Amanda Palmer is taking a break from her long string of tours to focus on writing and building a life in upstate New York.

Photo Credit Raymond Flotat

After becoming well-known for her wildly successful Kickstarter campaign, as well as causing some heated discussions about her decision to not pay her auxiliary musicians (and finally relenting,) Amanda Palmer has made the decision to put her touring on hiatus and deal with her personal life, a book, and focus on writing again. Having been touring for nearly 12 years with few breaks, including a co-headlining tour with Neil Gaiman, she is fully entitled to taking time to unwind a recalibrate. For the full text from the announcement on her blog, read below.

after this tour is over (I end in Vienna in mid-November) I am ending this round of the grand theft orchestra.

I’ll be doing 10 shows, solo, in Sydney for the Sydney festival in the amazing spiegeltent (January 9-19) and after that, i’m stopping.

i am going to write a book, start a home with neil in upstate new york, and take the summer relatively off for the first time in about…12 years. it’s been that long since I took a true break from touring.

i am also going to start work on a giant long-term theatrical project/original musical with my director hero, steven bogart.

i am also going to fully clean my apartment in boston for the first time since – NO SHIT – 2004. that’s the last time i vacuumed. expect interesting pictures.

i don’t know when I’m going to tour again, or how, or who with, but it won’t be for a while. I’ve been on the road pretty much non-stop since 2002 and it’s time to take a fucking break.

i also need to get back to writing music. as nice as it is to be known for being a feminist, a kickstarter maker, a blogger and a general pain in the ass, i miss the days when people knew i was a good songwriter. this last record i made, Theatre is Evil, was the best of my career, hands down, with the strongest production and best songwriting i’ve ever delivered…and i feel like the poor record itself got drowned in the murky seas of Everything Else.

time to balance the scales…brush off self, re-tune strings, collect thoughts, simmer the chaos, and ready myself for whatever is next, armed with a new song.