NEW YORK (AP) – Even for someone as loved as Tina Fey, a reported $6 million advance seemed like a lot of money for a book of essays. But five years after its publication, Bossypants has sold 3.75 million copies, according to Little, Brown and Co. And it confirmed a market for smart, funny nonfiction such as Amy Poehler's Yes Please and Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?
In an email interview Tuesday with The Associated Press, Fey discussed Bossypants and some books she has enjoyed recently.
Q: When the book was first published, what were your expectations?
A: My goal was just to avoid humiliation. After years of writing character-based comedy in a group process with other writers, a book "about me written by me alone" made me feel panicky and vulnerable. I kept telling my husband, "This is going to ruin me."
Q: Why do you think it has done so well, beyond, of course, your fame and the quality of the writing?
A: It's also edible. Well, I guess all books are if you're hungry enough.
Q: Any books you'd like to recommend that you've read lately?
A: I enjoyed Diane Von Furstenberg's autobiography. I loved Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I'm currently reading Dinosaurs in the Attic – non-fiction about the American Museum of Natural History. Nothing by Gay Talese has moved me.
