An interview with Todd Pinsky
Every humor writer would love to get Dave Barry to provide a testimonial. When I chatted with Todd Pinsky, he told me how he accomplished the feat.
TB: How did you get your start writing?
Todd: When my wife, Julia, was pregnant I was writing low budget TV commercials for a small town affiliate station. Lots of those were funny; some even intentionally. While making some ads for the local newspaper, I dropped a hint about wanting to write a column, but the publisher shot it down by asking what I had in mind. Eventually I refined the concept to a heartfelt but sarcastic sociopolitical parody-narrative stream of consciousness rant on any topic of my choice. Kind of a Hunter Thompson-Gore Vidal - Dave Barry-Garrison Keillor-Woody Allen-Jonathan Swift-Herb CaenCalvin Trillin- Damon Runyon-Friedrich Nietzsche sorta thang. You know, something in the six-to-eight hundred word range. Crackpot political hunches, amateur psychiatric advice, dubious spiritual guidance, unqualified legal opinions; plus the requisite innuendo and hearsay and also some cooking tips. Toss in a joke here and there as a fig leaf to eliminate the need for fact-checking. Trouble was, I convinced myself I was too busy on the job to make the time to commit to a weekly column.
TB: So, how did your column finally materialize?
Todd: As soon as I resigned to become a homedaddy, I called the paper to say that I'd now have time to write the column (naively believing this to be true). When I explained the situation, the publisher and the editor, despite my reluctance, insisted that I write about it. Never, in my tamest dreams, had I pictured myself a parenting writer. They assured me total freedom of content and style, as long I consistently maintained a new stay-home father's perspective. It was fun to write from the beginning, and before you knew it, I was Homedaddy®.
TB: How did you sell your column to newspapers? Was it difficult?
Todd: Not at first, since the sale was essentially made before the columns were written. After that, however, it was difficult trying to self-syndicate, or to get picked up by one of the larger syndicates. Lots of query letters, asking permission to submit samples; lots of hurry up and wait. The newspaper business, like seemingly everything else, was undergoing consolidation of ownership, with all that belt-tightening stuff. It wasn't a seller's market, content-wise.
TB: What was the process of selling your book to a publisher? Did you use an agent?
Todd: I spent a couple of difficult years trying to get an agent and work a "standard" publishing deal. I considered subsidy publishers like iUniverse and XLibris, but Julia and I finally decided we could do better ourselves, especially in light of the fact that she's a great graphic designer with years of typesetting and print expertise. We are Push Pull Press. No agent involved. Publicist, though...
TB: How did you get Dave Barry to provide a testimonial for your book?
Todd: I once sent Dave Barry a note about one of his columns. It was more of a thank-you than true fan mail; he was trashing corporate newspaper ownership for being a bunch of greed-addled fools. At the time I wasn't writing a book, I was still writing a weekly column, while being pressured into "all-rights" (as in, we own your copyright) contract by both Gannett and Kinght Ridder papers. I soon received a hand-written reply mentioning one of my columns he had seen that he thought was really funny. After that I knew I'd tap him for a book blurb when the time came. Since he so graciously consented, I have to assume he really likes it. Or he thinks it's such crap that it poses no threat to his livelihood.
TB: What advice would you give to other humor writers writing their first book?
Todd: Any substantive advice would depend on the writer and the book, but in general I encourage humor writers just to make themselves laugh. Don't over-analyze the audience. There are more ways than ever to sell books, so be yourself and you'll probably do at least as well as if you painstakingly tailor the work according to your estimation of some niche.
(c) 2003, University of Dayton
Homedaddy: Little White Lies and Other Tales from the Crib
by Todd Pinsky
2003 could be called The Year of the Stay-At-Home Dad. We’ve seen features and cover stories in Oprah Magazine and Newsweek, a proliferation of fathering Web sites, and even Eddie Murphy is on board with his latest movie, "Daddy Daycare." But despite this attention, and often because of it, the image of a bumbling, clueless “Mr. Mom” remains a persistent, self-fulfilling stereotype.
Women have shown they can be successful breadwinners, but what about the men? Even if he can cook, clean, and nurture, can a man without a set of lactating breasts command respect from an infant? Which partner assumes the traditionally male household duties such as taking out garbage and mine-sweeping the yard for dog poop? And the question on everyone’s lips: what happens when you run the "Teletubbies" theme song backward?
In his new book, Homedaddy: Little White Lies and Other Tales from the Crib, humorist and author ToddPinsky draws connections between home and the outside world to create a satirical and poignant commentary on modern American life. With a style that has been called “Erma Bombeck meets Hunter S. Thompson,” he has gained a loyal following and earned praise from the likes of Pulitzer Prize winning newspaper columnist and best-selling author Dave Barry. Michelle Cadwell, co-host of "The Mom Show," says, “Homedaddy goes straight to the heart of the parenting experience. Todd Pinsky rewrites the script for modern fathers, and (he’s) a riot to boot.”
Todd and his wife Julia were both working when she became pregnant. After a quick accounting session, they decided that Todd would give up his job in order to be a stay-home dad. Although his transition to Homedaddy may have initially been financially motivated, it soon became a labor of love. He began writing a weekly humor column, Homedaddy, which has since appeared regularly in the San Jose Mercury News, The Salinas California, the Funny Times, and elsewhere.
Before writing Homedaddy, Todd worked in film and television production, owned a catering business (Grill of My Dreams), and umpired Little League baseball…but not simultaneously. He lives in Santa Cruz with his wife and their two young daughters.
he will authograph
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Homedaddy® is a registered trademark
