Welcome to the glamorous world of author-dom; sending hundreds of emails, roving around in search of postcard-friendly counter-tops, posting bulletins on my MySpace page, making reminder calls to absentminded pals to come to my reading tonight at A Different Light Bookstore.
Being on the receiving end of hundreds of press releases a week, I pretty much got the knack of getting in all the local listings. My fave today is Good Day, San Francisco in The Examiner. It's a bit more selective, it seems, than The Bay Times, SF Weekly, SF Station, and other listings, so that's cool. Not that it ain't cool to get in all listings. It's just that since I'm writing the same thing for the BAR, I know how the artists value it, but the readers tend to ignore it.
Still, we keep moving and writing and sharing info. I hope people show up. Unfortunately, I'm right at the same time as Kirk and Larry-bob's Smack Dab at Magnet, but we'll see.
It's only a local reading, but it means a lot. I've read at ADL about a dozen times. I feel so sorry for authors who roll into town on long tours, only to see half a dozen people show up. I wrote an entire interview timed for Kevin Sessums' appearance at Books Inc, and they do great promotion, but only a dozen or so folks showed up. Still, Kevin did a great reading, and I look forward to doing an event there soon.
It's just odd; people go crazy over certain famous writers. I still fail to comprehend why people pay up to $25 to hear David Sedaris. I mean, sure, he's clever and all, but sheesh. He's got a voice like a weasel with a cold.
Bitter much? Sure, but I know books like mine will always have a smaller audience, like Pittsburgh-based Urban Velo. They put out a nice little magazine, and they know their audience.
So, don't expect any readings by me in far-off cities, except in San Diego as part of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists' Association over Labor Day Weekend. It really doesn't pay to travel to bookstores, especially when they don't promote it, or you, i.e., I- don't really have a fan base, in, say, Oakland or Los Angeles. I suppose if I was a porn star, or looked like one, I'd be able to call the shots (pre-signed books only?).
Tonight will be fun, and afterward, I'll plan the next event. But really, it's about you reading it on your time, not me reciting. I'll probably do some others around the Bay Area just for fun. We'll see. (Can you tell I haven't had my coffee yet?)
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