Rethinking the Familiar Book Tour

Okay, I’m definitely all for trying to figure out a way to fix the problem of how boring and excruciating “Readings” are, but I’m not totally sure that replacing them with extended Q+A’s— as this WSJ seems to be partially suggesting— is the answer!

Every single person I know dreads “the Q+A portion” which at best just ends up being a bunch of boiler plate but barring that ideal-ish scenario is almost always hijacked by a strange person in the back row who has a three part question about himself and/or a book he’s written about his own grandchild.

The other bad thing at a Q+A is that you can accidentally end up being that person, which has happened to me on a few occasions.

Or there’s the thing where an author you love is so cringingly pompous and obliviously self-regarding when presented with the opportunity to answer questions about herself for a half hour that you have to go out for a cigarette; it’s just too embarrassing. Obviously I have been that author too.

Anyway, obviously the solution to The Reading Problem is strippers. I have been saying this forever but no one ever listens.

(By the way if I ever have another book party I promise you there will be go-go dancers so don’t forget your dollar bills.)

11/30/11