WHY AUTHOR TOURS ARE PASSE
Man Booker Prize-winner Ian McEwan opted not to take his 10th novel,
"On Chesil Beach," on the road this past summer. In his place, a short film was screened by bookstores in 54 US cities.
"On Chesil Beach," on the road this past summer. In his place, a short film was screened by bookstores in 54 US cities.
From The Christian Science Monitor
The author tour, with its accompanying readings and signings, has
come to be the quintessential tool for promoting books. It is a
chance for writers to charm their readers and for readers to glimpse
the person behind the words. At its best, the meeting can be
electric. (At worst, nobody shows up.)
But in the past five years or so, observers say the traditional
author tour has been in decline: Fewer writers are being sent out,
and those who do tour make fewer stops. Among the many reasons for
this shift are marketing tools that have made it possible to
orchestrate a virtual encounter, without the hassle or expense of
travel. Publishers and authors are now touting books through
podcasts, film tours, blog tours, book videos, and book trailers. In
fact, it's unusual for a book not to have some sort of Web presence.
(Blue van Meer, the fictional main character in the 2006 novel
"Special Topics in Calamity Physics" by Marisha Pessl, even has her
own MySpace page.)
Publicity departments used to be places where wacky ideas originated
but languished, says Carol Schneider, executive director of publicity
for Random House. Now, with the Internet, she says, "they are really
able to carry [those ideas] out."
Each is a small experiment, an incremental move, as the publishing
industry has begun to embrace the Internet and other new media. It's
hard not to wonder, though, whether their cumulative effect will one
day render the face-to-face bookstore meeting between writer and
reader obsolete.
come to be the quintessential tool for promoting books. It is a
chance for writers to charm their readers and for readers to glimpse
the person behind the words. At its best, the meeting can be
electric. (At worst, nobody shows up.)
But in the past five years or so, observers say the traditional
author tour has been in decline: Fewer writers are being sent out,
and those who do tour make fewer stops. Among the many reasons for
this shift are marketing tools that have made it possible to
orchestrate a virtual encounter, without the hassle or expense of
travel. Publishers and authors are now touting books through
podcasts, film tours, blog tours, book videos, and book trailers. In
fact, it's unusual for a book not to have some sort of Web presence.
(Blue van Meer, the fictional main character in the 2006 novel
"Special Topics in Calamity Physics" by Marisha Pessl, even has her
own MySpace page.)
Publicity departments used to be places where wacky ideas originated
but languished, says Carol Schneider, executive director of publicity
for Random House. Now, with the Internet, she says, "they are really
able to carry [those ideas] out."
Each is a small experiment, an incremental move, as the publishing
industry has begun to embrace the Internet and other new media. It's
hard not to wonder, though, whether their cumulative effect will one
day render the face-to-face bookstore meeting between writer and
reader obsolete.
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