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Nora Roberts's |
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Nora Revisits the Rules and Why They Are in Place
Okay, I'm going to try to be really frank and really clear regarding the rules.
Publicity works for literally months to set up my tour, and part of this is dealing with the rules. Each and every venue receives the rules IN WRITING weeks and weeks prior to the event. This is followed up, several times, with phone calls going over them and other matters. The venue has to agree to the rules.
If and when a bookseller or manager claims not to know about them, it's just not the case. Can't be. However, it can be difficult for a bookseller to say no to a customer. I don't know, honestly don't know, why any staff member at a venue would tell a caller it was all right to bring books from home. It's not, period.
I have a huge back list. And I'm extremely fortunate in my readers. They come out in big numbers to events. I love to see them, spend time with them. However, if only say 100 of these brought outside books in—favorite books from home, books purchased elsewhere—that's another 100 books per venue I'd be signing at each event.
And if it's okay to bring a book purchased elsewhere in, why isn't it okay to bring a book purchased last year, or ten years ago in? We've tried to make it fair. Buy it at the venue putting on the event. Buy as many books as you want at that venue and they'll be signed no matter how long it takes.
If a customer gets outside books by a bookseller, for whatever reason, it gets to me. Unless I have a publishing rep at the end to catch it. That publishing rep is there, at my request. Two years ago booksellers simply weren't able to enforce the rules, and I was signing tons of outside books, autograph books, flyers, scraps of paper. You name it. And events were running an average of four hours. After which I would in most cases get in a car and be driven two to four hours to the next city. Often arriving in a hotel well after midnight. In many cases, I'd have to be up by six—even earlier now and then—the next morning to do media.
Try putting in 16 to 18 hour days for three weeks straight. Away from home, in hotels. I would, invariably, become ill before the end of the tour and have to finish it up with a ugly cold.
So I sent for the cavalry. With one of Team Nora there, at the venue, at my table, the rules get enforced. Are there some books that slip through? Of course. But by and large the system works.
I'm sorry, sincerely, for anyone who is disappointed. Disappointing my readers is not the purpose of being out here on tour. Obviously. But while I want to make each and every one of those who come to an event happy, I have to protect myself.
Part of the rules is no greetings—and the booksellers know they are to write the name of the personalization on the post-it. They don't always. I can't do greetings on tour as many readers will often write down a couple of sentences—up to (I swear) a paragraph that they want me to write in their book. I can't take this time. My hand and arm can't take the work. It's that simple. I'd rather take that time to actually speak to the person who's taken their time and effort to come out and see me.
At a recent signing a man brought in three copies of a book from another publisher--the bookseller let him through. They were pristine copies of Naked Came the Phoenix, and he had marked my chapter with a SIGN HERE sticky. Now these were obviously going to be re-sold to a collector (I assume he would try or had already had the book signed by others who contributed to that book). It's not my purpose out here to help this guy, or any other, make a buck reselling. I'm here to see and talk to readers. Publicity Kristy stopped him, refused him as politely and clearly as possible. He yelled at her.
I have two choices. Come out on tour annually with one of the team who will do their best to enforce the rules. Or not tour. I simply can't do it any other way. Not day after day and night after night.
Publicity talks repeatedly—and I mean repeatedly—with the people in charge of a venue before an event to make sure everything's in place. They can't do more than they do. I can't do more than I do.
As for the B&N signing in Glen Bernie, we were assured—a number of times—that they were set for a Q&A. We understand very well that portion of the evening is a highlight for many. New York can't come down and visit every site personally to make sure it's accommodating our program. They're taken at their word. In this case, we weren't told until an hour or so prior that they couldn't do a Q&A. When we arrived, Publicity Heather checked out the area personally to see if there was anything we could do to arrange one. There just wasn't. All we could do was ask the staff to tell the customers they were free to ask me questions when they came up to have their books signed.
That sort of glitch is disappointing and frustrating for our side of things as well as the readers.
We do what we can to make sure the information is out there, and that the information is correct.
The Rules are posted on my web page, on ADWOFF, and—as I said—sent in writing to each and every venue.
I don't know what else we can do.
I'm grateful my readers are interested enough, involved enough, to come out—often driving long distances to see me. It's so rewarding and special. I've come a long way to see them, too, because I'm interested enough and involved enough. And while I understand, I really do, that some of you wish you could have that favorite book(s) from home signed at the event, or be able to bring in a book you were able to purchase less expensively elsewhere, there just has to be some structure to how this all works. Or it won't work at all.
Nora
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