in signed first editions of dead and living authors, often travelling hundreds of miles to attend book signing events. He stored these books in Ziploc food bags on shelving in a climate-controlled basement. He never read them....

 

[Amber]

It seems there's more than one way of looking at it.

Also, a politician who isn't opening himself up to voters and constituents, who doesn't care what people think and doesn't put himself on the line .... might not be that great of a politician. Well... maybe a good politician put perhaps not a great leader.

I don't know... I think its a good idea to put yourself out there for your work whatever it might be.

I believe what we do is as natural as breathing and sometimes we're too precious about it. Being precious about it makes it more difficult to do well is a corollary to the first belief.

A book signing doesn't sound appealing to me but that doesn't have anything to do with my writing but a personal preference.

 

[Robinne Weiss]

I've got an event coming up later this month, and I'm quite looking forward to it. Mostly because I'll be taking live insects with me--that's my crutch. Teaching about insects is my thing (they don't call me The Bug Lady for nothing), so as long as I can do that, I'm not so nervous about selling/signing books. And if I do more teaching than selling? Well, the teaching is more important to me, so that's okay.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

I've got an event coming up later this month, and I'm quite looking forward to it. Mostly because I'll be taking live insects with me--that's my crutch. Teaching about insects is my thing (they don't call me The Bug Lady for nothing), so as long as I can do that, I'm not so nervous about selling/signing books. And if I do more teaching than selling? Well, the teaching is more important to me, so that's okay.

As the Bug Lady, Robinne, what do you think about eating insects? Have you cooked them as food? If you post a photo of a chocolate cake made crunchy with cicadas, I might just hide behind the sofa!

 

[Robinne Weiss]

I think insects are quite tasty, cooked in a variety of ways. I used to bake chocolate chip mealworm cookies for my students. We're vegetarian, though, so I generally don't cook with insects. However, I'm not all that picky about getting all the bugs off the organic vegetables I grow, so we end up eating quite a few. They're a great source of vitamin B, which is only found in animal products, so I reckon it's critical for us to be eating them.

Insects are important components of most human diets--just not the modern Western diet. They're high in protein, low in fat, and provide some important micronutrients that are difficult to get in other ways. Even better, because they're cold-blooded, they convert food to animal protein at a much higher rate than sheep, beef, poultry, etc. They're a much more environmentally responsible source of protein than our usual meats. So I'm fully in support of making insects a part of the Western diet--it would be good for people and good for the planet. If you can't beat 'em, eat 'em!