My (Abbreviated) Book Tour

Most authors dream of being sent on a book tour—those glamorous whirlwind trips through Spain and Germany and Japan, or at least to New York City and Boston and Philadelphia. On a book tour, one is feted and wined and dined and treated as a celebrity. Quite a thrill for writers who normally labor in relative obscurity.

Do book tours really help sell books? According to the conventional wisdom, the answer is no. Americans don’t turn out for booksignings they way they do in, say, Europe. True, local press will sometimes feature a visiting author, and that kind of impact is difficult to measure. But for the most part, book tours are said to be expensive and exhausting. Yet authors still continue to yearn for them, and to go on them when asked. John Connelly recently finished a three-month, around the world marathon. I saw him half-way through and he said he was starting to feel his age. I think he’s 39.

I’ve never been sent on a book tour. But this weekend, my publisher is flying me to Houston for a 4:30 booksigning on Saturday at Murder By the Book. One destination can’t exactly be called a “tour,” but it is a step in the right direction.

Now, if I could just make my next stop Paris…

A Dangerous New Toy

I’ve just discovered that Amazon.com has what they call their Historical Mysteries Bestseller List. I’m not sure how long it’s existed, but I wish I still didn’t know about it. It’s updated hourly, and it allows neurotic authors to track how well their latest release is selling compared to other historical mystery releases. Did I mention it’s updated hourly?

So now, in addition to agonizing over our Amazon.com sales ranking, we can also agonize over how we’re stacking up against the competition. Hourly.

For the last ten days, the Number One spot has been firmly locked down by THE JANISSARY TREE, the recent Edgar winner about a eunuch in Turkey. WHY MERMAIDS SING has occasionally flitted with the Number Two spot, more often hovered around Number Three or Four, bur sometimes slipped down to Number Six or even lower. Thanks to this list, I can see that the paperback release of WHEN GODS DIE is not doing well. In fact, the paperback of WHAT ANGELS FEAR is selling better, I guess to people who liked MERMAIDS and have now gone back looking for the first in the series. Hopefully they’ll then go on to buy GODS (although I still think the cover killed that book).

Obviously, MERMAIDS is a long ways from making the NYT bestseller list, but the sales so far have been encouraging. The first ten days traditionally see the biggest volume of sales—they will fall off rapidly from here.

Sales are always such a curious thing to tease out. What’s selling this book? The great cover, obviously, helps. But people going to Amazon for the book aren’t like buyers lured by an evocative cover from across a bookstore. Good reviews? Some, perhaps; except WHEN GODS DIE received those three starred reviews, which I’m told was quite phenomenal; MERMAIDS has received good reviews (ignoring the idiot who posted on Amazon—a pox on her), but only the Library Journal gave it a starred review. Word of mouth? Always good, but that can’t have kicked in yet.

So what is causing MERMAIDS to sell so much better than the two previous books in the series (at least on Amazon; I don’t know what it’s doing in the bookstores)? I suspect it’s the Entertainment Weekly mention. It’s the only thing I can think of that’s different. Now if we could just get someone like Angelina Jolie to be photographed carrying the book….

Surviving the Editorial Letter

What is an editorial letter? It’s the letter your editor sends you after she’s read your manuscript. Anywhere from a week to a couple of months after you send in your manuscript, your editor will send it back. Minor corrections or questions will be noted on the manuscript, but more detailed or involved suggestions will be spelled out in what is called an “editorial letter.” I just received my editorial letter for WHERE SERPENTS SLEEP. It’s six pages long. Single spaced. Gasp.

My first reaction, whenever I receive an editorial letter, is consternation. Chagrin. Dismay. Despair. And, always, always, Tears. I think, “I can’t do that! There’s no way I can make these changes!” It’s not that I think my editor’s suggestions are wrong—she’s always spot-on. In fact, many of her suggestions are things that niggled at me when I read through the final draft, but my thoughts ran along the lines of... I don’t know how to fix it. Or, I don’t have time to fix it. Or, Maybe no one will notice.

Editors always notice. They always start out telling you how much they loved your manuscript, how they think it’ll be a great addition to your series. BUT… Don’t you hate the Buts?

So, what kinds of things do editors put in their editorial letters? Here’s some samples from my latest:

“TOO MANY DEAD BODIES. By the end, there’s an incredibly high body count. I understand that there are many reasons why that can’t be avoided in this novel, but at one point it seems that in every new chapter we hear of another death. I wonder if some of these people might be allowed to live…”

“MORE FULLY EXPLAIN REFERENCES TO PREVIOUS BOOKS: In the few places where you mention or refer to characters and events from previous books, I generally feel that more explanation is needed. For example…”

Sigh. At this point, I am sick to death of WHERE SERPENTS SLEEP. The last thing I want to do is pick it up again, but tackle it I must. Some of these suggestions are not going to be easy to implement, but I know I’ll figure out a way in the end (although there’ll be a few tense moments when I think, “This is never going to work!”) I also know I’ll have a better book when I’m done. My editor is brilliant—one of the best in the business—and I know I am lucky to have her.

But editorial letters ain’t pleasant.

Entertainment Weekly Reviews WHY MERMAIDS SING!

This week's ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY is running a review of my new Sebastian St. Cyr mystery, WHY MERMAIDS SING. It's my first-ever Entertainment Weekly review, so I'm pretty excited about it. Not sure I'd have described the book this way, but hey, I'm not complaining! Here it is...

Why Mermaids Sing
by C.S. Harris
Reviewed by Tina Jordan

Regency-era London--abuzz with the grotesque murders of several wealthy young men--looks to noblemen/sleuth Sebastian St. Cyr to solve the crimes

MOVIE PITCH: It's Hannibal Lecter--early 1800s style!

LOWDOWN: A serial-killer thriller set 200 years ago? It may sound incongruous, but it works, thanks Harris' pacing and fine eye for detail. A real plus: the murk and stench of the age only heighten the suspense.

2007 Louisiana Book Festival

The Louisiana Book Festival in Baton Rouge was this past weekend, and as always, it was a wonderful, enriching experience. Plus, look at that shirt-sleeve weather, in November! Ya gotta love southern Louisiana.

My six-hour workshop on Friday went great. I had a fantastic group of enthusiastic writers, and I can only hope they enjoyed the experience as much as I did. Although I must admit, I have a new appreciation for just how exhausting elementary and high school teachers must find their days! The most I ever had to teach back when I was a university prof was two classes a day, well spread out. Even though we took plenty of breaks, by the end of the day I’m not sure how coherent I was!

Then, on Saturday afternoon, Laura Joh Rowland and I did a panel entitled “Clean Breaks and Balancing Acts.” Basically, we talked about making career changes, and the fine art of juggling two very different series—an interesting comparison of our two experiences. After that came my booksigning, and then it was time to dash across Baton Rouge and pick up my new car! Finally!!!