The End of All Things Tour: Cities and Dates and an FAQ
Posted on July 6, 2015 Posted by John Scalzi 61 Comments
A new book means a new tour, and this year I’m hitting 18 cities over three weeks. Yow! As always, if you’re in one of the cities I am visiting, please come to see me and bring every single person you’ve ever met in your life with you. It’ll be fun! I’ll read from an upcoming work (this is an exclusive for people who show up for tour stops — no one else gets this) and from other stuff, answer questions, maybe massacre a song on a ukulele, and of course sign books and participate in other mischief. You want to be there; we’ll have a good time.
Here are the cities and stores I’ll be visiting, on these dates at these times. Immediately after the tour information I’ll have an FAQ addressing some common questions. Ready? Here we go:
Aug 11 – Memphis, TN: Booksellers at Laurelwood, 6:30pm
Aug 12 – Raleigh, NC: Quail Ridge Books & Music, 7:00pm
Aug 13 – Athens, GA: Avid Bookshop, 6:30pm*
Aug 14 – Lexington, KY: Joseph-Beth Booksellers, 7:00pm
Aug 15 – Cleveland/Westlake, OH: Barnes & Noble, 2:00pm
Aug 16 –Lansing, MI: Schuler Books, 4:00pm
Aug 17 – Madison, WI: A Room of One’s Own, held at Madison Public Library, 7:00pm
Aug 18- Portland/Beaverton, OR: Powell’s at Cedar Hill Crossing, 7:00pm
Aug 19 – Seattle, WA: Elliot Bay Books, held at Seattle Public Central Library, 7:00pm
Aug 20 – Boise, ID: Rediscovered Books, held at Downtown Boise Public Library, 7:00pm*
Aug 21-22 – Spokane, WA: Sasquan (Reading date/time to come)*
Aug 23 – Fort Collins, CO: Old Firehouse Books, held at Midtown Arts Center, 3:00pm*
Aug 24 – San Francisco, CA: Borderlands Books, 12:00pm and Menlo Park, CA: Kepler’s (Kepler’s Premier Event Series, in conversation with Tad Williams), 7:30pm*
Aug 25 –Los Angeles, CA: The Last Bookstore, 7:30pm
Aug 26 – Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ: The Poisoned Pen, 7:00pm
Sept 1 – Dayton, OH: Books & Co, 7:00pm
Sept 3 – Columbus, OH: The Ohio State University Bookstore, 7:00pm
The stops with the asterisks denote new cities for me, which is to say, ones I’ve not been to on tour before.
And now, a brief FAQ about the tour:
Can you also come to [insert town here]?
Nope. The tour dates are locked for this year.
Why aren’t you coming to [insert town here]?
For various reasons, but mostly due to a) who wanted us when we asked earlier in the year, b) what made sense for travel this time around. This tour is slightly shorter than the one last year, so some hard choices had to be made. It’s not you, it’s me. Don’t worry, I am very likely to tour again, so I may end up visiting your town sooner or later. Honest!
What do the events cost?
With the exception of the Spokane, Fort Collins and Menlo Park events, all events are free, although depending on the event stop you may be asked to RSVP. Check with the stores for details. At Spokane, I’ll be appearing at Sasquan, this year’s Worldcon, so you would have to pay the membership fee to attend (that will also get you in to all the other Sasquan events). At Menlo Park, my event is part of Kepler’s Premier Events Series, so paid tickets will be required. At Fort Collins, tickets are $5, but if you buy The End of All Things from Old Firehouse Books, you’ll get $5 off, so it’s kind of a wash.
While all events except those three will be free, I strongly encourage you to buy a book from the booksellers who are hosting my event. It’s a good way of telling them “thank you” for bringing me into town. Obviously I will be happy to have you buy one of my books, but honestly, any purchase from the bookseller would be good.
Again: Please buy a book from the bookseller hosting my event. It’s actually really important. Thanks.
Will you be signing books?
Pretty sure I will be doing a signing at every stop, yes.
May I bring previously purchased books for you to sign?
I’m fine with with it but doublecheck with the venue to be sure (if you buy a book there I’m sure it will help with your request). Note also that depending on the size of the signing line, I may only sign three books at a time, after which you’ll be asked to get back in line for any additional books you want signed.
Will you sign my eReader/limb/other non-conventional object?
Generally speaking, sure. If you’re asking me to sign something dark, please bring your own sparkly/light-colored pen; I don’t usually carry those with me.
Do you allow pictures?
I generally allow pictures but again, check with the venue for their policy. If you want a picture with me, please have your camera ready before you get up to the signing table; you’d be surprised at how much time it takes to fire up a camera if it’s not ready. And that’s not great for everyone else in line.
May I give you a gift?
Sure. If it’s something edible please have it secured in something I can take back to my hotel room with a minimum of fuss. If it’s something else, smaller is better. Please note that I am usually traveling very tightly packed for these tours so you may see me hand the gift over to the bookstore in order for them to ship it to me at a later date.
May I take you to a meal/show you around my city, which is awesome if you know where all the cool things are, which I do?
Well, one, thank you, and two, I’m generally very tightly scheduled on tour stops and/or have already arranged to see friends who are local to the area, so probably not. I do appreciate the thought, however.
I’m a member of the local media in a town to which your tour is coming and I would like to interview you. May I?
Possibly! Please contact my publicist, Alexis Saarela, at Tor Books (alexis.saarela@tor.com). Please note that if you contact me directly for an interview, I will ask you to contact Alexis, because she’s the one who will be keeping my schedule straight. So please eliminate the middleman (in this case, me) and check with her directly. Thank you in advance.
I will not be in a town to which your tour is going but I want a signed book anyway. Help!
Here’s what to do: Contact any of the bookstores hosting a tour stop and order the book you want from them, and ask them to have me sign and personalize it when I come through. I will be happy to do so. Alternately, I am likely to sign stock for each store at which I have an event, so if you contact a store that I have already been to on the tour, they will likely have signed stock on hand.
As a third option, Subterranean Press is offering signed editions of The End of All Things. If you want to order through SubPress, however, do it now, because they will have a limited number available.
I have an additional question you have not addressed.
Ask it in the comments.
See you all soon!
I’m so excited you will finally make it to Athens. I hope you get a chance to look around while you’re here.
P.S. book already preordered from venue!
Those Columbus and Dayton stops seem inconveniently scheduled from a “popping home to do laundry in the middle of the tour” perspective.
Damn it – whatever did the northeast do to you or your publisher? Don’t actually expect an answer to that, but had to let it out. But seriously, does no one in DC want to host you?
I will heartily endorse the folks at Quail Ridge Books and Music – very nice bookstore and the people there were especially kind about helping me get a copy of Lock In signed last tour. You should give them your book money if you’re anywhere near Raleigh, NC, whether it’s for a Scalzi book or anything else.
Drat! You’ll be in my area, but it’s the day before my qualifying examination. I’ll order a signed book from Borderlands then (I’d already pre-ordered one, but now I can have a signed one!)
Good to see you’re coming to Seattle! I’ll do my best to be there. Looking forward to it. ^_^
Excellent! I will purchase my copy @ the Crocker Park B&N (Cleveland/Westlake OH – nice venue: it will remind you strongly of the Books & Co. in Beaver Creek). Also, I am now emailing our most popular AM radio show (WTAM) & requesting they interview you. Been meaning to do that for a while & this is the perfect opp. Even if they don’t book you for when you’re in town, I hope they have you on at some point: IMO it’s a great fit between you/hosts/audience. See you in August!
Now I have to figure out if I want to visit San Francisco or Los Angeles, since I’m about equidistant to either. I guess it depends on if I want the noontime or evening signing. (And if I want to visit SF twice since Seanan McGuire is doing her book release party about two weeks after at Borderlands.)
Dang. I had to family-crisis out of your stop in Saratoga last time, and I hoped you were hitting the northeast again. Ah well — better luck next book!
So you’re in the know, in Boise we call it the LIBRARY! Exclamation mark is required ;)
Dang it! Going to miss the SF/Menlo Park events by one day. I was hoping for the summer trifecta because I am going to be able to make the Ernie Cline and Felicia Day tour dates. HIGHLY recommend going to Borderlands in SF for this tour if you can make it. I went there for the last two tours and it was great. Nice cozy venue and the staff is excellent.
Yay, Fort Collins!
Happy to see you’ll be in Phoenix the same time as I’ll be in town for business. Saw you on your last tour and definitely looking forward to catching you on this one as well!
May I take you to a meal/show you around my city, which is awesome if you know where all the cool things are, which I do?
Well, one, thank you, and two, I’m generally very tightly scheduled on tour stops and/or have already arranged to see friends who are local to the area, so probably not. I do appreciate the thought, however.
Ah, so I guess taking you to my steampunk play, where we build a train on stage, is out of the question, then?
(Though I suppose if someone who’s gone and seen you and gotten your autography could see my show….and if you produce an autographed Scalzi book, I suppose I could give you a discount….)
I don’t see Manchester, UK on the list yet ;). Hope it’s a great trip and lots of books get bought!
Wow… a book tour where your stops are actually in a sensible order, geographically. That is just… crazy!
Have fun with it.
*sigh* Last year, I was able to reconcile my inner fanboy with my inner introvert due to the signing being on the the south side of Denver at 7pm on a weekday*. But this year, in Old Town Ft Collins at 3pm on a Sunday? Inner introvert might just have to deal, so inner fanboy can get his fanboy on. Also, guess I’ll have to go buy TEoAT again.
But let me ask you: do people introduce themselves by their commenting handles? Would you recognize a commenting handle? Or do you do that polite smile and say “Oh, yeah” thing?
*Sorry, Scalzi, you’re like my main dude, but I don’t think I’d make that drive for my own grandmother.
I work at Kepler’s in Menlo Park and we are all ecstatic to have you come visit (and Tad Williams will be there, too!) We’re having an awesome summer of sci-fi events and your visit is going to be a huge treat. :D
(Also, like Mr. Scalzi says, we can absolutely get you a signed/personalized book if you can’t make it to an event! You can pre-order them on our website, keplers.com, and we ship anywhere in the US. Just make sure you put the order in before the day of the event.)
All the Toronto faces are sad.
Nonetheless – have a great tour.
Oh man, the SF event is in the middle of the day on a Monday. Oh well, next time I hope.
Memphis?! Really?! How cool…I’ll be there. Conveniently timed for me to stop by after work.
Dude, that’s an … aggressive schedule. And I speak as somebody who did the road warrior thing for 10 years. You are going to be a performing monkey each night for 15 nights in a row? That’s ambitious and I wish you much luck and suggest much rest at night with soothing tea. Oh, and I’ll see you as Sasquan–glad you are attending.
Elliott Bay Books/SPL instead of University Bookstore for your Seattle stop?? That’s just….weird.
See you in Spokane!
Guess it’s time for my annual pilgrimage. :) I was hoping you’d be coming back to Raleigh, NC this time around. Your appearances are a fine excuse to get off the mountain and take advantage of all the fine bookshops and restaurants in Chapel Hill and Raleigh.
visit my page zsjo.wordpress.com
i just started theres more to come
Some big time authors have to get arthritis from all this signing. My hand writing is illegible, I think I would pay people to sign my name to avoid comments about my handwriting and people making fun of me.
I still dont get the universal fascination with signatures.
Sometimes, it’s hard not being American.
Any chance (ever) of a tour overseas?
always tempted to hook you up with some good Polish food when you come to town but you’re not coming to my town (chicago) this trip so it will have to wait.
Your tour dates are slightly better than Felicia Day’s (which she released today). At least Raleigh is within reasonable driving distance.
Just curious. I’m one of those non-Raleigh North Carolina dwellers. I’ve noticed that authors rarely come to Charlotte even though it’s larger than Raleigh. I’m not complaining, mind you, just curious because it seems to be a pattern. Any insight into why this is? Are there fewer sci-fi/fantasy friendly bookshops?
Sweet! Hope to go to the LA one (I’m down in long beach). I guess I have to travel by crappy LA public transport again. Oh well. It’s worth it!
Btw john: the last bookstore website doesn’t have u listed yet under events. Unless I missed it.
Yey Lansing! Schuler is such a great store. There are two Schuler Books in Lansing though, do you know which? Eastwood or Okemos?
Good a place as any to ask this — I’ve joined a Friends of the Library board in a relatively affluent suburb of a city you can probably guess from my avatar. Recognizing that bookstores are probably preferred as venues (because book sales), any pointers from the proprietor or other industry people here on connecting to publishers/authors who might be planning tours to see if there’s a fit between their schedules and our upcoming programming needs? I don’t think our programming committee has ever reached out to publishers, and that just seems like an obvious fit to me…
Hmmm. I see that you say “An Eff-Ay-Kyoo” when you say that word, rather than “A Fack” like a NORMAL person. /em disapprove
What about us brain-dead slobs?
Yay! Lansing! On my calendar!
The Cleveland stop is the day after my last class, so I can make that barring sick dogs and other domestic crises. I will hope to buy Lock In and get that signed. I like the Old Man’s War books, but I’m waiting for the paperbacks, sigh.
Welcome back to LA! If you haven’t been to The Last Bookstore yet, you’re in for a treat. VERY cool bookstore.
“The tour dates are locked for this year.”
Ahem. Don’t you mean “locked in?”
No love for the Northeast this time around… Guess I’ll have to wait for Arisia to get the book signed. Also, it looks like you’re going to miss most of Sasquan. Have you ever had to tour opposite a Worldcon before?
I’m predicting late-August Double-Doubles.
I’m so jealous you get to meet Tad Williams before I do. I hope the world does not implode when you two interact.
Also: Athens is the *best* college town. Growing up there has not biased me a bit. If you can get someone to bring you dinner from DePalma’s you will not be sorry. Hope to see you there!
Woohoo, I will see you September 3! I would have thought somewhere like The Book Loft would have invited you, but they’re also a bit cramped because their twisty corridors are so stuffed full of books. The OSU bookstore’s website doesn’t have event information on it – do you know if they will have a page advertising the event and their policies?
Looks like I’ll have to haul my candy ass up to Dayton. See you then! :-)
Random question as I’ve been unable to find any information on your site about it (and I’ve been watching pretty closely!) – when is TEOAT coming out on Audible? I enjoyed listening to The Human Division and would like to get this one too.
You are coming to SF just about the time I’m leaving to go to Portland and Seattle so I miss you in all three cities. Actually the dates for Portland and Seattle aren’t close but it sounds good. Hopefully next time.
I guess it’s time to schedule a visit to my mom/sister1/sister2/”home away from home when I lived in the Bay Area” – any prizes for showing up at 4 events, other than being labelled a stalker?
I’d whine about the lack of dates for the Northeast, but I’m already registered for Arisia.
Hooray! You are making it to Boise, ID!!!
There will be puppies.
I think someone asked my question, but any chance of hitting New England in the distant future?
just so I understand, you’ll be in the SF Bay Area on a Monday?
Sadly, I’ve become too old and decrepit to make the trip from Covina to The Last Bookstore (in downtown Los Angeles), But then, being deaf, your Presentation is largely lost on me.
So who should we be politely tweeting at to encourage them to encourage you to visit the UK and other parts?
NickPheas:
No one. My UK publishers already I know I would be happy to come over. So if anything is going to happen it’s already in process.
It looks like your day in SF/Menlo Park is already pretty busy, so I suspect I know the answer already, but are you interested in coming to Google again? We could probably have you come to the SF Google office if that’d be more convenient.
Yay, coming back to Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh. I can walk to that store.
John wrote: “Nope. The tour dates are locked for this year.”
I think you mean the tour dates are locked IN for this year. (Har har har.)
So I guess the 2-week national tour, much like the recent $3.4 million deal, is a reliable indicator that your obsessive detractors were RIGHT, your books don’t sell, and your career is spiraling!
Hooray for the Fort Collins date! But what naughty, naughty scheduling this is, 3 PM on a Sunday, obliging me to skip roller derby practice if I want to go! (I totally will, too. Actually, I think I was already missing that practice for Other Reasons which miraculously don’t conflict with the signing.)
Did I see a couple other attendees from the Whatever commentariat?
The USA is a great place for a tour no doubt. What about that big, seemingly empty space to the north of the boarder? Same response as to the query about going to the UK?