Book-signing tour troubles, thanks to gas prices

[Michael Haskins]

This weekend I will need to gas up the Miata and, for the first time, I will pay more than $4 per gallon! My friend Lee Fairchild is visiting from Ohio, where he said gas prices are still within the high $3 range. I assured him it would be closer to $4 by Memorial Day.

The price of gas has blown my book-signing budget. I knew going into this that signings didn’t pay for themselves in sales, so I budgeted for gas, food, and, where needed, lodging. Signings sold books and got my name out there for the next book and that was okay, while I could afford the loss. Now, I am not so sure I can.

I am still waiting to hear back from Barnes and Nobel in Ft. Myers, Florida, and Glendale, California. Ft. Myers is about five hours by car. I don’t know what that calculates in gas dollars. I am not even sure how disappointed I will be if the deal falls through and I don’t have to make the drive; that is sad.

I already have my airline ticket for Los Angeles, and three signings arranged and two more possible, so I have to make that trip. I will need to rent a car and gas in LA has been $4 for a while! I am staying with my sister, so that will help cut down expenses, but I hadn’t budgeted for all the local gas increases and that will hurt my pocketbook in LA.

I have filed an application to be in the Vero Beach Book Festival in November and I have already been invited to the Florida Heritage Book Festival in St. Augustine. Fortunately, that St. Augustine festival pays for my gas and hotel and I have a friend, Bob Soos, in Vero.

In today’s Miami Herald, there was a story on how gas prices are affecting food prices and how low-income families are coping; apple sauce instead of apples for the kids, milk at one meal only, etc.

Down here, at the end of the road, food prices have always been higher than in the mainland, but now it’s even worse. Market prices are up, restaurant prices are up; it seems everything but salaries are going up. $4.09, I’m sorry, four-point-zero-nine, and nine-tenths is the average price per gallon here.

What’s up with that 9/10th of a cent? Are we stupid or what? $3.99 &9/10th isn’t $4? You have to give the greedy-little-bastards credit, because they have stayed way ahead of the public in all this. They’ve know how far to stick the knife in our back and turn it slowly until we said ‘thank you.’ And we are smiling as the blood is siphoned from our bodies, one precious drop at a time.

Like most Americans, I am looking at ways to save money. Less eating out, more planning before heading out in the car, car-pooling on weekend trips to Old Town. We have even talked about staying on the sailboat Friday nights, if there’s a reason we need to be back in town on Saturday. Of course, who would feed the dog and rabbit? It’s always something!

If you are doing something to cut back, so you can afford gas, write and let me know. For now, I’ll just get back to finishing my novel. I am only a couple of chapters from the ending and then there’s a short story I’ve outlined ready to be written, but what do I do after that?

[Sue Dawson]

Lucky for me that I am retired and live in a very small town. However, it is a 9 mile trip to go to town and back, so I t ry to go just a couple of days per week. My mail box and garbage pickup site is 1/2 mile down the road, so I often walk to get my mail but usually take the garbage and pick up my mail at the same time. My brother-in-law is retired and in Astoria, Oregon. He says that the gas prices really are making him take notice now.

[Richard Krauss]

Thanks for your sharing your raw impression of traveling in coach, Doug. I took a day trip once and found the guy talking continually on his cell phone behind me kind of annoying. I'm thinking of starting a podcast that features recordings of these kinds of conversations. If people want to broadcast, why not help them out?

I like the sound of a blog tour. How does it work?

[Doug M. Cummings]

I've taken a one night ride in coach and the experience was less than thrilling. More importantly, it was less than relaxing. Probably something to do with the couple several rows away writhing under a blanket all night.

Much as I was excited to get this next book out so that I could repeat some wonderful past experiences at Bouchercon and Thrillerfest, as well as a new conference or two this year, it ain't happenin'. New York and Baltimore are out of the question. I've even considered and rejected Nashville and Magna in Indiana and am trying to combine my book tour as much as I can with my summer vacations.

We're at $3.99/gallon here in my part of suburban Chicago (some stations in Cook County just to the south of me hit $4.07 a week ago)and we'll be tipping into probably the $4.10 range by next weekend. As I set up library signings, I now always ask for an honorarium just to pay the costs of getting there. The farther I get invited to go, the more I'll try to combine appearances. If I can't get more than one appearance in another town I really can't justify making the trip.

I like the idea of "pack signings." Gather two or three authors or more and offer yourselves to stores and libraries as a group. Again, many authors feel it's an approach that works.

I'm also intrigued by the idea of a blog tour. No you don't get the satisfaction of seeing someone buy your book but many authors seem delighted with the concept and say it works. I'm eager to try the ones I have scheduled and will trade blog space with anyone who is interested in sharing.

By the way, Michael, I very much identified with your post about receiving the first copies of your first book. It's a thrill like no other. My second is coming out from Five Star next month and I am counting the days until my first copies arrive.

[Richard Krauss]

Thanks for your blog post, Michael. We've cut dining out except for special occasions and almost always combine stops when driving. Takes extra planning, but I suppose it saves some gas. At least enough for the next increase. I see lots of people biking too, but frankly the way people drive cars, I can't see biking on major thoroughfares.

For errands within about a mile, walking is good as long as the weather cooperates.

I've been looking at a few conventions this year, but the travel costs have been prohibitive. I'd love to take the train. I don't mind the time, but unless you ride coach it's pretty expensive. If any of your blog readers has taken a two or three night ride in coach, I'd love to hear about it.

Does your publisher ever connect you with other writers who would be willing to share tour costs with?