Chicago is a much better location for comedians working the road than L.A. or New York. There’s no money in L.A. and not much in New York. You’re not near any cities with good paying clubs in L.A. In New York, again, you’re too far away from the rest of the country. 

Finally, Chicago is simply a better city than L.A. or New York, as far as I’m concerned. I get all the balance I need in Chicago, which is something I mention as being very important in the book.

A question that I always ask authors is how difficult was it to find a publisher. Most say very difficult. They also talk about the lack of shelf space in bookstores. Why would a store owner use that valuable space on a newcomer when they can stick a Stephen King book in there. What are your thoughts?

It’s the same old lame answer, but it’s true: You must push, push, push, then push some more. I’m still pushing. Once you get published, you want a bigger publisher. A bigger advance. More advertising. There’s always another step and you have to push to reach it.

Why should a store put newcomers on the shelf? For the same reason Ford has to keep making new cars. The same reason Microsoft has to keep updating their software. Bookstores need to stay competitive. You have to show them what you have is good enough to put on the shelf and that it is somehow original. Plus, since there’s a return policy in bookselling, there’s not much of a risk if the books don’t sell; the stores can literally get their money back. Again, push, push, then push some more. I let bookstores know where I’m going to be on TV, the radio, etc. to help them increase stock there. Neither I nor them want to miss out on sales. For me, I have to prove my worth by out marketing everyone else.

When I started comedy, club owners wouldn’t book me because “there are only fifty weeks in a year. We have all the acts we can fit now. Why book you?” I wrote material for the local area to compete. If there was a gig for a convention of doctors, I told the booker I would write 15 minutes of doctor material. And I did. And the crowds ate it up. And I moved up the ladder quickly and got a lot of work. Lots of other acts didn’t do anything new to stay competitive. There’s always an angle, always a push. Keep looking for new ones.

The Internet in many ways is the great leveler; operations like Amazon make books available to everyone. Is the internet an important tool to you?