"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid." David Payne kept
these words from Goethe at the forefront of his mind as he logged
thousands of miles across the country this past summer visiting
bookstores to increase awareness for his most recent novel, Back to
Wando Passo (Morrow), which was published in May.
Payne, who lives in Hillsboro, N.C., embarked on two whirlwind expeditions, first to New England and then to the West Coast and the Midwest. "It was sort of a post-tour tour," said Payne, the author of four previous novels, who undertook the visits at his own expense. "It was a chance to meet great independent booksellers." Ultimately, Payne was looking to enhance the success Back to Wando Passo has enjoyed in the Southeast by bringing it to the attention of booksellers in other parts of the country.
Payne's unconventional and ambitious trips came about in part because of Carl Lennertz, HarperCollins' v-p of independent retailing. Wanting to go beyond the traditional practice of having an author visit stores simply to sign stock, sometimes a disappointing experience if only several copies of a book are on hand, "it occurred to me to try a more positive, long-term experiment, with David's willing participation," said Lennertz. "I suggested a 'just go in, make nice and bring some cookies or coffee to the booksellers' tour, with reading copies in hand."
Coined the "Muffin Tour" by Payne, there were several essential factors that made the initial New England tour a viable promotional effort. "David's passion and willingness to put in some serious miles, and his buying lots of food out of his own pocket," according to Lennertz, were central to its effectiveness. Payne also took reading copies to each store he visited. Perhaps most crucial, though, said Lennertz, was "the platform the book already had--a SIBA bestseller ranking, a Book Sense pick and a few key bookseller supporters outside the Southeast."
Payne recently returned from the second part of his tours, an excursion to the West Coast and the Midwest. With Lennertz's aid, Payne plotted a path from San Francisco to Portland to Seattle and then to Chicago, Milwaukee and Cincinnati. "My best hope of support and advocacy lies with booksellers," said Payne. "My ambition was to meet as many people as I could," he added, "and hope that some of them would take the book home and read it."
For the West Coast and Midwest stores, Payne and Lennertz opted for a more structured approach, calling and e-mailing ahead of time rather than making impromptu visits. One bookseller who received a call was Harry W. Schwartz senior buyer Daniel Goldin, who spent the day introducing Payne to staff at all five Schwartz locations in and around Milwaukee, Wis. "Back to Wando Passo can appeal to different sorts of readers," noted Goldin. He worked to match the book with colleagues at each location who might enjoy the read, including those who like Southern fiction, novels with historical components and even the works of John Irving, with whom reviewers have compared Payne.
In Cincinnati, Payne was welcomed by Jen Reynolds, director of publisher relations and events at Joseph-Beth Booksellers. Along with HarperCollins sales representative Kate McCune, Reynolds set up a luncheon for Payne with several Joseph-Beth staffers. "We always feel it is successful when our booksellers are able to sit down one-on-one with an author," commented Reynolds. "Without fail, almost every time this has happened, people feel more invested and take it on as a cause they want to champion. It's like you have a personal connection at that point with the author."
Although it's too soon to tell what impact Payne's visits will have on hardcover sales of Back to Wando Passo, the consensus is that his efforts have seeded the marketplace for the paperback publication next year. "It has had the effect of increasing the handselling of his book in hardcover," said Lennertz, "and, maybe more important, setting things up for the paperback." This opinion is seconded by Goldin and Reynolds, and also by Barbara Morrow, co-owner of the Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center, Vt.
It was Morrow's invitation to Payne (who resided in Vermont and New York City prior to returning to his home state of North Carolina) to do a reading at Northshire that led to the author's New England sojourn. Morrow has supported all of Payne's books and is confident that her store will sell Back to Wando Passo "tremendously well in paperback." Morrow believes the book will appeal to a broad range of readers no matter where they reside. "It's a wonderful story," she said. Echoing the publisher's and especially the author's wishes, she added, "I hope it does well everywhere."--Shannon McKenna
Payne, who lives in Hillsboro, N.C., embarked on two whirlwind expeditions, first to New England and then to the West Coast and the Midwest. "It was sort of a post-tour tour," said Payne, the author of four previous novels, who undertook the visits at his own expense. "It was a chance to meet great independent booksellers." Ultimately, Payne was looking to enhance the success Back to Wando Passo has enjoyed in the Southeast by bringing it to the attention of booksellers in other parts of the country.
Payne's unconventional and ambitious trips came about in part because of Carl Lennertz, HarperCollins' v-p of independent retailing. Wanting to go beyond the traditional practice of having an author visit stores simply to sign stock, sometimes a disappointing experience if only several copies of a book are on hand, "it occurred to me to try a more positive, long-term experiment, with David's willing participation," said Lennertz. "I suggested a 'just go in, make nice and bring some cookies or coffee to the booksellers' tour, with reading copies in hand."
Coined the "Muffin Tour" by Payne, there were several essential factors that made the initial New England tour a viable promotional effort. "David's passion and willingness to put in some serious miles, and his buying lots of food out of his own pocket," according to Lennertz, were central to its effectiveness. Payne also took reading copies to each store he visited. Perhaps most crucial, though, said Lennertz, was "the platform the book already had--a SIBA bestseller ranking, a Book Sense pick and a few key bookseller supporters outside the Southeast."
Payne recently returned from the second part of his tours, an excursion to the West Coast and the Midwest. With Lennertz's aid, Payne plotted a path from San Francisco to Portland to Seattle and then to Chicago, Milwaukee and Cincinnati. "My best hope of support and advocacy lies with booksellers," said Payne. "My ambition was to meet as many people as I could," he added, "and hope that some of them would take the book home and read it."
For the West Coast and Midwest stores, Payne and Lennertz opted for a more structured approach, calling and e-mailing ahead of time rather than making impromptu visits. One bookseller who received a call was Harry W. Schwartz senior buyer Daniel Goldin, who spent the day introducing Payne to staff at all five Schwartz locations in and around Milwaukee, Wis. "Back to Wando Passo can appeal to different sorts of readers," noted Goldin. He worked to match the book with colleagues at each location who might enjoy the read, including those who like Southern fiction, novels with historical components and even the works of John Irving, with whom reviewers have compared Payne.
In Cincinnati, Payne was welcomed by Jen Reynolds, director of publisher relations and events at Joseph-Beth Booksellers. Along with HarperCollins sales representative Kate McCune, Reynolds set up a luncheon for Payne with several Joseph-Beth staffers. "We always feel it is successful when our booksellers are able to sit down one-on-one with an author," commented Reynolds. "Without fail, almost every time this has happened, people feel more invested and take it on as a cause they want to champion. It's like you have a personal connection at that point with the author."
Although it's too soon to tell what impact Payne's visits will have on hardcover sales of Back to Wando Passo, the consensus is that his efforts have seeded the marketplace for the paperback publication next year. "It has had the effect of increasing the handselling of his book in hardcover," said Lennertz, "and, maybe more important, setting things up for the paperback." This opinion is seconded by Goldin and Reynolds, and also by Barbara Morrow, co-owner of the Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center, Vt.
It was Morrow's invitation to Payne (who resided in Vermont and New York City prior to returning to his home state of North Carolina) to do a reading at Northshire that led to the author's New England sojourn. Morrow has supported all of Payne's books and is confident that her store will sell Back to Wando Passo "tremendously well in paperback." Morrow believes the book will appeal to a broad range of readers no matter where they reside. "It's a wonderful story," she said. Echoing the publisher's and especially the author's wishes, she added, "I hope it does well everywhere."--Shannon McKenna