The eagerly anticipated autobiography by Donny, Life Is Just What You Make It -- My Story So Far, began arriving in bookstores in late May across the country. Fans of all ages snapped up the book, quickly putting it on the New York Time's Top 25 Best Seller List.
Shortly after its placement on bookstore shelves, Donny set out on a book tour that had him crisscrossing the country during the month of June. He sat and autographed copy after copy of his autobiography in each of the cities he visited. His tour brought him close to his fans and they responded enthusiastically. Although several locations diminished the experience by rushing people through, fans never-the-less reported that the opportunity to come face-to- face with Donny made up for the less than perfect conditions. And, regardless of the coast he was on, the numbers of fans and the level of excitement remained high throughout the entire tour.
Reports on the earlier signings from DOIN members and fans on the internet provided helpful hints to others for future signings. It was apparent the cooperation of fans lent itself to the signings themselves for as the crowds may have grown in number, fans spent the time getting to know each other and enjoying the experience in spite of the long wait at some locations.
Utah's "native son" also enjoyed some hometown attention as he spent part of the latter days of the tour signing books in Provo, Orem, and Salt Lake City. Scores of fans showed up to see their "neighbor" and get an autograph before Donny headed out of state once again to complete the last legs of his journey. Minneapolis and Chicago would find him finishing up his tour with fans just as excited to see him as those at the start of the tour.
The tour also brought an almost never-ending stream of news articles, radio appearances and visits to TV programs where talk show host Donny found himself on the receiving end of the questioning. Ranging from the irreverent and humorous to the insightful and respectful, the publicity he received brought new readers to the pages of his book and allowed him a chance to explore several of the book's events in more details with his hosts. He handled questions from reporters representing Howard Stern and Time Magazine with panache, and proved entertaining on the "View" and "Politically Incorrect."
Reading the book has given people another view of Donny. When asked during an online chat on AOL what would surprise people most in reading the book, Donny's answer was, "How honest I am with what I've been through in the last 36 years of being in show business."
Donny wishes to thank everyone who came out to see him and support him during his book tour!
