"When audiences come to see us authors lecture, it is largely in the hope that we'll be funnier to look at than to read"

This quote by Sinclair Lewis is a funny way of pointing out the paradox of authors being more amusing to watch personally than to read. He is suggesting that audiences come to see authors lecture in the hope that they will be more entertaining to take a look at than to check out. This is likely due to the fact that authors are frequently viewed as boring and dull, so audiences are expecting a more interesting experience when they concern see them in person. Lewis is satirizing the idea that authors are not as amusing as they could be, and that audiences are wishing for something more when they pertain to see them. He is also suggesting that authors need to make every effort to be more entertaining in their writing, so that audiences can enjoy them both face to face and on the page.