DAVID BALDACCI – FAQ

QUESTIONS

  1. How do you pronounce David’s last name?
  2. When will we see David’s next book?
  3. How did David become a writer?
  4. Where does David get his story ideas?
  5. What authors does David admire?
  6. What is David’s writing process? Does he write every day?
  7. How can I find out if David’s novels are published in my language?
  8. I have a great story idea for David. Will he consider writing it?
  9. Will David read my manuscript and give me his opinion?
  10. Does David have any advice for aspiring writers?
  11. Can David suggest a good agent/good publisher?
  12. When is the next book signing event?
  13. How can I get a personalized/autographed copy of one of David’s books?
  14. How many books may I bring to a book signing?
  15. When does the website post updated appearance dates and locations?
  16. Why hasn’t David visited my city?
  17. Is David working on any television and/or movie projects?
  18. How can I contact David?
  19. Does David read his email?
  20. What is the Wish You Well Foundation?®
  21. How do I book David to speak at an event?
  22. Where can I find a list of David’s novels by publication date and series? Do you have a printable list?
  23. When will we see Oliver Stone/John Puller/Will Robie/King & Maxwell again?
  24. I have a book that’s missing/repeating pages; what do I do?
  25. We are a public library interested in acquiring foreign editions of David’s books. How might we obtain copies?
  26. Is it true that David auctions off character-naming opportunities? How can I participate?
  27. What’s next?

ANSWERS


1. Ball-DAH-chee.


2. A CALAMITY OF SOULS arrives on April 16.


3. David’s wise mother gave him a notebook in elementary school (to keep him quiet, we’re told), but it wasn’t until high school that David began writing seriously, and he continued writing through college and law school. While practicing law, he wrote in the late evening and the wee hours of the morning – whenever he had a spare moment.


4. Everywhere. In an airport, on a train, in a car, at a book signing, walking his dogs, taking out the trash, during a meeting when he’s supposed to be paying attention…we can guarantee that wherever he is, he is thinking about characters and plot points. He says, “As a writer, you can never ‘turn off’ your passion for the written word and love of a great story. So I watch life, listen intently, and basically drive everyone around me a bit crazy as I absorb my environment. When you’re naturally curious you uncover storylines everywhere.”


5. David admires many of the traditional southern scribes: Flannery O’Connor, Lee Smith, Eudora Welty, Harper Lee, Walker Percy and Truman Capote are among his favorites. He says, “Since college I have been reading and re-reading works by Anne Tyler and John Irving. I’ve also been reading Graham Greene and Patricia Highsmith and am a big fan of David McCullough. And I am never far from a well-read copy of Mark Twain.”


6. David’s days are typical for being atypical. When he is finishing a novel he can write for 10-15 hours straight. Some days he’s so busy with other stuff that he only writes for an hour or two. When he’s not writing at a sufficiently productive pace (we receive numerous requests for him to “write faster”) we lock him in his office and tell him that he can’t watch another episode of Midsomer Murders until he produces additional pages.


7. David’s novels have been translated into more than 45 languages and sold in more than 80 countries. (If you are a publisher and wish to inquire about rights to David’s novels, please contact the Aaron M. Priest Literary Agency.)


8. No. David does not read unsolicited story ideas.


9. No. David does not read unpublished material.


10. David says, “Write about what interests you rather than about what you know. Otherwise, you’ll get bored quickly. Writing is hard; it’s easy to give up. Stick with it!”


11. Writers MarketWriters Digest and Literary Marketplace are excellent resources for writers seeking agents. Start there.


12. Visit the Events section of this website for news about upcoming appearances.


13. David loves to meet and sign books for fans and does so a number of times each year at book signing events. David cannot accommodate requests for his autograph at other times; he receives too many and wouldn’t have time to write if he fulfilled them all. If you cannot attend a book signing, contact one of the stores on David’s tour to purchase an autographed book.


14. Please check with the store hosting the event for its book signing policy.


15. We post appearance dates as soon as we’ve confirmed them. David publishes a novel each spring (March or April) and fall (October or November), so if a tour is scheduled, it will likely take place during that time period. For more information about the release of David’s novels, please consider subscribing to his U.S. publisher’s newsletter.


16. David would love to visit every city where he has a fan, but writing two (and sometimes three!) novels each year means he must spend the bulk of his time writing and researching. For many years David toured extensively, but now he’s focusing on other important projects as well, including promoting efforts to reduce illiteracy (through his Wish You Well Foundation®) and hunger (via his Feeding Body & Mind initiative) in the United States.


17. Various television and film projects are in the works; stay tuned.


18. If you have a specific question or comment for David, please use this form. Constructive feedback is welcome, but we weed out mean-spirited and inappropriate correspondence.


19. Because of the sheer volume of mail David receives, he cannot read it all. (We’ve not yet figured out how to clone him.) David’s staff replies to correspondence, but please be patient, as David receives hundreds of emails each week.


20. David and his wife, Michelle, established the Wish You Well Foundation® in 2002 to support literacy programs in the United States. More information about the Foundation is available on its website.


21. Visit the Contact page for information.


22. A printable list of David’s novels and short stories – by date of publication and by series – is here. For additional information about David’s writing, visit the Books page.


23. David would like to write again about Oliver Stone/Will Robie/John Puller/King & Maxwell, but first he has to dream up new stories worthy of those characters.


24. As you would do with any defective item, please return the book to the store from which you purchased it; the store will exchange the book for a new copy. If you are unable to return the book to the store, please contact Customer.Service@hbgusa.com for assistance.


25. David is happy to donate foreign editions of his novels to public libraries in the United States. Please use the Contact form on our website to inquire about copies in the particular foreign language you are seeking.


26. From time to time, David donates character-naming opportunities to nonprofit organizations for their annual fundraisers. The nonprofit receives 100% of the proceeds from the winning bid, and the winner gets to name a character in one of David’s upcoming novels. While most of these auctions require bidders to attend the event (e.g., a literacy organization’s annual fundraiser, a local school’s annual gala), David also sometimes participates in online auctions (e.g., via CharityBuzz), which are available to all. We promote the online opportunities on his website, and on his social media.


27. David is working hard on his fall 2024 thriller while writing two other books. When does he sleep? Your guess is as good as ours.