​"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" author's better dream

Talk about an unlikely story: A failed cartoonist writes a book for adults that ends up on the CHILDREN'S best-seller list! Unlikely or not, it's the story our Rita Braver has to tell:

If you're wondering what all the cheering is about, it's because Jeff Kinney has just produced something all the kids at the Library of Congress event have been waiting for: the ninth book in his mega-selling "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series. This one's called "The Long Haul."

"I think that every family road trip longer of more than about three hours is a nightmare family road trip," Kinney said of his new book. "I think I got the cover image just right, which is Greg in the way-back of the minivan under a pile of luggage. Every time I show that to kids, they say, 'That's me, I've been there.'"

"Greg" is Greg Heffley, perpetually stuck in middle school, as he puts it, "with a bunch of morons." He's always being embarrassed by his parents, and he's got two awful brothers: the nasty older one, and the tattle-tale toddler.

Greg is a very nervous, sneaky, fearful and bullied and bullying protagonist.

Braver asked the author, "Why have someone as a main character who's not the least bit heroic?"

"When I was writing 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid,' I was actually reading Harry Potter," said Kinney. "He is brave, he is magical, he is powerful. And I wasn't any of these things as a kid. So I wanted to create a character who was more like I was."

"Were you a wimpy kid?"

"I was an average kid, but I had very wimpy moments," he replied.

Jeff Kinney grew up outside Washington, D.C., dreaming of becoming a cartoonist. He actually created a successful comic strip, called Igdoof, for the University of Maryland's campus newspaper.

But when he tried to land a cartooning job after graduation:

"I went through about three years of sending out submissions and then getting rejected," he said, "so it was really kind of soul-crushing."

He got a day job designing online games. Then on the side, he started writing and illustrating "Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

But it wasn't FOR kids.

"In fact, the first draft was 1,300 pages long," Kinney said, "and it was meant to be sort of a primer or a nostalgia piece for adults."

He worked on that draft for eight years.

Braver asked, "Why didn't you give up?"

"Because I was prolonging the rejection, in a way," he laughed. "Part of it was, you know, just putting off the inevitable for me."

Still, in 2006 at a comic book convention, he showed a short excerpt to an editor from Abrams Books, mostly known for its elegant volumes on art.

"And then he just looked at the first page -- he didn't read anything at all -- and he said, 'This is exactly what we're looking for, and this is why we're here," Kinney recalled. "And then he said, 'It's going to be for kids." And believe it not, that was a huge shocker to me at the time. Never for a second in the eight years I was working on 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' did I think that I was writing for kids."

But when "The Wimpy Kid" was marketed to a young audience, it took off beyond Kinney's wildest dreams.

"I'll never forget when The New York Times list came out, and I had made the list," Kinney said. "I couldn't believe it. My wife and I were jumping up and down on the bed, and in fact, it stayed on the list for more than five years straight. I pinch myself every day!"

"It was surprising, it's still surprising to us," said Kinney's wife, Julie. "Every now and then we're like, 'How did this happen? Why did it happen? This is nuts!'"

Nuts or not, Julie and their sons, Will and Grant, seem to take it all in stride -- even the fact that Jeff has been an executive producer of three films based on the series.

To stay close to his readers, Kinney travels all over the country, turning up at places like Edward Molin School in Newburyport, Mass., where everyone seems to be a fan.

Braver asked some young readers, "Raise your hand if you like the 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' books."

All hands went up.

"I can't stop reading them," said Alanna. "I read them over and over all the time."

Brady said the books are "so funny and interesting. You never know what's going to happen next."

But some adults have been critical of Kinney's simple drawings and writing style. The books have even been likened to "literary junk food."

"It's kind of a combination of huge compliments and very, almost angry insults about the book," said Braver.

"Yeah, I think what most parents and teachers have come to understand is that my books are good gateway reading," said Kinney. "They're not the books you want your kids to end up reading, but they're a great way to get them started. And I'm very comfortable with that."

And it's hard to argue with success. There are more than 150 million copies of his books in print, making the author a very rich man.

So what's he doing with his earnings? Well, in his adopted hometown of Plainville, Mass., where there used to be a general store in the middle of town that was falling apart, Kinney is building something new there: "There's going to be a bookstore, a café/coffee shop. We're going to have a big function space for people to do community and cultural events."

In fact, Kinney is calling the bookstore An Unlikely Story, because that is what his own story has been . . . and he still can't believe quite believe it's true.

He claims he still feels like a failed cartoonist: "I will always admire the 'real' cartoonists for cracking that nut," he said, "and I couldn't do it myself."

"Does the huge pile of money make up for [that]?" Braver asked.

"Well, I feel lucky that I didn't get the dream -- I was denied the dream I went after -- because I think this is a better dream. So I'm going to hold onto that."

For more info:

• "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul" by Jeff Kiney (Amulet); Also available in eBook format
• wimpykid.com