Often, when you have a new book (or two) out…..
…your publisher asks you to do a radio tour, because you can hit tons of markets without even leaving your house. Which rocks for the publisher, because they don't have to pay to send you out on the road.
And it rocks for the author, too, because she can reach tons of potential readers without actually having to go anywhere.
What happens on a radio tour is that someone calls you at 6:55AM to wake you up. You two can talk about how tired you are, even though your husband might point out that 7AM is actually a NORMAL time to get up, the time MOST PEOPLE get up, as a matter of fact. Except people like you (I actually think I might not have hated high school so much if it had started at a normal time, like ten).
Then this person will transfer you from radio station to radio station all morning. All you have to do is stay on the phone, changing handsets periodically as the batteries run out.
It's always fun to talk about your book(s). But once you've described what your book is about, say, 10 times in a row, you start worrying that maybe you sound…boring. When you've talked about it for SIX HOURS in a row, it gets to a point where you wonder if anyone will ever want to hear the sound of your voice again.
What you have to remember is that the people you're talking to now are completely different than the people you were talking to five minutes ago. So even though it seems like you're just keep repeating yourself over and over (which you are), you aren't REALLY, because every five minutes it's a brand new audience.
Still, Henrietta REALLY REALLY doesn't like it when I 1) sing, or 2) speak in an animated voice. It actually INFURIATES her when I do radio interviews, to the point that she will come up and bite me on whatever area of my body she can reach, VERY HARD, while I'm talking. Yesterday she was whipped into such a frenzy that I had to do most of the interviews from inside my closet, to keep her away from me.
Of course, it's especially fun if the radio show host you are speaking to has a nickname like “The Dog Catcher,” and his show is called “The Doghouse” or “The Pound,” so that after you've had a nice time talking about symbolism in Arthurian legend with the host of an NPR show, you can switch over to “WHO LET THE DOGS OUT??? WOOF WOOF WOOF” and have a nice discussion on why princesses are so unwilling to blow…off their princes.
Anyway, I am posting my tour schedule here. Some of the shows I did yesterday were taped, so you should be able to look at the list below and see if I'll be on in your listening area. Then you can actually listen in on some of the conversations I had yesterday. From my closet. Some of the shows are national so there should be a little something for everyone in the US to tune into.
Radio tour: Thursday, January 19, 2006
(All times are Eastern)
7:00-7:05 AM (PHILADELPHIA) KYW-AM / NEWS FEATURE / TAPE
7:35-7:45 AM (NATIONAL) USA RADIO / DAYBREAK USA / LIVE
7:45-7:55 AM [BALTIMORE (Ocean City)] WOCM-FM / MORNING SHOW / LIVE
8:10-8:20 AM (REGIONAL FL) FL RADIO NETWORK / FL ROUND TABLE / TAPE
8:20-8:30 AM (ORLANDO) WLRQ-FM / MORNING SHOW / LIVE
8:30-8:40 AM (RICHMOND) WMXB-FM / MIX MORNING SHOW / TAPE
8:40-8:50 AM (ORLANDO) WLKF-AM / MORNING SHOW / LIVE
9:10-9:20 AM (REGIONAL VT) VT PUBLIC RADIO / DAYBREAK / TAPE
9:20-9:30 AM (MINNEAPOLIS-St Paul) / WXCE-AM / MORNING NEWS / LIVE
9:30-9:35 AM (BOSTON) WBET-AM / MORNING SHOW / LIVE
9:35-9:45 AM (SALT LAKE CITY) KUTR-AM / WAKING UP / LIVE
9:45-9:55 AM (CINCINNATI) WLW-AM / MORNING SHOW / TAPE
10:10-10:20 AM (NATIONAL) METRO NETWORKS (Westwood One) / DIMENSIONS / TAPE
10:20-10:30 AM (COLORADO SPRINGS) KCMN-AM / MORNING SHOW / LIVE
10:35-10:45 AM (NATIONAL) WESTWOOD ONE / YOUNG & VERNA SHOW / TAPE
10:50-11:00 AM (REGIONAL St Louis) KRES-FM / MORNING SHOW / TAPE
11:00-11:10 AM (INDIANAPOLIS) WBAA-FM/AM (NPR) / MORNING MAGAZINE / TAPE
11:10-11:30 AM (REGIONAL NY) WSDE-AM syndicated / MORNING MAGAZINE / LIVE
11:30-11:40 AM (DENVER) KQMT-FM / MILE HIGH SHOW / TAPE
11:40-11:50 AM (MEMPHIS) WREC-AM / MORNING SHOW / TAPE
11:50-12:00 PM (GRAND RAPIDS) WGVU-FM (NPR) / MORNING EDITION / TAPE
12:10-12:20 PM (REGIONAL WA) KPQ-AM / AFTERNOON SHOW / TAPE
12:20-12:30 PM (SACRAMENTO) KAHI-AM / MORNING SHOW / LIVE
12:40-12:50 PM (PROVIDENCE) WJHH-AM / AFTERNOON SHOW / LIVE
Of course, I have no idea what day the taped shows will air. That's up to you to find out! My work for the day is over…thank God! I can go back to waking up at nine like a normal person.
More later.
Much love,
Meg
