"Quite often I can be in a bookshop, standing beneath a great big picture of myself and paying for a book with a credit card clearly marked John Grisham, yet no one recognises me. I often say I'm a famous author in a country where no one reads"

John Grisham is making a humorous observation about his fame. He is saying that despite the fact that he is a popular author, he is not acknowledged in a nation where no one reads. He is standing in a bookshop underneath a big picture of himself, yet nobody notifications him. He is even spending for a book with a credit card that is clearly marked with his name, yet still nobody acknowledges him. This quote is a pointer that fame is fleeting and that even the most famous authors can go unrecognized in particular locations. It also works as a tip that reading is necessary and that it is essential to support authors and the literary world.