Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Your book club's favorite author would like to give you a call.
Nancy Bolchalk surprised fellow members of the Roosevelt Book Club in Hubbard, Ohio, when she arranged for author John Searles to talk with them by phone at one of their meetings. The group had just read his novel, Strange But True, and Bolchalk had responded to an invitation on Searles' website to request a call-in.
"It was wonderful to be able to ask him questions about why he put certain things in the book," Bolchalk says.
And wonderful for publishers, too. Until recently, it was mostly authors who used their websites to set up call-ins, but now publishers are getting into the act.
At harpercollins.com, for example, clubs can set up phone chats with Denene Millner, Angela Burt-Murray and Mitzi Miller (The Vow); Christopher de Bellaigue (In the Rose Garden of the Martyrs); Jennifer Haigh (Baker Towers); Michael Chabon (The Final Solution); Elizabeth Noble (The Friendship Test); and Edeet Ravel (A Wall of Light).
At bookclubreader.com, Simon & Schuster offers a phone conversation with Cathy Kelly about her novel Just Between Us.
The reason is simple: Book clubs are a growing force in the publishing industry, and publishers and authors view the call-ins as a way to show their appreciation, build loyalty and market their books.
"This is the next step in the evolution of the relationship between book clubs and publishers," says Philip Patrick of Crown Publishing.
Says Chris Bohjalian, who has done more than 50 call-ins since his latest novel, Before You Know Kindness, was reissued as a paperback in the fall: "I don't know if it's measurable, but I do believe I sell more books by doing this."
The call-ins also extend the author's reach. Most book tours only hit major metropolitan areas, but the fan base goes far beyond those boundaries.
"This is a perfect way to connect with more readers," Searles says. "Gone are the days when a publisher could take out an ad, count on a few reviews and have an author do a couple of signings. Nowadays, readers want to feel a connection with an author."
Adriana Trigiani, whose sixth novel, Rococo, was published in June, does several call-ins a week.
"It's a sacrosanct relationship," she says. "It galvanizes a very fundamental, basic fan base."
And there's another benefit.
"It gives me insight into my work," Bohjalian says. "It's as if you had a group of really passionate English majors deconstructing your text for you."
To see more of USAToday.com, or to subscribe, go to http://www.usatoday.com
© Copyright 2004 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.
