The Citadel

The Archive of 'A Song of Ice and Fire' Lore

So Spake Martin

Touring

Authors really have very little control over where they go touring. The cities are usually selected by the publishers. A lot of it starts with the bookstores. The stores that get a lot of authors make a point of =asking= for them, ordering a large stock of their books, and doing whatever advertising is necessary to make a signing a success. Some bookshops want authors, but aren't willing to sink a penny into ads -- those signings are inevitably a disaster.

And the last tour can affect the next one. If a publisher sends Author X to a particular city or bookshop, and three people show up to buy books (or no one at all, which has also happened), that store is not likely to get a visit from Author Y when he tours six months later.

None of which addresses the particular question of why Oklahoma doesn't get a lot of touring authors. I don't know the answer to that one. The manager at your local bookstore might, however.

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