Name dropping and touring the book

Cara here. The other day William Kent Krueger, who's nommed for an Anthony Best Novel and toastmaster at upcoming Bouchercon took me to lunch...actually his publisher did. Though they have no clue. I don't want to get Kent in trouble so shhh but it's really about how Kent,in a financially creative way, manages his book tour. Maybe others who read this are nodding in agreement but several books ago, Kent's publisher wanted to send him to five cities, good hotels, plane tickets etc. When Kent asked them how much this would all cost they gave him a figure and he sat back. Not much bang for the buck, so he said, let me throw some ideas at you. Whereby Kent, a master of driving navigation as Libby Hellmann and I discovered in Pittsburgh, came up with a 14 city tour for the same amount of moola. Impressed? Naw, but I'm sure the publisher was. I sort of do the same with my publisher, I'll say, I can stay with my friend in Seattle, camp at my husband's cousin place in Pasadena, or the bookstore owner in Boulder offered her couch etc. and then hook up with other authors as Libby, Kent and I did in the midwest and PA and then zigzag to Florida and split a room with Denise Hamilton at the Romantic Times Convention then stay in DC courtesy of my publisher for BEA and share with Denise again. Maybe it's like the underground network but there's a wonderful sharing among writers that continues to amaze me. But we all help each other out. It's comments like Hallie Ephron's, who I hung out with at the Book Passage Mystery conference this summer...hey, when you're in Boston, you've got a room. Or Jackie Winspears hospitality in Ojai when we did an event and she said no way you're not driving to and from SF to LA in one day, stay with us. And life on the book touring road can be lonely and tiring, so as Kent told me, it's much more fun to do events with other authors, share the costs, the driving and reach out to more readers. But am I preaching to the converted here? Do you do this?
Cara
www.carablack.com

Comments

[Louise Ure]

Hey Cara, I haven't done the "tour sharing" thing yet, but it's a great idea. Not only can it keep costs down, but it provides that necessary moment of respite with friends -- a commodity that's often scarce on the road.

Louise

[maryannaevans]

Tour sharing is great. You make friends. You save money. Double the fun, and half the dollars...what's not to like?

So far, I've toured with Libby Hellmann, Penny Rudolph, and Rhys Bowen. You save another pile of money when you meet people you can room with at conferences. I roomed with Ann Parker at Malice and Judy Clemens is my roomie this year at Magna.

Your non-writing friends can join in your book travel. Sometimes there are obvious opportunities, like when your friends are mystery readers who were planning to go to Bouchercon, anyway. Then there those golden opportunities, like the time I was invited to speak at the Safety Harbor Public Library, directly across the street from the Safety Harbor Spa. I took a good friend and we lingered at the spa a few days. When the next book came out, I took my mother!

[Cara]

You're right Maryanna roomies take the sting out of the hotel bills.
And Louise thanks for commenting

[Libby]

Hi Cara and MaryAnna... great memories of traveling with both of you.. and Kent. When do we go on the road again?

[Libby]

Hi Cara and MaryAnna... great memories of traveling with both of you.. and Kent. When do we go on the road again?

[Rhys Bowen]

I can heartily recommend touring with another author--having done so many times with Lyn, once with Mary Anna and done an awful lot of local signings with Cara.
Book tours are lonely, stressful things. Sometimes the room is packed and you come out elated, sometimes it pours with rain and three people show up. Having someone to share the triumphs and despairs with makes all the difference.

Rhys