Virtual Book Signings

The Wall Street Journal reports:

The latest twist for book tours: no human contact. Instead of meeting their fans at Borders, some authors are beaming themselves to book buyers over the Internet. Methods vary, but publishers and authors are keen to find high-tech alternatives to the expensive, time-consuming author tour.

With 10-city tours costing about $20,000, publishers say they are scheduling fewer of the junkets. As virtual book events becomes more widespread, they're changing the way books are marketed.

Several publishing houses have invested in a remote-signing machine with a robotic arm, conceived by Canadian author Margaret Atwood. Next month, she'll be in England to sign books in person and will sign books in the U.S. and Canada remotely on the same day.

It's amazing how the internet and technology can cut down on air travel.