The inveterate author-adventurer Glen Hanket is preparing once again to put his two wheels on the road, traveling across the land, speaking to students and adults about the country, the environment, and pursuing their dreams.
This page describes how Glen finances his trips through donations from his speaking engagements.
1997 not only saw the release of my debut book Underwear by the Roadside, it saw the birth of my part-time job as a publisher. I quickly learned the First Rule of Publishing: the best way to make a small fortune in publishing is to start with a big fortune. With over 100,000 new titles published every year, you'll likely not need any armored cars to escort you to the bank. Unless you have a tell-all book on the presidential candidates, or you have a series of novels about a super-hero teenager named Perry Hotter, a job in the book business is a good way to slave away in relative obscurity.
Touring about the country pushing books is not the path to riches. None of the bike tours I've completed thus far broken even... unless you attach a monetary value to the memories that result. However, the cost to do such trips continues to rise, so payment from speaking engagements does help to defray my costs.
In today's world, unfortunately, funds are often scarce. My travels often take me into less-populated areas, with small schools and libraries. In western Colorado, one school I spoke at had but 16 students - obviously, such a school had no funds for frills. Others have used up their annual budgets by the time I arrive in the spring. Realizing this, I have never turned down speaking at a place that had no money to spare.
Many schools have donated $80 or more to help cover my costs; some have pitched in more than $100. Some libraries have pitched in up to $150, and additionally bought several books. Any donation is appreciated, and will be reciprocated by a donation of copies of Underwear by the Roadside.
The biggest expense of touring arises when I try to lie down: where can I spend the night? My travels have occasionally landed me in towns with no hotels, so I carry a tent and sleeping bag on my bike. Of course, with springtime travel, inclement weather often presents problems. Sometimes, municipal ordinances provide even greater problems - perhaps the seediest motel I ever holed up in came in a town where the police said I could not camp.
Thankfully, many times I have received invitations to spend the night with school staff or Friends of the Library. These invitations not only decrease my costs, they provide some of my favorite memories of the journeys - and allay the loneliness that can come from traveling solo.
When I appeared on To Tell The Truth, one panelist asked, "You actually went into the homes of people you didn't know?" Thankfully, our year spent walking this great land showed us that the world does not resemble the image portrayed on the 6:00 news - people do care for each other! This was reiterated as I planned my first bike tour. The teacher who arranged my talk in Mukilteo WA knew the town had no hotel, but she would be out of town the day of my visit. Thus, she gave me directions to her home and promised to hide the key under the mat.
The links provided on this page will take you back to the main page, and to details on the tour schedule, and which talks have been scheduled. Information on programs is available on the linked pages also, as well as links to his books.