Book Tour, the San Francisco edition

Well. I am gladdened and relieved to report that I survived by pre-publication book tour. It took seven days. I saw four cities. I estimate I talked to about 600 people about my book.

San Francisco was the last and biggest stop -- is incredibly rich in independent booksellers. (As if hills and water and architecture weren't enough. I feel as if San Francisco is hogging the awesome.) I meet many of them at a dinner that Simon and Schuster threw for us. Others -- mostly those who couldn't make the dinner -- I went out to visit in person.

As a climax or a coda to this pre-publilcation book tour, I went to the American Library Association conference. There, I talked to a roomful of aspiring teen writers. I did a signing where we went through four boxes of books. And I speed-dated librarians, which is this thing where you sit down at a table, pitch your book to ten people for four minutes, and then someone blows a whistle, and you do it again. For an hour. (Tip for these: BRING WATER. I wish someone had told me that!)

Some pictures:

The kids bookstore Hicklebees has visiting authors sign walls. There's JK Rowling in the back hall, Mo Willems behind the toliet, Tamora Pierce by the sink, and many, many more. They let me sign the pink wall in the teens section.

Running away from the giant eagle kite at Copperfield Books.

Talking to aspiring teen writers, with Andrew Smith, Daniel Kraus, Jason Reynolds, Zak Ebrahim, and Suzanne Young.

At the ALA main entrance, with champagne.

Shaking it all off on a friend's boat in Sausalito ...