Author tells of Book Tour Death Threats

Dumps and Death Threats, Hecklers and Vindication: True Tales from Today’s DIY Book Tour

Bill Morris  - The Daily Beast

Sure, going on a book tour sounds glamorous. But not if, like many writers, you’re paying for it yourself, running the gauntlet of grotty hotel rooms and angry—or even worse—non-existent readers.

We writers love to complain.  If we’re not complaining about rejections or small advances, we’re probably complaining about bad reviews, poor sales, a sloppy editor, a worthless agent, writer’s block, impotence, hair loss, hangover, Amazon and/or a partner who has grown tired of our complaining. But few things inspire more howling from writers than that post-publication Bataan death march known as the book tour.

Of course there are book tours and then there are book tours.  For the brand-name author Jodi Picoult, Random House and Good Housekeeping will be hosting an event that, according to The Washington Post, will feature “a buffet with dinner and wine, a chocolate tasting, live music and dancing, manicures, a fashion preview curated by Talbots, a tote bag and a very early copy—signed, of course—of Picoult’s upcoming novel, Leaving Time.” The price: $95 per person.

And then there is my current book tour to promote my third novel, Motor City Burning. Seventeen years have passed since my second novel appeared—an eternity in the publishing world—and everything about the game has changed, especially the book tour. Few publishers pay for book tours today, let alone for lavish events like that one for Picoult’s new novel. Now, for the most part, it’s strictly DIY and PFIY. That is, do it yourself and pay for it yourself.

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