Nobody's Perfect: David Wells Chats with PW
by Tim Coleman, PW NewsLine -- Publishers Weekly, 3/12/2003
David Wells may be very limited in the media appearances he can make now that the Yankees have fined him, but he didn't have any restrictions when he sat down with PW a few weeks ago to chat about the "nibbles" he offers in his book that shoots from his (well-rounded) hip. Here's a nibble of our own from that conversation; the full version appears in Monday's issue.PW: Was writing a book your way of setting the record straight on what people think you're like?
Wells: I really didn't want to do a book. Publishers were offering me three times the money to do one back in 1998—seven figures, man—but I was like, "No."
PW: So why now?
Wells: Back then, I wasn't ready to write one. I just didn't want to exploit my life. But over the past couple years, I had time to think, and I said to myself, "All right, do it."
PW: So the book is 432 pages! Why the extra innings?
Wells: It didn't start out that way. [Laughing] I was having back surgery in 2001, and then one team got interested in me. Then comes [Yankee boss] George Steinbrenner, and the book just sort of took off. I always wanted to write something about a kid from Ocean Beach, Calif., who grows up to be a major leaguer, but then all this other stuff came in. Like getting into the fight at the diner.
PW: Is that behind you?
Wells: Yeah. Almost.
PW: How much couldn't you address in the book?
Wells: I had to be brief and precise about it. I had to put it in there—people want to read about it, I'm sure—but I was advised by my lawyers not to do too much or it could come back to haunt me. So there's just a nibble.
PW: Are you the same fierce competitor when it comes to books and sales?
Wells: Sure, why not? I mean, I sort of went into writing it not knowing what to expect, and the feedback I've gotten so far has been positive. Who knows? A blind squirrel also finds a nut sometimes.
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