Adventures in Marketing: Weeks 281 – 282

Sold one “Goshkin.”

The buyer was an 85-year-old, retired ER physician, whom we knew from the health club, and who had bought other of my books. She’d recently sold her house and moved into an apartment a block from the café, so I should see more of her. (Turns out she grew up in Chicago, so she should be a “Lollipop” reader too.) She recommended “The First Man,” and I ordered it

Have been sitting outside the café in the nice weather, but business has been slow. The only interest was shown by a fellow who recognized The Checkered Demon. “Is that an original?” he said. “The original’s on a wall at home,” I said. He turned out to be an illustrator/poster designer, who said he’d partied with Wilson in Crockett or Hercules, though I have trouble seeing Wilson in either of those places.

And I heard from Irv. (See “Adventure 275.) “I read your book, Bob,” he said. “And?” I said “It made me smile,” he said, “but it’s not Doestoyevsky.” “Making people smile in these troubled times,” I said, “is a good thing. And I agree with you, it’s not Dostoyevsky.”

In other news…

“Lollipop” took a leap forward toward realization, when my editor completed his read, catching typos and calling into question a number of my word choices. He also had me, with little objection, cutting four entire paragraphs, two here, two there. Some “big picture” questions remain, but, all in all, things are good.

A copy can still be yours for an SASE ($2.89) to POB 9492, Berkeley 94709.

All my other books (some pre-owned) are available thru this very web site.