The Writer on Tour: How Famous Authors Sell Books

Just before Mickey Mantle died, he wrote a book and then he did a book tour. I was completely unaware that he had done either until I visited my favorite Houston bookstore. There the great slugger was, sitting quietly at a table, signing books; and by the looks of the long line of people, which stretched out the door and around the block, it appeared that Mr. Mantle might have a very sore wrist by the time the afternoon was over. Though I'm sure he was used to it. Just think of all the baseballs he must have signed, while playing for the Yankees.

Nowadays I live in northern New England. Sometimes I make it down to the big city of Boston, where there are a good selections of bookstores, many of which now serve coffee and pastries as a sideline. Not too long ago I was in one of these ventures, and happened upon another baseball great, Cal Ripkin. He too, like Mr. Mantle, was busy at work signing his most recent literary effort. There was a line of people waiting inside the store, with book in hand eager to get a chance to meet the shortstop and receive an autograph or inscription. By the looks of things, Cal had a far less formidable afternoon of book-signing that the Yankees star. Unfortunately, I have no idea if either player gave a talk or reading first, or if they just came to put down their John Hancock.

It is autumn in Maine where I now live. Booksellers are gearing up for the Christmas season as the maple and birches put on their colorful displays before the leaves fall. As of recent I have attended a few talks by writers, as they make the rounds of bookstores and libraries promoting their newest version of fables and witticisms. In has been an enlightening as well as an entertaining venture, especially since Maine has always welcomed the literary community.

This fall two nationally known fiction writers began their tours here. Both are originally from other parts of the country, but chose to live here and further pursue their writing careers. Tess Gerritsen, who is known as an immensely popular mystery writer does not like to read her work in public, but instead gives a lecture about how her latest novel came about. She did just that here in town a few weeks ago. She talked about The Bone Garden, her latest release, and how her career as a M.D. helped her delve into the world of nineteenth century medical students. Her talk at a large super sized bookstore was very well attended.

On the other hand Richard Russo, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his last novel, began his tour in a large Portland church. He read from his latest novel, called The Bridge of Sighs, to a full house. He obviously had a lot of books to sign after he was finished reading and answering questions. Russo is originally from a small factory town in upstate New York. He writes about the struggles of various people in such places.

Sue Monk Kidd was also in town promoting her new memoir. Her talk stands out from the rest because tickets to hear her speak at the Merrill Auditorium cost twelve dollars. I have no idea how her talk went because it was out of my price rage, but I imagined it must have been very good. I suppose if you live in New York City, it is necessary to charge money for such a venue. Things should quiet down here on the literary scene, but if you are ever in need of something to do on a Saturday afternoon or a Thursday night that is usually free, check out the newspaper for book signings.