When you picture a writer, what do you see? Do you see a person with a #2 pencil hunched over a notebook, with words flowing out flawlessly? You might also think that after this writer finishes the book, that’s it, the job is done. Once it gets put on amazon.com, they stop working. If this is what you think, then you were wrong. I know this because I got in touch with a real, well-known author recently to find out how the book business really works.
David Sedaris is a comedic author, and has sold more than ten million books. (I can almost guarantee that your parents know who he is!) David was born on December 26, 1956. He now lives in Sussex, England, but grew up in North Carolina. He has had many bestselling books, including: Barrel Fever, Naked, Holidays On Ice, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, When You are Engulfed with Flames and, most recently, Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls. Currently, David is on tour reading in cities across America, and I was curious to learn about what that was like.
Question #1, “What are you on your tour for?”
“This is actually not a book tour,” David said. “It’s what’s billed as a ‘lecture tour,’ meaning I’m in big theaters rather than stores. My shows start at 8:00 and for the first hour I read out loud. As I rule I avoid anything I’ve already published. I like to read new pieces and works in progress. Then I answer questions for thirty minutes, and then I sign books for anywhere from two to five hours.” Can you believe that? He sometimes ends up signing books for 5 hours! That is amazing! Also, wouldn’t it be exciting to go into an auditorium, and read for a huge amount of people? Not act, not sing, but read! That is really cool.
Question #2, “How do you find good places to eat, lodge, or shop?”
David answered, “My lecture agent takes care of the hotels, and the theaters. She brings me menus to look over before the show. I usually eat dinner at the book-signing table. As for shopping, I don’t often have the time but when I do I usually rely on word of mouth. I can’t overburden my suitcase so when I find something I like I usually have it shipped home. It’s in my contract that the hotel has to be the best place in town. I’m terribly spoiled that way. This morning I’m at the Four Seasons in Austin and tonight I’ll be at The Adolphus in Dallas. They always give me the same room. It’s as big as a house and has a full-size pool table in it.” I personally would love to have an agent to find me the best hotel rooms possible! Can you imagine having a full size pool table in your hotel room? I know I can’t!
Question #3, “Can you name some of the places you are going to?”
Before I tell you David’s response, I must warn you, he did not just give me some places, he gave me all of them. David’s response: “I’m going to 47 cities in 49 days.
Morristown, NJ Great Barrington, Ma
Poughkeepsie NY Purchase NY
Ridgefield CT Philadelphia
Boston Syracuse
Bethesda Frederick
Rochester Athens
Pittsburgh Blacksburg
Knoxville Greensboro
Virginia Beach East Lansing
Kalamazoo Stevens Point
Minneapolis Omaha
Laramie Boulder
Colorado Springs Jackson Hole
Flagstaff Mesa
Tucson El Paso
Houston San Antonio
Austin Dallas
Tulsa San Diego
Napa Berkeley
Davis Seattle
Missoula Walla Walla
Eugene Santa Barbara
Long Beach Las Vegas
Tallahassee
Question #4, “Is the tour tiring? Are there parties to go to after you read?”
“It can be tiring, especially when you’re traveling to smaller cities,” David responded. “Often that involves two flights and perhaps an hour long car ride. Often I go to bed at 2 a.m and have to get up at 6 a.m.. I make it a point not to go to parties. It would wear me out too much. Once or twice during every tour I’ll have dinner with friends.” This sounds tiring to me, too. It must be hard staying up until 2 a.m., and waking up at 6 a.m.
Question #5, “Does anyone come with you on the tour?”
“Most often I travel on my own,” David said. “I prefer it that way. It means I don’t have to waste time waiting for people.”
Question #6, “How long do the tours usually last?”
“I go on a lecture tour every fall and every spring,” David tells me, “The one I’m on now is unusually long. Usually they last for six weeks, and involve a city a day. I don’t mind it in the spring but in the fall it’s startling. I leave England just as the leaves are starting to turn and when I return in December the trees are bare!” Can you imagine going to a new city every day? That would definitely be awesome.
Question #7, “Are you reading at any famous places this time?”
If you were wondering why I said, “this time”, it was because last time I saw David he told us that in the past he had read at places like the Sydney Opera House and Carnegie Hall several times. “The places are famous if you live in those places,” David states. “I’m thinking of Carnegie Music Hall in Pittsburgh, Symphony Hall in Boston, Benaroya Hall in Seattle, and The Winspear Opera House in Dallas.” I think it is unbelievable that he reads in big theaters like these all the time.
Lastly, Question # 8, “What is your favorite part about the Tour?”
“I love attention. Without it I would shrivel up like a autumn leaf,” David says, “Nothing beats the sound of a big audience laughing. I don’t know why I need this so desperately, but I do, and no amount of it will ever be enough. When a tour is over I’m always a little sad. For a week or so I’ll be depressed, then I buckle down and write new material for the next tour.” I think we all love attention, David! At least I know I do!
To sum it up, David’s tour sounds interesting and fun. I, for one, would love to see him read or talk on this tour. David is an inspiring writer, and one day I would love to do what he does. It is clear that David enjoys going on these tours, and as you can see, he is greatly looking forward to his next one.