Erik’s publisher has alerted him to the happy fact that more than 400,000 copies of In the Garden of Beasts are now in print. This doesn’t mean that 400,000 copies have been sold already, but it is an excellent indicator of sales volume, and of his publisher’s confidence in the book. This pleases Erik no end. Erik is also . . .
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Many of you have very kindly offered suggestions to help me drag myself out of the “dark country of no ideas.” You’ve told me about felons in your families, race riots in Tulsa, Okla., sunken ships, and assorted strange events in strange places. One of you suggested I write about the Peace Corps., others have . . .
Read MoreErik Larson is very pleased to report that his Devil in the White City, first published in 2003, is back on the New York Times bestseller list, in the nonfiction paperback category. It appeared at a gratifyingly robust no. 8 (out of 20). Erik reports that this is like suddenly seeing a long-lost friend turn . . .
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Once again I’m stranded in the “dark country of no ideas,” as a friend of mine once described it—that place where I end up after completing a book. For whatever reason, I never have a backlog of ideas waiting for me. At the point where I decide on a particular subject, yes, I’ll have competing ideas, . . .
Read MoreErik is delighted to say that the number of publishers abroad who have acquired rights to publish In the Garden of Beastshas risen now to twelve, with additional sales in negotiation. The list includes Sweden, France, Korea, the Slovak Republic, and Russia. Erik wonders if they’ll all send him on book tours through their countries, . . .
Read MoreHappily, In the Garden of Beasts has risen to the top, and nearly the top, of best-seller lists around the country, including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today. The book also made the best summer reads list of Oprah’s O Magazine. Meanwhile, Erik has again become lost in what his publicist . . .
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The Tour de Beasts has come to an end, more or less, and I leave the great road to authors whose books are just now coming out. It’s been a pleasure meeting readers face to face, and getting a chance to shake hands and sign books. This one, In the Garden of Beasts, hit the . . .
Read MoreITGOB debuted at No. 4 on the Times‘ list on Sunday, May 29, 2011, but then popped into the No. 1 slot for Sunday, June 3, 2011. Agents and editors learn this in advance so they can fetch their authors to New York in private jets loaded with champagne and lobster, and have Rolls Royce Silver Ghosts waiting at . . .
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So I’m back from the core portion of the national book tour for In the Garden of Beasts (ITGOB, if you prefer), which took me to Chicago, Iowa City, St. Louis, Kansas City, and numerous other locales. It’s been satisfying, but also grueling, as these things often are, especially if public speaking makes you nervous. . . .
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So I just got back from the first leg of my book tour for In the Garden of Beasts, and I’ve got lots of intel about hotels, diners and other joints that I really liked. From time to time I’ll pass along descriptions of places I stumbled upon that for one reason or another seem . . .
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