Blog Posts for Ben Fong-Torres

Clayton Books: A Kihn-Do Kind of Book Shop

Ben Fong-Torres — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:53:03 -0800

It’s been a rough year for most of us, but I guess I should count myself among the lucky ones. When Chronicle Books began mapping out promotional plans for the Grateful Dead Scrapbook, in late summer or early fall, I turned down one of the first bookstores to invite me for a signing. Lord knows, it could have turned out to be the only one. But it was Clayton Books, in Clayton, which I ...

How to Video Yourself Without Flipping Out

Ben Fong-Torres — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:13:36 -0700

Want a video of your readings or signings? Sometimes, they’re being recorded without your even knowing about it. That was the case the other evening when I showed up at The Booksmith in the Haight-Ashbury to flog The Grateful Dead Scrapbook. There was a camera set up, for Fora.tv. And, sure enough, a few days after the reading, an edited version was on its site. At least I hope ...

Blog, Blog, Blog...

Ben Fong-Torres — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:33:56 -0700

Don't let me forget: I've got to mention that my new book is out--it's the Grateful Dead Scrapbook--and I'm giving it a light push; mainly at The Booksmith on Haight St. October 7 (a Wed.) at 7...Anyway: The Banned Books concert at the Main Library here in SF was fun, considering the subject was the censorship of books and other artistic works and expressions. It was partly the weather, which had ...

Telling Your Story

Ben Fong-Torres — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:35:22 -0700

Well, this should be fun. Or a complete disaster. Either way, Alan Unger asked for it. He's a friend of mine, and husband of a long-time buddy, Ruby, who I knew from her nights as a talk show host on KCBS. For over a year, Alan's been after me to kick off a speaker series he was organizing at The Redwoods, a seniors center in Marin County. The idea was a good one: Show up and tell your story, ...

Everybody Must Get Banned

Ben Fong-Torres — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 00:15:35 -0700

Have you ever had one of your books banned?Me neither. But, every year, usually late in September, an organization known as the ALA (I'll guess it means the American Libary Association) observes "Banned Books Week." I was invited to take part this year in San Francisco, at the Main Library on October 1st. I could read from a banned book, or a banned anything: book, short story, ...

When Writers Make Music, It's 'Stranger Than Fiction'

Ben Fong-Torres — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:04:10 -0700

Lots has been happening, but not that much connected with books … until I got this e-mail from Kathi Kamen Goldmark (who’s added “Barry” to her name, having married HarperCollins SF’s Sam Barry recently). She is famously the creator of the Rock Bottom Remainders, the garage band comprised of best-selling authors (Amy Tan, Stephen King, Matt Groening, Mitch Albom, Scott Turow, Roy ...

The Mysterious Travels of a Book

Ben Fong-Torres — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 20:23:00 -0800

I'm not sure what this means, except that I probably shouldn't expect any royalties for my book on the Doors. Here's what happened: I got this email today from someone named Kelly, asking if the surviving members of the band--and I--ever signed copies of our book, The Doors by the Doors (Hyperion), for Barnes & Noble. Seems Kelly found a new copy at a store for $15 "in the bargain ...

Everybody Must Get Mentioned!

Ben Fong-Torres — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 13:00:29 -0800

So, I'm getting the idea that one can blog about damn near anything here in the red chamber. Great. Last week, while I was at El Rio, in SF's Mission District, doing another of my parody songs, to the tune of Dylan's "Rainy Day Women (12+35)," a guy asked if he could post a copy of it online. I said, "Sure," and forked it over. This has happened before, and I still haven't ...

Don't Stop Believin'

Ben Fong-Torres — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 12:40:44 -0800

Don’t you hate it when you read a book—or see the title of a book—and say to yourself, “Dang! I could’ve written that!”Happens every day, doesn’t it? Happened to me just recently, when Da Capo Press sent me a copy of Don’t Stop Believin’: How Karaoke Conquered the World, by Brian Raftery. It’s also about how karaoke conquered Brian Raftery, which makes it more than a ...

Readings, But Not in a Bookstore

Ben Fong-Torres — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 17:20:32 -0800

Not every author can do this. You need a big name, connections, or both. But at the end of 2008, I attended two book events that didn’t take place in anything resembling a bookstore. The first one was for Grateful Dead 365, by Holly George-Warren, a dear friend of mine dating back to the early ‘90s, when she served as my research assistant and driver (through Southern towns) for Hickory ...