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38 notes

Rethinking the Familiar Book Tour

amiwithani:

rachelfershleiser:

bennettmadison:

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 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 also 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 themselves for a half hour that you have to go out for a cigarette; it’s just too embarrassing. Obviously I have probably been that author too. (But i think I usually err on the side of shutting up.)

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.)

I have never read one of these articles and been remotely able to believe the writer has been to an indie bookstore event in the last decade.

Rachel is right. I’m pretty sure McNally Jackson, Housing Works, and Word Brooklyn all have go-go dancers ON STAFF at this point.

Our go-go dancers are all volunteers.

  1. rachelfershleiser reblogged this from housingworksbookstore and added:
    Point: Bullock.
  2. housingworksbookstore reblogged this from amiwithani and added:
    Our go-go dancers are all volunteers.
  3. amiwithani reblogged this from rachelfershleiser and added:
    Rachel is right. I’m pretty sure McNally Jackson, Housing Works, and Word Brooklyn all have go-go dancers ON STAFF at...
  4. choire said: Your answer is correct.
  5. bennettmadison posted this

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