Having already conquered book charts with his bestselling Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Jeff Kinney is now turning his attention to retailing.

According to The Associated Press, the author announced Friday at Book Expo America that he and his wife plan to convert an abandoned general store in Plainville, Massachusetts, where they live, into a bookstore. The town has a population of 8,264.

A blend of comics and prose, Diary of a Wimpy Kid has sold more than 115 million copies worldwide since its debut in April 2007.

"A few years ago, my pie-in-the-sky goal was 100 million books sold," Kinney told CBR News in October. "I thought one day I might reach that number, but, quite frankly, I didn't think it was achievable. Recently, my publisher counted up all the sales from all the different countries and languages, and shockingly, we were already above 115 million. I can't believe it. It's also very humbling because you think that as an author, after one success, you will work on your next project. And you hope that the next project will be successful, as well, but I'm sure that everyone else that has sold more than 100 million copies has tried to do something else and has not succeeded to the same level so I'm certain that I've peaked. [I just need to appreciate what I've done."

The ninth installment of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, The Long Haul, is set for release in November from Amulet Books.