FILE - This April 21, 2012 file photo shows Jeff Kinney at the LA Times Festival of Books in Los Angeles. Kinney announced Friday, May 30, 2014 that he and his wife were converting an abandoned general store into a bookshop. The store will be based in Plainville, Mass., where Kinney and his wife live. (AP Photo/Katy Winn, File)
May 30, 2014 - 7:05 AM
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Meet the latest bookstore owner: "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" author Jeff Kinney.
The beloved children's writer surprised and delighted a breakfast gathering Friday at BookExpo America, publishing's annual national convention, by announcing that he and his wife were converting an abandoned general store into a bookshop. The store will be based in Plainville, Massachusetts, where Kinney and his wife live.
Kinney, whose books have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide, joked that he was opening a store to get rich.
Kinney isn't the only author to go into the bookselling business. Ann Patchett runs Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee, and Larry McMurtry is the longtime owner of Booked Up in Archer, Texas.
BookExpo America is being held in New York City.
News from © The Associated Press, 2014