Vampire hunter sinks teeth into merchandising -- Page 2

Bankrate: What did you pursue instead?

Laurell K. Hamilton: Well, I ended up getting married in college, which had not been on my list of things to do ever, and his degree was in computer science, which was much more marketable. So we went with the idea that wherever he got a job, I would find a job. And he ended up in California, so we ended up going from an area where 30,000 people is considered a big town to L.A. I got a job as an art editor at Xerox. That's the person who does in-house illustrations for manuals. There was one problem with this: I can't draw. I had actually interviewed to be a text editor. When I got there, they told me I was the art editor. I insisted I couldn't draw. I interviewed too well for my own good, I guess. So for months I did the computer work for the person who could do the art, which was fine until she was sick one day and of course put me into a meeting with a client who wanted me to -- gasp -- draw! And I looked at him and said, 'I'm sorry, sir, but I can't draw,' and he said, 'What do you mean you can't draw, you're an art editor, aren't you?' I mean, what could I say? Do you want me to do stick figures here? I was there under a year. I hate corporate America. It was not a good fit for me.

Bankrate: How did you work your writing in?

Laurell K. Hamilton: I had been getting up at 5 a.m., and working for about two hours and then getting dressed and going into work. When I left Xerox, my husband said, 'Look, finish your book and then go look for another job.' At that point, we were looking to move back to the Midwest, and it's easier to move one job than two, but it never turned out that way. I finished the book ("Night Seer") and it sold. If it had done well, I probably never would have come up with Anita because I wouldn't have needed to.

Bankrate: When did you realize you needed to take a businesslike approach to your writing career?

Laurell K. Hamilton: For me, the idea began with the impact the Internet had on my fan base. The Internet is one of the most amazing tools for getting your name out there, for good or ill. The Internet was the first idea I had of getting my name out there that wasn't tied directly to the book. Darla Cook had done one of my Web sites as a hobby in maybe 1998 and I made hers the official site. Jonathan, who is now my husband, had done another one. At first it was just the Web site, then she started doing a newsletter and I started paying to print it off. Then we did Christmas cards and sent them out to fan club members, who absolutely loved it. Darla has now been full-time for about three years. She was afraid if she took money for it, it would be like a job and it wouldn't be fun anymore.

Bankrate: That must have helped with the growing fan mail?

Laurell K. Hamilton: Darla started doing fan letters because I couldn't keep up with them. I had never been too good keeping up with them, not only because of the number of letters but the type of mail I got. I finally came to feel that it disturbed my ability to write if I read too many of the crazy letters, so she acts as a filter for that.

Bankrate: You moved into merchandise in a big way the past couple years.

Laurell K. Hamilton: Yes. I'm usually the idea person. Darla, Jonathan and I are the creative team. None of us has a business background, so that has been very interesting. We try to do business with people who are local. Our first T-shirt was a little rubber ducky with big blue eyes and fangs and it says "Jean-Claude's tub toy."

Bankrate: Are you a tough customer?

Laurell K. Hamilton: Well, artists are a good example. We've worked with some artists who don't make their deadlines. I don't care how good you are, if you want to hang in a museum that's fine, but if you want to do business with me, make your deadline. I'm an artist, writing is an art too, but I make my deadlines.

Bankrate: Do you enjoy the business side?

Laurell K. Hamilton: Yes, strangely enough I do. I enjoy the marketing and I'm good at marketing. I'm good at saying this will sell or that will sell. It's as simple as, would I want to wear it? If the answer is yes, then I find that a lot of people will agree. Just like with the books -- I write what I want to read. The original idea was just to get my name out there. Every person who wore my T-shirt or had a tote bag or a lunch box was a walking billboard. At first, we really didn't think it would make money; we just thought we would run it up the flagpole and try it. And then it caught on. The merchandising has really helped. People are really enjoying the T-shirts, the coffee mugs. They like being able to feel like they're a part of the work.

Bankrate: What's the biggest splurge you make with your money today?

Laurell K. Hamilton: It's not the big things on money, though that's nice, too. It's the small everyday things, like the fact that I can go to the grocery store and just buy what I want, I don't have to coupon clip or worry about day-to-day survival. I grew up where that was the way.