Bestselling author Tim Dorsey is back on the road following the release of his 18th book, Shark Skin Suite, the latest in his comic series featuring the fictional Florida serial killer Serge Storms.
Beginning on January 27 – his official release date – Dorsey “packed his car to the gills with t-shirts and hats” and has headed out to visit more than 40 spots throughout the Sunshine State. His Florida tour ends February 17 with three stops that day in Gorda, Bokeelia and Venice.
Dorsey knows it’s “a heavy tour load.” But, he said, “there’s so much competition out there to make it as an author.” So writers need to do whatever they can to set themselves apart from others. “This [tour] is the one thing you can sort of control. You need to go if you’re really willing to do it, put in that hard work, get out there and barnstorm.”
The majority of his stops are independent bookstores and libraries, rather than big box stores (though a few Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million stores make the tour.)
Since releasing his first book 17 years ago, Dorsey said he’s averaged around 105 events a year. “Before my first book came out, my agent suggested that I prime the pump,” he said. So he began accepting invitations anywhere he was invited: libraries, bookstores and even off-beat events like biker rallies and camp-outs. “They’re not your typical academic author-type events,” he said.
Though his fan base spans the globe, the majority of his events are in Florida. “It makes sense,” he said. “These are Florida books.”
Once he returns from his final Florida destination, he’ll head out for some national tour dates. In recent years, he’s segmented his national tour into sections of the country – eastern, western and middle. He cycles out each section he visits each year, so he’s able to hit smaller markets as well as bigger cities. This year, he’ll fly into Raleigh, North Carolina and drive up to New Hampshire.
But he especially looks forward to his tour stops in his home state. Each city in Florida is its own market, he said, and “they’re all lined up like dominoes. You can’t go wrong with Florida tours.”
“You drive up to Jacksonville and then head south to St. Augustine, and then to Daytona,” he said. “For not much money I can cover a lot of markets and ground in Florida. Plus, I know Florida pretty well. I love this state. I get to see a lot of old friends every year. If you do it year after year, you establish relationships with bookstores, libraries and readers, and you’re well rewarded for it.”
