What authors will do...

by Kris

How far will authors go to promote their books? I’m sure we all have our own limits, though we may not know what they are until we’re asked to do something.

A request I received recently was actually quite reasonable. I wasn’t asked to walk the plank of a pirate ship, or swim in shark-infested waters, after all. I was merely asked to brave the cold, something I’m not all that good at.

One of my publishers, Greg Lilly, publisher of Cherokee McGhee Publishing told me he’d like to take out an ad for me in the Malice Domestic program book, promoting my latest Tracy Eaton mystery, Revenge on Route 66. That’s an unusually generous offer, especially for a small press, and especially since he’d already agreed to donate some CMcG books for the Malice book-bags, some of which would be mine.

But Greg needed a photo of me for the ad, and he was really specific about what he wanted. Given the Route 66/classic car connection, he wanted a photo of me with a classic car. The trouble is, I don’t know anyone who owns a great old car. Or if I do, I’m not aware that anyone I know owns one. Also problematic was that he needed the photo quickly, so he’d have time to lay out the ad before the program ad deadline.

Much of Arizona — where I live anyway — enjoys temperate winters, this year especially. I know that’s an awful thing to flaunt this winter, when so many of you have suffered too many days of super-frigid temperatures. Look at it this way: you’ll get to lord your better summer weather over us when we hit the oven-like temps predicted for our summer months.

Besides, while it’s been fairly nice since January, it was unusually cold here throughout December. We saw lots of snow, hail, and frigid winds. And that was when I needed to take the photo.

I had to tell Greg that I couldn’t find a classic car to use, and I proposed taking my picture with some Route 66 signs in Flagstaff. Joe and I set out early one December Sunday morning, before we had to open our bookstore, to take shots of me with various Route 66 signs. Actually, almost everything there has a Route 66 sign.

The thermometer hovered in the teens that day. Sure, I know temps in the teens are nothing to some of you hearty souls who really do winter, but it’s teeth-chattering weather to me. I live in the sunbelt for a reason, after all — my blood is thin.

I wore a Southwestern-styled Pendleton coat partly to reflect the Southwestern locale of the book, but mostly for a bit of warmth. Really just a bit — the coat is lovely, but it doesn’t generate much warmth. I did think a winter coat was going to look a little unseasonable when the ad appeared mid-spring. Still, at that temperature, I wasn’t about to take it off. I don’t do low temperatures in shirt sleeves. Greg thought the photos were okay, though he still hoped for a classic car shot.

I did a Google search and discovered a man in nearby Prescott who runs a classic car website. I discovered after writing to him that he owns a gorgeous cherry red classic Pontiac GTO. Perfect! He even knew of an old concrete road in Prescott Valley that looked remarkably like stretch of Route 66.

Of we went again early the next Sunday morning. This time the temperatures had risen to the twenties, but the wind was brisk.

The car looked absolutely perfect. Despite the cool temperature, the day was beautiful, too, ideal for taking photos. Once again, I wore my Pendleton coat for most of the shots. But again, the incongruity of a winter coat in a spring ad continued to worry me.

Finally, I shed the coat and took another round of shots without it. Freezing all the while, though I don’t think how cold I felt shows in my smile.

So, that’s how I learned how far I’d go to promote a book. I willingly braved what felt like Arctic temperatures to me, even if they wouldn’t have felt that cold to everyone.

Greg loved this round of shots. He used one of the ones I took without the coat. If you’re planning to be at Malice, you’ll see it in the program book — look at the inside of the back cover. For everyone else, here it is:

Authors, how far will you go to promote a book? What’s the strangest thing you’ve done?

 

 

Comments

[Hank Phillippi Ryan]

Perfect perfect perfect! And you don't look like you're suffering at all..
Plus--isnt it all worth it now? Hurray--and see you soon!

[Julie Herman]

Great photo! And the car looks great. Worth the extra mile. ;)

[Alan P.]

One day I was driving through Forest Park, St. Louis' gem of a city park. A group of models were getting on a bus after a photo shoot. Breezy, short, summer dresses. Pity St. Louis in late February was in the teens. Didn't know you could walk that fast in heels that high.

[Marsha Sandoval]

I love the classic car promotion. My book is a comedy mystery about a real estate madam who runs a call girl business to survive the Great Recession! I carry flyers in my vehicle geared specifically to the real estate agent and drop them off every time I pass an office. I hope they don't mind that I refer to all of us as prostitutes!! So far, so good.

[Judith Starkston]

Great photo and how wonderful of your press to promote you at Malice. Wonderful news all around.

[Donis Casey]

You're better than I am, Kris. I need a sweater when the temp falls below 70. That's a gorgeous cover, BTW.

[Dane McCaslin]

That looks great! If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were in your element!

[krisneri]

Hank, you're right. At this point it does seem worth it.

I agree, Julie.

Judith, it was incredibly generous of my publisher. The least I could do was go the extra mile.

Thanks, Dane. I think I was numb by that point.

Thanks, Donis! I'm pretty weather wussy, too. We get spoiled here.

[krisneri]

Alan, you're right. Actors and models suffer unseasonable weather for ads and movies and tv all the time.

Marsha, I bet some of those real estate agents find the prostitute angle pretty funny.