With over 300 million copies of his books sold worldwide, and 28 novels that have landed at the number one spot on bestseller’s lists, it’s a wonder why this legendary novelist would want any of his books banned unless you realize how lucrative the business is.
John Grisham had some fun on The View this morning when he was asked about banned books. He initially responded by saying, “I love banned books. I wish all my books could be banned.”
The reaction gained laughter from the hosts and the audience, who understood his humorous take which he further explained by saying, “Once a book is banned, it can become famous, and then it can sell a whole lot more books for a long period of time.”
Grisham, whose court-drama novels have been widely acclaimed, certainly is not in need of ways in which to sell them. One of his many highly regarded novels, The Firm, has sold over seven million copies just on its own.
Believe it or not, some John Grisham books actually have been banned. Grisham himself told The View hosts, “The Texas State Prison system once banned my books for some reason. My books were once banned at Guantanamo – big market down there!”
However, Grisham didn’t allow his humor to take away from the seriousness of the issue. He finished his answer by stating,
“Once you start banning books, it’s a slippery slope. Where does it stop? Who gets to ban them? What are the motives of people doing the banning? We shouldn’t do it.”
Also in the interview, Grisham revealed why he doesn’t have sex scenes in his books, the fact that he doesn’t get writer’s block, and that he writes 1,000 words a day for five days a week and starts writing a new novel every January.
He also discusses how his wife influences his books, especially relative to how women are portrayed in them. He gave an example of a brief exchange between him and his wife. His wife said, “Why can’t you just think like a woman?” to which Grisham responded, “Are you kidding me? How am I supposed to do that?”
Grisham’s new book, The Boys from Biloxi, is out now. According to our sources, the book has not yet been banned.