Celebrated author Isabel Allende is no stranger to international book tours. The Chilean-American, winner of the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom, has published more than 20 books over the past four decades. But even before the pandemic she was ready to change the way she connects with her readers. After a gruelling promotional schedule the 79-year-old decided she had had enough of the relentless travel. “We swore that we would never do another book tour because we were so sick and fed up,” Ms Allende remembers. “And two weeks later, the pandemic hit.” The pandemic has helped drive a rise in book sales over the past two years as lockdowns meant more people were spending time at home reading.
