Twenty-two years ago, Indu Sundaresan was getting ready to embark on her book tour for "The Feast of Roses." Her first stop was going to be at the old Books & Co. store in Kettering. Do you remember that place? Back in those days, it was a mecca for touring writers — they would bring in hundreds each year. Those days are long gone. Dayton is no longer a sought-out destination for publishers scheduling book tours. Why is that? There are many reasons. One is economic: Publishers rarely send little-known authors out on book tours these days. If you are well-known, they might subsidize a book tour. But it probably would no longer include Dayton.
Dayton used to get all kinds of writers passing through, from the famous to the totally obscure. Indu Sundaresan is a perfect example of a writer who came through then but would probably never stop here now. When I spoke to her in 2003, she was on the telephone in Seattle and excited to be flying to Dayton the following day to kick off her tour. And here's another thing: Back when so many writers were passing through our region, I was able to talk to many who had been previously unknown to me and read lots of books I probably would never have discovered otherwise. I miss those days.
The other day, a writer in southeast Ohio reached out to ask me if I could suggest some local bookstores that he might contact to try to schedule book signings. He has a new novel coming out this fall. I told him that I really could not suggest any bookstores, but we have some excellent libraries in our region who bring in authors and that he should contact some of our fine local libraries instead.
I learned a lot about the history of India in this book. The author is an articulate, knowledgeable guest — she is also a fine writer.
The Book Nook airs Saturdays at 7 a.m. and Sundays at 10:30 a.m. on WYSO 91.3 FM and streams at WYSO.org or wherever you get your podcasts.
The Book Nook on WYSO is presented by the Greene County Public Library with additional support from Washington-Centerville Public Library, Clark County Public Library, Dayton Metro Library, Wright Memorial Public Library, and Tipp City Public Library.
