I’m writing this from Gate 45 at the Hobby Airport. I am waiting for a flight that will not leave for another 90 minutes. I have been waiting for the last 45 minutes. I waited at this same airport yesterday for eight and a half hours - watching my flight get pushed back in increments of 12 minutes at a time until it was finally canceled.
I have no problem waiting.
First, an explanation - I was supposed to fly to Chicago yesterday for a screening of SILVER BULLET and a WHERE WOLF signing at the Alamo Drafthouse Wrigleyville. My show is not until tomorrow (Tuesday, May 16) but I love Chicago and wanted a chance to spend a few extra days in the city. I had plans involving street dogs, deep-dish pizzas, quirky bookstores and an early evening spent reading on the shore of Lake Michigan while the sun went down. Those plans were canceled when inclement weather delayed and then eventually canceled my flight. I was rescheduled on a new flight this evening but, as luck would have it, Houston isn’t done with bad weather and my flight has been pushed back 45 minutes. Will I eventually leave Houston and land in Chicago? I sure hope so!
In the meantime, I will wait.
The Texas leg of my Werewolves Across America tour was so easy. I loaded up a car full of books along with a dolly and a foldable table and I hit the road - driving across Texas and, eventually, into Arizona through New Mexico. I was on my own timetable - able to stop at whatever roadside attraction or kitschy diner caught my attention. It was an incredible two weeks spent on the road - even during some of the less-than-pleasant moments such as when I ran out of books a few days before the tour ended or my girlfriend took ill. I loved the experience of selling my book out of my car. It reminded me of stories about how John R. Erickson, the creator of HANK THE COWDOG, began his career.
The out-of-state Werewolves Across America tour has been a bit more challenging. For a single show - like when I flew to Denver and back in a 24-hour period two weeks ago - it was relatively easy, if exhausting. I loaded up a carry-on suitcase full of books and spent a whirlwind day in the air, talking about werewolves and then back in the air again. On my next leg, though, I have bit off slightly more than I might be able to chew. I am scheduled to hit six different cities over the next week. How many books will I sell at each show? There’s really no way to tell for sure so I had to just estimate.
I am currently traveling with over 100 copies of WHERE WOLF - an assortment of paperbacks and hardcovers - hoping that this will be enough books and I won’t sell out. At the same time, I am also very much hoping that I do sell out because flying with 100 copies of WHERE WOLF is not easy. Each copy of the paperback weighs just over one pound. I had to carefully pack, weigh and then repack my two checked bags in order to fit in all my books, plus clothes, plus the various marketing materials I have put together for these shows. The result is one large foot locker that weighs 80 pounds (Yep, I paid the weight overage fee for my baggage) and a suitcase that weighs 48 pounds. I also am traveling with two carry-on bags stuffed full of clothes and supplies.
How do other indie authors do it? The established literary bigwigs get to work with bookstores in each city - with retailers able to carry the burden not only of inventory but of the cost of the inventory. Those lucky dogs.
Speaking of costs, folks have assumed that I’m wallowing in cash right now because of the successful first leg of my book tour. Guess again - everything I earned had to be put back into buying more copies of WHERE WOLF at wholesale cost so I had enough for the rest of the tour.
If all this sounds like me complaining, I want to assure you that I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity. I love traveling and I love visiting new cities and I love, love, love sharing movies and (more importantly) a book I wrote with folks in those cities. This has been an absolutely unforgettable experience and I will never, ever take it for granted.
That said, there has to have been a smarter way to do all of this. Maybe one day I’ll figure it out.
In the meantime, I’ll just keep waiting.