I haven’t made a huge announcement about this yet, but I signed on about a month ago to provide content for Shroud Magazine’s blog and print and digital magazines. It’s not a regular gig or anything, but I’m happy to have yet another venue through which I can reach readers and fellow horror fans. You may have already seen my interview with Jeff Strand; here’s a review I did of the first installment of Ed Erdelac’s Merkabah Rider series.

Once more, one of my critique group partners bounced a few questions off me on our forum, and I’m presenting them here for the edification of the masses. This group of queries pertains to the joys and pitfalls of coordinating and attending book signings. Feel free to share your own experiences in the comments section!

What do you normally do? Just call the bookstore (Barnes & Noble, Borders, etc.) and ask?

Yup. Call and ask! The worst thing they can do is tell you to piss off (and sometimes it happens, though not usually in such plain terms!).

Who do you talk to about it? A manager I assume?

You do talk to the manager. Barnes & Noble stores typically have a CRM (Community Relations Manager) specifically for putting together signings and other activities at the store. A few place these duties on the store’s general manager. FYI, if you go on the B/N site, search for stores and highlight the links, each URL has a four digit store number at the end. The email address for the CRM will always be CRMXXXX@bn.com, where XXXX=store number.

Borders, however, does not empower each store to order their own books, etc. Therefore, you make contact with the manager and they’ll get in touch with the regional ordering rep… it’s an extra step though, and make sure you stay on top of them. The independent stores I’ve worked with typically reserve event planning for their managers, as well.

And you can sell your books at these things?

Yeah. The best arrangement for the author is when the store orders the books. Most stores won’t do business with you if your publisher doesn’t offer a 40% discount and a return policy, so make sure your publisher offers those. If they do, there’s no earthly reason why a store shouldn’t be willing to order your books, though several managers have given me an unearthly answer or two. There’s no risk to them; if you don’t sell out, the return policy means the publisher will take the unsold books back.

The other way is to sell on consignment. You bring the books and the store takes a cut. Your local indie might just give you your share out of the drawer, but the big chains won’t, and you’ll have to wait for a check from corporate. I’ve done this once, and only because the store hadn’t ordered the books as previously agreed upon. I had copies in my truck and wasn’t about to tell my wife we detoured to Mississippi with a two year-old for nothing!

What does the store get out of it? Your promotion bringing in people to hopefully buy other stuff?

They get profit on the books you sell, and yeah, some people might come in to see you and leave with other merchandise. That’s always a plus! Also, like I said before, the store is venturing NOTHING. If you only sell one copy, you both win.

What are some tips or things to look out for when getting this going?

Depending on your publisher, you can sign at three Barnes and Nobles and still have a fourth tell you they can’t order your book because it’s Print on Demand. All this means is that the publishers print the books when ordered, thereby saving themselves warehouse costs, etc. Corporate logic still seems to equate this to self-publishing. Be patient while they finish shooting themselves in the foot, and just call the next store on your list.

Do a press release for the media in the area surrounding the location of your signing. I’m not going to lie; unless you’re famous, 9 out of ten media outlets you email won’t give a damn, but one is better than zero, right? I’ve done newspaper, radio and Internet interviews in conjunction with various signings and book releases. It’s fun, gives you more material for your website, and increases awareness of your work, even if only by a small fraction.

on Shroud Publishing’s website, wherein we discuss his novels past and present, as well as the relative merits of robots, pirates and ninjas, amongst other things. Enjoy!

… who’ve found my site while searching for Leonard Nimoy’s nude photography.

Dr. Kim Paffenroth is one of many authors whose been on my virtual ‘need to read’ shelf for a few years now. During my recent signing at Eerie Books, I was assaulted tri-dimensionally by an irresistible whirlwind of small-press and mass-market fiction. As much as I enjoy supporting independent horror and bookstores in general, I was reduced by my unearthly compulsion to eat more than just Top Ramen for a month to purchasing only a few books. The result of one of my selections is a surprise that is both forthcoming and secret; the other two were Kim Paffenroth’s debut novel, Dying to Live, and his editorial fiction debut, History is Dead, both of which were published by Permuted Press.

I read the anthology first. I’ve wanted to read this since it first came out; in fact, I should probably mention, in the interest of full disclosure, that I was invited to submit to this anthology and was rejected. The rejected story went on to be published three times (in electric, print and audio versions) and the anthology was (if memory serves me right) nominated for the Bram Stoker Award, so I think it’s safe to say everything worked out for the best. What I do remember about my pink slip from the professor is Dr. Paffenroth’s keen insight and personal comments. I firmly believe that the best anthologies are edited by the sort of editor that works more as a collaborator than a critic, and History is Dead is the sort of anthology I can hold up in support of my belief. It is a collection of zombie tales set during various historical periods. The zombies between these covers are no mere mindless flesh-eaters; they grieve for their still-living lovers, crave earthly revenge and inspire art, novels and plays. As you might expect, some stories interested me more than others. Just about all of my favorite stories were contained in the first half of the book, but even the stories I considered to be ‘alright’ could probably be another reader’s standouts.

Christine Morgan’s The Barrow Maid (a Viking piece) and Carole Lanham’s The Moribund Room (Tudor England, I believe) are two of the best in the book; also, Theatre is Dead by Raoul Wainscotting gets special mention because I laughed repeatedly at the audience’s ignorance. John Maberry’s Pegleg and Paddy Save the World, which tells the “true story” of the Chicago fire, could have been written especially for me, with my love of whiskey and my Celtic heritage. All in all an easy 4.5/5.

Dying to Live is the first of a series of novels set in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse; the second novel has been available for some time, and the third is due out next spring. The story is told through the eyes of Jonah Caine as he kills a few zombies in brutal solo action before being rescued by members of a community of survivors. From there, the story progresses in a straight-forward, logical manner; each major chunk of the book is a direct result of what came before, etc. In this, the book differs from the typical novel format (conflict, climax, resolution) and would have made a distinctly unsatisfying standalone book. Since it isn’t one, though, I’m eagerly looking forward to reading the next installments.

This book is obviously written by a scholar and philosopher (the man has a doctorate in theology from Notre Dame, is affiliated with over a half-dozen theological associations and has a list of academic publications I can’t cover with both hands, despite the small font his university biography page uses) and is filled with references to the Bible and classic literature (though you’ll get no complaints from the guy that read encyclopedias cover to cover when he was ten), but don’t let me give you the impression that D2L is a dry, emotionless dissertation; it’s also packed with action and great characterization. The only point at which I think Dr. Paffenroth went a touch overboard was in the main character’s name (a little too over the top, really, and complete with analysis by another of the characters). Overall, I can’t wait to visit these characters and this setting again. 4/5.

As far as I’m concerned, there’s a special place in Hell for anyone who doesn’t find themselves tapping their toes to at least one song from Rush‘s 40-year career. For me, it’s a little more personal; I’ve written an essay that touched on it (for my shelved-for-now collection of nonfic), and I don’t remember if it’s seen the light of day yet, but suffice it to say that New Rush = Ecstatic Lincoln. So to have new singles, a new tour, an upcoming album AND a documentary all coming out in a short period of time? I damn near can’t control myself.

Here’s the setlist for the Time Machine Tour, which includes new material and -for the first time ever- Moving Pictures played live in its entirety. And if that’s not enough, here’s an hour-long interview Geddy and Alex did with Jeff Woods.

And if you’re going to be in Atlanta for the Time Machine Tour? Drop me a line…I’ll be there with bells on.