Neil Gaiman plans last book-signing tour, ever

Neil Gaiman has announced that his next book-signing tour will be his last. He’ll be heading out in 2013 to sign copies of “The Ocean at the End of the Lane,” which hits shelves June 18, traveling around the U.S., the U.K., and then going farther afield. Then: No more.

This will be his final book-signing tour because, for Gaiman, recent book-signings have turned into overly long affairs. In 2009, a reading and book-signing he did in Georgia had some fans waiting almost seven hours.

“[O]nce the Ocean at the End of the Lane tour is over, I do not think I will do any more book signing tours,” Gaiman wrote on his blog Tuesday. “I’m going to try and make this tour the glorious last US book signing tour, and then stop doing book signing tours for good.”

Gaiman is the author of many award-winning books for children, teens and young adults; he has written fiction, graphic novels and comics, children’s books and films. He’s recently been working on adapting his novel “American Gods” for HBO, and has two books coming out in 2013.

“The Ocean At The End of the Lane” is a book for adults; “Fortunately, The Milk” is a picture book for children. Gaiman describes “Fortunately, The Milk” as “very silly. Funny. For readers of all ages. Contains milk,” while adding that “The Ocean at the End of the Lane” is “not very silly at all. Sometimes funny but mostly personal and even scary and disturbing. Not for children, even though it’s about a child. Contains a small amount of milk; was manufactured in a facility that processes nuts.”

In 2010, Gaiman married musician Amanda Palmer; the two have performed together. In fact, they’ll be together on stage in New York on New Year’s Eve. Maybe they will again sometime down the road, even if Gaiman won’t be signing books as part of the event.

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