I'm Leaving On A Jet Plane

I do, however, know when I'll be back again. Which is next week, because tomorrow I'm flying out to Columbia, Missouri for their art show of Hint Fiction (here's an article that ran a few days ago about the show which even shows some of the pieces). I will of course be tweeting my adventures but otherwise it will be pretty quiet here on this ol' blog. In case you're interested, here's my schedule for the next two days:

Thursday

5pm: Reading and book signing at the Columbia Art League (CAL).

6-8pm: Opening reception at CAL

Friday

8.45: Radio interview on KFRU

9.30: Lee Expressive Art School to give a reading to elementary kids, who will be working on their own Hint Fiction stories and artworks

12.30: Reading at the University Bookstore

3pm: Reading at the Daniel Boone Regional Library

Columbia is where the awesome Scott Garson resides, so I hope to catch up with him too.

Finally, today is the very last day to enter to win a free trade paperback copy of The Serial Killer's Wife at Goodreads. Will there be another giveaway soon? Perhaps ...

The Serial Killer's Wife Giveaway

So that's what was in the mail today, ten copies of The Serial Killer's Wife (which is now available) and the proof copy of The Calling (which is not yet available).

It's cool to have the actual physical book, I guess, though it doesn't really mean much. After all, the reason self-published writers never made much money in the past is because there is no distribution. Bookstores don't normally carry self-published books. And self-published books printed by CreateSpace? Don't even think about it. So it's very unlikely any of these self-published books will ever appear in bookstores. The only way they can be sold is a) via Amazon or b) via me hand-selling them at some conference or convention, which can become a very big pain in the ass and could, most likely, not even be worth my time.

So why even bother?

Well, because readers prefer the choice between electronic and print, that's why. And because it's not really a big deal when it's all said and done -- the print on demand aspect makes it so I don't have to rent out a warehouse or at least clear out a space in my house for extra books. If someone wants to buy the book, they can order the book and CreateSpace prints a copy and ships it. Simple as that.

I am going to try something, though, which may be successful but will most likely fail, which is to offer the option to order a copy directly through me so I can personally inscribe and sign the book. The cost would be retail (for TSKW that's $13.95) plus an extra dollar for shipping in the US, for anywhere outside the US ... email me.

So if you live in the US and are interested in a inscribed signed copy of The Serial Killer's Wife, you can PayPal me at robert (at) robertswartwood (dot) com with $14.95 and I'll ship one out. If you're outside the US, email me first to see how much more shipping will be (probably only an extra buck or two).

Or, if you're in the US, you could always sign up for five free copies that I'm giving away at Goodreads.

Live Reading

Live reading of The Serial Killer's Wife is over. Thanks to everyone who tuned in!

New Interview At The Man Eating Bookworm

Peter Leonard, whose review of The Serial Killer's Wife I posted the other week, has kindly interviewed me at his blog. Don't forget about my live reading here on my website this Monday at 7:00 pm EST. It's going to be a groovy time, so tell your friends!

And if you live in America, enjoy your weekend before Congress makes the country sinks even lower into depression. But no matter what happens, at least we'll always have this (I've watched it at least a half dozen times so far, it's so brilliant):

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXzdDRnWFqs

How I Came To Write This Book

I have a guest post over at Patti Abbott's blog today in her ongoing series of "How I Came To Write This Book" on how I came to write The Serial Killer's Wife. Check it out. And be sure to tune in tomorrow for a very exciting announcement. Until then, have you seen the new Spiderman trailer? It looks pretty cool, though I really hope the part near the end of the trailer isn't included in the actual movie, and if it is, that it doesn't happen a lot. A little too videogamey for me, thank you very much.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XayxMPrUP4