Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

Any chance of you showing up in Canada?  As far west as Vancouver?

Well, I work at a Borders out in Vegas, and our romance selection, while not expansive, is decent at least.

Plus I’m constantly visiting the site for the laughs, and I have a coworker who’s a huge romance fan.

... But Vegas is a bit far from NYC.

Come to London! We have book shops!

Well, the Borders in Bohemia, NY (Long Island - near MacArthur airport) has a wonderful romance section and the same for the Connetquot library (also in Bohemia) - they are very good at ordering books for me if they don’t have what I am looking for. They have 2 turn thingamajiggies of romance plus 2 fiction which includes romance as well plus shelves upstairs which also include romance.

Would love to see you in my neck of the woods.

Remember that Borders and B&N events have to be scheduled through district events reps, not managers in the stores. Some might let it slide, but they wouldn’t be able to publicize it to the best of their ability. It might be easier to go with independents and libraries.

One of the best romance booksellers I’ve seen in the Barnes and Noble in West Chester, OH (Cincinnati area).  The CRM’s name is Linda and she’s awesome.

AND…there’s an awful lot of authors and romance writers in that area.

I’m a student at Smith College in Northampton, MA—in my opinion, the perfect community for a stop on your tour!  Northampton is a fabulous, quirky, artsy town with lots of great restaurants, bookstores and concert venues even, and Smith is full of lovely feminist ladies who would love to hear you talk about romance and general Smart Bitchery.  Not to mention that I myself would be squeeing to no end if you came here. :)

I live in the suburbs of Washington DC and would gladly put you up for a night or 2 and be your chauffeur!  I know we can find a bookstore or 2 for you to sign in.

Michelle “-)

ok, see, i want you to come to me (northampton MA works for me too, but i asked my mom if our local library in central MA or our local borders in Marlborough MA where she used to work would host you too), BUT. I wont be home til june. so PLEASE tell me this tour will be after that!!!!! i’d simply die if i was still in Israel and you guys were in MY TOWN (or close to it).

Wrong part of the country but if you ever make it down to Houston you’ve got to come to
http://www.katybooks.com/

Well, if you make it to Iowa, you should wander up to the Twin Cities! The Roseville Barnes & Noble always seems to have interesting author events.

NY,MA,VT area works for me.

I would have reccommended our Border’s but since i quit the romance section absolutely sucks big time.

i do know that we have a local romance group, a friend belongs to it. I can check with her and maybe she knows of an independent here in the Albany, NY area.

Are used bookstores out of the question?  If not, I can’t say enough good things about the Book Barn in Niantic CT.  Picture a couple acres with a huge old rambling house and about half a dozen outbuildings, all jam-packed floor to ceiling with books, a few dozen cats wandering around, sheep, goats, Celtic folk music playing on the stereo system…

I know they’ve done launch parties in the past for new releases—Harry Potter comes to mind—so they might not be opposed to something like this.  No guarantees, though.

Oooooo, please come to Chicago!  There’s a lovely Borders on the corner of Michigan Ave and Pearson.  Plus, this city’s a blast!

Cincinnati has three other good stores: Borders in Eastgate, Books-a-Million in Liberty Township (neither of these are actually in Cincinnati, but close), and Joseph Beth in Norwood. All three have good selections of romance novels, but only Joseph Beth routinely had authors in.

Good luck!

The South needs you! Come put the Bible belt in a twist. You can be a bitch down here but you gotta smile sweetly when you shoot verbal barbs. If the book sells the millions I expect and you start flying to locations and you hit Nashville (where I am) or heck, Memphis, Knoxville, Atlanta I’ll drive to you!
As for good bookstores here there’s a big Barnes and Noble in the Opry Mills Mall right next to the lovely Opryland Hotel. Within walking distance of the resturant “cock of the walk” which the food isn’t that great but you get to say cock all you want without someone inviting you to Sunday services.

I second Michelle W for the DC area! I’m in downtown DC and would recommend Kramer Books. They have a great intimate setting and have always been helpful with my book selections, but MORE IMPORTANTLY because a) of all it is 3 blocks away from me in fun Dupont Circle neighborhood and b) of all the “Afterwords” cafe is infamous in its own right for delicious food

If you hit up Madison, Wisconsin, I would think that the Frugal Muse would be a great place to get in touch with people who love books of all shapes, sizes, and degree of man-titty.

http://www.frugalmuse.com/west.html

Should be contact information on their site. I’ve always been incredibly impressed with it. It’s a used bookstore, but it’s one that makes you WANT to come back to it and it’s locally owned.

you should check out the Borders at Atlas Park Mall in Queens.  They have a decent romance section, with many romances spilling over into their thriller section.  The mall itself (as well as the Borders) has only been there a couple of years, but there are always a lot of people in there.

ZOMG you’ll be coming to Doylestown? That’s close enough for me!

Yes, please don’t forget Canada!  We’ll feel all sad and neglected. :( Good stops up here would be Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, and maybe something in the east like Halifax.  You should be able to book through McNally Robinson (for Winnipeg and Toronto) or Chapters (for any of the above).

Be especially sure to stop in Winnipeg.  What?  No, I’m not biased at alllll. <.<

I vote for California ...!!!

I third the votes for Washington DC.  Kramer books is good—-and we have the Smithsonian.

The Washington DC are is a quick train ride away…please come!

Charlottesville, VA has a thriving book culture and several large bookstores. There is also a book festival at the end of March.

http://www.vabook.org/index.html/

Oh, and you can take a train from NYC to Charlottesville, with one change in Washington, DC. Takes about 6 hours to get here.

...ok, we might not be the warmest city right now, but I am not above bribery.  Sarah, if you come out to Winnipeg, I will greet you with one of the greatest t-shirts ever.

What about doing the Edinburgh book festival? We love books here.

How about coming to Melbourne! (Victoria, not Florida). I can think of a patricular convention in just a few days time, where an auction will be held for an interview by SB will be up for grabs. Fly on down here for a face-to-face with the winning bidder for that interview, coincide it with the book launch and kill two birds with one stone. The bonus being, you’d get to test that water circling down the drain theory for yourself. Its a win-win situation, honestly!!!

Please don’t forget the city of your birth and how many college campuses are here. You also need to consider our easily drivable tri-state “big city conglomerate”—- The Burgh, Youngstown, and Fairmount WV, or if you are feeling fancy, the Burgh, Cleveland and Wheeling, come on, it’s almost pierogi season…. Maybe your missing your family, the babies need to see their other Grammy? Something?

I don’t see how I can help with a real book tour so what about a virtual book blog tour? I would love having you at Love Romance Passion!

Oh and come to Orlando or somewhere close to that city! lol

I also have to chime in and suggest Western MA!!!!

There is a wonderful used bookstore called Pam’s Paperbacks in Wilbraham that specializes in romances.

I’ll talk to the head of the English Department and see if I can have you officially invited!

LONG ISLAND, baby - you gotta come out here.  The Huntington Book Revue is totally author friendly, and would welcome you with open arms.  Check them out at The Book Review.

I’ll second the rec for the B&N Cincy.  As Shiloh said, there are tons of romance authors in the area. 

To get more bang for your buck since you’d have to fly out, you could schedule your visit to coincide with Lori Foster & Dianne Castell’s Reader Author Get Together, June 5th-June 7th.  Loads of fun and the place is crawling with folks who love romance.  If you decide to go, then I can drive you from the airport to the hotel. 

More info is on Lori Foster’s website at:
http://www.lorifoster.com/community/readergettogether.php

Since you’re in the tri-state, why not come to Connecticut?  I would love to meet you (I do not squee, however I would consider doing a very decorous Snoopy dance on the inside).  If you plan to be in the area around the first weekend in May, you should come to CTRWA’s annual conference.  A bunch of authors will be there selling their books and talking about writing.  Editors and agents too.  Food, a cocktail reception—what more could you want?  www.ctrwa.org for more info.

Did I hear Iowa?!?!?!  As in the state where I live?  Tell me it will be Des Moines so I can see you AND Jane.  And go out and be loud and talk about romance all night.

Come to Portland, Oregon, of course…and tackle the intellectual stronghold of Powell’s bookstore where, while truly a wonderful place, romances are put in a corner like a crack dealer in an alley and looking at them can get you kicked from the cool kids table. I’ve mixed the metaphor, but I think the gist is there.

With Portland and Vancouver on the table, Seattle in the middle is a must. There’s a marvelous manager at the Borders in Redmond (near Seattle) who’s is a huge advocate of romance. Her name’s Andrea Roe.

The Burgh, Youngstown, and Fairmount WV, or if you are feeling fancy, the Burgh, Cleveland and Wheeling

The selfish side of me is totally seconding that one.

But the altruistic side (I do SO have one!) would like to make a couple of other suggestions:

Think HARRISBURG, PA. That puts you within a do-able driving distance from Cleveland/Pittsburgh/Buffalo, DC/Maryland/Virginia, and the city folk in Philly and NY. Probably a few other population centers too, but I’m feeling geographically challenged today (translation: I can’t be arsed to pull up a map). The idea is that your signing will be more than just a meet and greet with you, it will be a chance for members of the Bitchery to get together.

If Vegas sounds good, consider their library. I was there for a book signing and it’s a wonderful venue with a raised stage and tiered seating but still has a sense of intimacy. They give tickets when you come in so no one has to stand around in line to save their place- in fact there was refrehments being served in the lobby. I don’t remember who the bookseller was that supplied the books for the signing, but the library seemes to have their act together and would probably take care of all the details. Besides, Vegas would be another “hub” city for the bitchery from Vegas/Phoenix/LA and… um… whatever is north of Vegas. ;-D

Wow, why Iowa of all places?  No complaints from me, but it seems like an odd choice.  The Iowa City Public Library has a pretty good romance selection, and the local Waldenbooks has a big ol’ wall of romances that seems bigger than it actually is (because the store is super tiny).

Antispam: road74

How about the Clinton Book Shop in Clinton, NJ? It’s nearby and independent. They are small, so the romance section is not exactly holy-crap fantastic, but the gentlemen who own the shop are fabulous. I also know that it is the events that basically keep these guys in business, so why not show some love to your fellow North Jerseyans? It’d be an easy location for some eastern PA folk to get to as well.

Definitely sign at the Borders near Wall St. This is the Borders that used to be in the WTC, and it’s the biggest romance section of its kind in the city, I think. (Near man-focused industries, go figure. Also, right near Harlequin.)

I agree with those who supoort the B&N in West CHester, Ohio. I live near this B&N and buy a big portion of my books there. All of the staff are friendly & I have never been given the “oh you read romance” look, I have even had a few staff members show an interest in my book selections.

I also recommened the Lane Public Library in Hamilton, Ohio. They have a nice selection of romance, and usually do a large romance give away in February, and have had many romance authors stop in, including Sherrilyn Kenyon.

I second Portland—just to show Powell’s that romance readers are a Force With Which to Be Reckoned. They can’t keep us down, baby!

And, while you’re here, Annie’s Books in Multnomah Village—just a skip down the pike from Powell’s City of Books.

Sarah—You may want to check with your in-house—in Publisher’s house, that is—publicity person, as they like to set up the chain store signings themselves (and apparently some of the chains require them to do so).  For that matter, she may want do the whole thing for you, once you pick the area(s) you want to visit. 

BTW, the captcha on this post is toward53, which clearly indicates you should stop at 53 stores.  Or follow Highway 53. Or gain 53 pounds from road food. Or…

I have to totally second the Twin Cities area! And especially the Roseville B&N because it’s the one I frequent most. It seems to me to have a pretty good romance section, although I wouldn’t say it will rock anyone socks off.

But MN! come to MN!

Sarah, it’s a long way via car, but you MUST come to the Pacific Northwest, namely the Seattle area. There are a TON of romance authors here. (Names. Let me see. Cherry Adair, Julia Quinn, Susan Mallery, Elizabeth Boyle, Jane Porter, Jayne Ann Krentz, Stella Cameron, Susan Anderson, Christina Dodd, Lisa Kleypas and so many more live in the area.) Plus, we have the most kick-ass romance section in Western Washington in sleepy Redmond, WA, home of Microsoft. If you make your way to the Borders in Redmond Town Center, you’ll meet Andrea, the goddess of romance. To say that Andrea does a great job is a criminal understatement. If you walk into her department, you’re walking out with some great books!

We’d love to see you. If you need some more enticement, Seattle has more bookstores per capita than any place else in the United States,and of course, we love the Bitchery!

If you need more info, drop me an e-mail.
-S

Since Nora’s quote is on your cover, how about a signing at Turn the Page with the great one herself?

I third Minneapolis/St Paul. Plus, it’s on the way to Iowa, sort of, depending which part of Iowa. Wouldn’t you like to have a to-do at the Mall of America or throw up your cap by the Mary Tyler Moore statue?

Unfortunately I can’t think of a great romance-friendly bookstore. We do have a lot of readers and a fabulous downtown library with a nice hall w/an overflow/crying room.

Check out the B&N in Vestal, NY (Binghamton - Junction of I-81 and 17/86).  There are a number of published romance writers in the Southern Tier area and several have had readings, signings at this store.

I’ll third the nomination for Portland. Maybe Candy could do a talk/signing here between terms? Besides Powell’s, Jan’s Paperbacks (used bookstore) in Aloha has a large romance section.

I vote for California ...!!!

Me too, Jill S—NORTHERN California by choice, but hey—I’d come to L.A. for the Bitchery.

Okay, yeah, I’m still pouting that the “meet the bitches” get-together at RWA last year conflicted with my son’s wedding.

Yes Yes Yes to Washington DC area! And then you could run just up the road to Turn the Page.  You could spend the night in the Westley/Buttercup suite at the Inn BoonsBoro and give us a review.  Okay, so it’s not right up the road, but I would totally drive you.  I’m an excellent driver.

it’s a long way via car, but you MUST come to the Pacific Northwest, namely the Seattle area.

I’ll let you know how my cross country road trip goes before you head out!

Since Nora’s quote is on your cover, how about a signing at Turn the Page with the great one herself?

Spendid idea!  That’s less than an hour’s drive for me.  I bet The Nora would let you do it!  :-)

Spendid idea!  That’s less than an hour’s drive for me.  I bet The Nora would let you do it!  :-)

It’d be great for her new inn, too.

Regarding Portland, OR—Besides Powell’s and Jan’s, there’s also the Borders in Beaverton, home to past RWA Bookseller of the Year Marcy Dodge.  A trifecta, in a town of about 600,000. Besides, it’s a straight run down the West Coast:  Vancouver, Seattle (Redmond), Portland, and then if you want you can keep going to Salem, Eugene, Medford, Sacramento, SF, LA.  How about a loop of the whole country: Across the northern tier, down the left coast, across the bottom, and back up the right side?

As to TTP, you’ll need to ask BW, Nora’s DH—he’s the one who owns the bookstore and does all the organization for the signings. ;o)

If you are heading out to Las Vegas and points further west, it would only be polite have a layover (heh, heh)  here in Denver!  Not only are there any number of good Indies and large chain bookstores (tho alas, most with anorexic romance sections), there are also three very active RWA chapters in the greater metro/Rocky Mountain area.

Diane :o)
would happily play taxi if you need a driver

Check out the B&N in Vestal, NY (Binghamton

I’ll bring the Brooks Barbque!!!

It’d be great for her new inn, too.

oohhh. where?????

Not that I would stalk her or anything like that. LOLOL

Australia? Anybody? No?
.... worth a try anyway….

How about a “southern swing”?  You could visit Asheville’s marvelous Malaprops, Wordsmiths in Atlanta (Decatur), and Daedalus Bookshop in Charlottesville.

I agree with Diane/Anonym2857.  Denver is a wonderful place and I know that a few years ago, Nora came to the Tattered Cover Book Store and had a very strong turn-out.

Sam

Come to Birmingham…it’s already in the 60s here. By March the azaleas will be blooming. Definitely worth the drive.

Come to Naperville (suburban Chicago) at Anderson’s Bookstore!  Independent, and awesome.  Jennifer Crusie signed there once, though I missed it.  Doh!

I vote for California ...!!!

Me too, Jill S—NORTHERN California by choice, but hey—I’d come to L.A. for the Bitchery.

I third that, though prefer Northern, please.  I’m in Berkeley, but will travel from San Jose to Santa Rosa…

You could come to State College, PA. We have a small Barnes & Noble with a very respectable romance section…and a large university filled with corruptible potentially open minds. And it’s only like four hours from NJ! Plus, I know I could totally round up a group of people—grad students, mostly—to come and gawk at view worship admire you.

We have two BNs and a Borders in the Toledo metro area. Come on over! I’ll even put you up. :)

Come to San Francisco, although I’m not very knowledgeable about which bookstores or libraries are particularly romance-friendly.

U definitly need to come to Sudbury, ont.

oohhh. where?????

Not that I would stalk her or anything like that. LOLOL

Heh… from what I understand, her new inn is in close proximity of TTP bookstore.  So. 

But!  No stalking.  And no wire hangers.  Ever!

Adding another vote for Denver!

TTP bookstore.

I still have no clue. See I really don’t stalk. I just wondered if it is anywhere on my trip to CA. I am always so not in the know. LOL

Hey, how about a Smart Bitches Trashy Books Retreat, held in Nora’s hotel?  It could be like a book lover’s convention, only funner.  Like a giant Smart Bitch pyjama party.  Ook, that image just scared me.  Never mind.

So.  Living way out in the wilds of Northern Alberta, where everybody comes but nobody wants to, and the trip is really not fun, I won’t beg you to come to my home town.  Especially since we only have 1 small, suck-ass chain bookstore.

Instead, check out Margaret Atwood’s method of avoiding exhausting and expensive book tours.  I’m not really clear on how it works, but you could spread the joy that IS:  SB Sarah over more of the world.

Another vote for somewhere in Metro DC! Baltimore MD, even. The train service is supposed to be good & a bunch of us could get together somewhere and have fun!

I second the vote for Washington state! We’ve got a TON of romance authors up here! Redmond has a great Borders (Sherrilyn Kenyon was there not-so-long-ago) or there’s another one in Bellevue that is awesome (Jane Porter has a booksigning there with every new release). We really do have a TON of authors up here, both published and unpublished. There really couldn’t be a better location! I’ll definitely show up if you travel over to our side of the country!

Long-time lurker here…

You could come to State College, PA.

Snarkhunter, I totally agree - except, why go to a chain bookstore when we’ve got Webster’s? It’s a locally owned cafe bookstore. They sell primarily used books, however they’re increasing their selection of new titles. And they’re already established not only as a small-event venue, but as a gathering place for the slightly out-of-the-box types.

It’s right across the road from Penn State University, and receives an awful lot of traffic. Also, it’s just a sweet place to hang out. So, if you swing up in the Central PA area, I highly suggest you try Webster’s!

P.S. Last Sunday’s Washington Post travel section published a list of cheapo bus lines that have regular runs between metro DC & Metro NYC. Can’t find the link right now.

Just in case buses are ok &  someone can chauffeur you where you need to go. :) Happy planning!

An indie bookstore, owned by a woman- how much better can life get?
http://www.tatteredcover.com

Well, if you want warm, I’m here in south Florida, and I’m sure there are some places in Ft. Lauderdale that would welcome you!

Since I really doubt that you’d come to Kentucky itself, I’ll toss in another vote for the Cincinatti area.  It’s within an hour drive for me and, as others have said, there are quite a few romance authors around here (and a good number of romance readers, too.)  If not Cincy, then the Knoxville suggestion works for me, too.  It’s 3 hours away instead of just one, but it’s doable.

Not voting again, just noting that I would love to see the marquee/sign/whatever that says ‘Welcome Smart Bitches’....
take pictures please…

Sam

But, but, what about us languishing left coasters? Isn’t Candy supposed to take up the torch? I mean, the Pacific NW is a seething hotbed of romance readers/writers. Come on Candy, give it up! Start at Powell’s and work your way to Vancouver BC. I’ll help organize, even, and that’s saying a LOT with my current schedule. (toothy grin)

Australia? Anybody? No?
.... worth a try anyway….

I second that - I am sure the publishers can write-off a trip down under. Sydney’s warm, and at the moment slightly wet… perfect!

TTP wants SB Sarah!

Yes. Yes! Yes!! Australia, Sydney would be good. Think about a guest spot at the 2nd ARR convention. More bang for the buck! but wait, that won’t be until next year. Hmm, problem there. Bugger! Hey, think of it as an extended globe trotting book tour. That’d work, right? Of course it would.  Add a library tour to the whole thing, a few uni visits and hey, presto, a whole junket trip is borne!

How about coming to Melbourne! (Victoria, not Florida).

Hey, Melbourne Fla. would welcome you too! I volunteer to be chauffeur, tour guide or whatever.

Actually, anywhere in Fla would make me a happy bitch! And believe me- we’ll be much warmer down here then!

cap, I thought of Webster’s, which is a wonderful, marvelous bookstore, but I don’t think it’s all that romance friendly. They keep all the romances on two shelves in a backroom between the self-help books and the women’s restroom. They used to be out front, but not any more. It kind of bugs me, to be honest. As much as I adore Webster’s…on the other hand, they’re really great about hosting events. So it would definitely be a possibility.

(Oh, please come here, Sarah. It would be awesome.)

Again chiming in about Cincinnati—-the city has a reputation as one of the best-read towns in the US.

I grew up going to the Lane Public Library in Hamilton, and aside from it being a good venue, it’s also one of the prettiest libraries anywhere.

I second (third fourth?) Cincy. Plus it’s only an hour and a half drive from me :)  I might think about the Newport area right across the river from Cincy. I’m not sure about their book stores but I’m pretty sure there’d be a good one that can be recommended.

Knoxville would be good too (woo my hometown!). Alas, poor Kentucky probably doesn’t have enough draw… but I could be wrong. I’ll put out some feelers this week and see if anything pops.

SB’s at TTP?  R O A D T R I P!

OK, this post has nothing to do with locations…it has more to do with the list of other things you’ll want/need for a book tour.

First, in addition to posting a mighty list on this blog of all your stops (once you figure that out), don’t be shy about posting it to the RWA newsletter editor loop (via your local chapter’s newsletter editor because you’re in RWA).  You can also have your loyal readers her post it to all the writer’s loops we belong to. Booksellers tend to be more accomodating when you are going to give some kind of talk rather than just sit behind a table and weild your pen.

Second, sending out a mailing to reader’s groups across the country that are romance friendly would be a must. I suggest contacting Pat Rouse and getting her list nationwide. You should mail to these folks even if you aren’t signing in their town because they’d be interested anyway.

Third, get a hell of a press release out to local media in each city you’re going to be visiting at least two weeks before the event for newspapers, one week before television and include clips from other interviews. For television emphasize the heaving man-titty and riots you cause in your wake, and the insidious death threats that have been issued at various speaking engagements. 

In addition to this, make sure you have packets made up of awesome materials for your booksellers to include in their newsletters - sample interviews with you they can copy and paste, 100 word blurb, 250 word blurb, copies of the cover and your pictures on disk etc., along with the confirmation letter on dates and times you’ll be there.

Fourth, get somethign to hand out to people so that even if they don’t by the book right then and there, they might later. Doesn’t have to be bookmarks, but make it something that they won’t take off the wrapper and throw away the info. Buttons that say Yeah, I read romance. Afraid to talk about lurvve? would be cute.

Fifth, plan to have something you can give as a small token gift to every bookseller you’re doing a signing with. I’d suggest the SmartBitch mug with chocolates.

Sixth, plan on something to draw attention. Man-titty handing out chocolate would be fantastic, in lieu of that a large cardboard cutout of man-titty would be cool. Research shows food at an event draws about 25% more participation (especially if you say there are refreshments when you are advertising the event). Balloons scream look the hell over here! Yeah, You!

There’s a lot more…but must go prepare the little people for school…

Come to Brooklyn!  I live in Park Slope and I can vouch for the awesome of the B&N as well as the adorable (but small) community book store (www.cbjupiterbooks.com)  near my apartment.  The Central Library is also a great place: big, right next to the park, and an ok selection of romance.

ny metro area you say ? ;) 

*grins*

what about grand central terminal ? ;)

stacey
(who’s tickled that her special sign in thingy says ‘meeting62)

Let me put in another bid for Cincinnati.  Joseph-Beth Booksellers is a great place for authors and I can provide a cheering section of smart bitches I have turned on to your site.  I can also let you sleep on my pull out and buy you a beer if that helps with the budget.

Cincinnati Ohio and Columbus Ohio have some fab bookstores. If you decide to come here I have an extra bedroom and a full stocked wine cellar. :)

The Tattered Cover is a great bookstore, except for romance, their smallest section.  And if you ask them to special order a romance, they get very, very snooty.  I shop there for hubby’s Sci Fi all the time.  My local BN is very snotty about romance too.  The Borders may be going under, but they’re good about having romance books out on the shelves on the outdate. 

But if you do come to Denver, I’ll try to the stand-in-line thing.

(Oops, my sign-in thingy is try 69 and I already have.)

~For television emphasize the heaving man-titty~

Oh, please don’t! How are we ever going to be taken seriously by the media and those outside our readership if we play to the lowest common demoninator?

Fun is fun, but Sarah’s just emphasized several Romance-positive articles recently. Man-titty is not the way to get more. It’s a sure-fire way to get snickered at and dismissed, again.

You may get attention, but it won’t be positive or respectful.

Demoniator? Sheesh. Fingers have dyslexia today apparently.

Bu I like the word. Demoniator.

Nancy’s Trade A Book in Columbia, MO is an awesome used bookstore with a HUGE romance section.  The owner is very knowledgable and has steered me toward several new authors that are now on my auto-buy list.

While I agree in theory that we should be above such things to boost the image of romance - I also happen to know from hard won experience that the media isn’t interested in truth especially when deciding which stories they are going to cover on the filiming dockett.

They may snicker at the thought of man-titty in an event notice faxed to the newsroom, but they are far more likely to show up to an event cameras in hand (even if you don’t have man titty there) if they believe that it will cater to the lowest denominator—their audience.  It’s sad, but true.  Unless you have a draw (controversey, big name, huge news, the promise of some cool visuals or film footage) they aren’t as likely to come to a book event.

spaminator - effects87 as in stupidity effects 87% of decisions on what we see on the evening news…

You could look into coming to the Queens College Campus (Go Knights!).  We have guest lectures all the time!  You can try calling the Student Life Office (718) 997-3970, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).  I am a senior and an Orientation Leader, and I worked with John Andrejack.  I believe he is the one who books these types of things, but if anything you can ask them who would be the best person to talk to about something like this.

Unless you have a draw (controversey, big name, huge news, the promise of some cool visuals or film footage) they aren’t as likely to come to a book event.

Theresa, I see what you mean.  But Nora Roberts has already said she’d be interested in offering TTP and I suspect her BIG name. 

Hey, that’s something.  And I hate the mantitty theme, too.  We really need to move on from that.  Ugh…

Here is yet another vote for Ohio. I live in northern Ohio, but it seems like most authors (at least the ones I like) do their booktours in the Cincinnati/Dayton area. I have been to a couple of signings at Books and Co outside Dayton that have been v. nice.

no matter where you go in NYC, try to get it advertised on NY1.  That will definitely get you some publicity (if only with Time Warner Cable).

I’ll second the vote for London (UK).

...hey, it’s worth a try…

If you do come to the Cincinnati area, the Newport on the Levee Barnes & Noble is a good venue, directly across the river from the Bengals and Reds stadiums (stadia?) in Cincinnati. It’s a hopping place, always busy, and with the bonus of a great view of the city.

And I’ll offer my place as a way station, as well. We are empty nesters with two guest rooms.