Last Saturday, May 26, I was one of the featured authors at the Literature Festival at the Walls of Books bookstore in Newark, Ohio, |
Besides myself there were nine other authors present at tables set up throughout the store, |
...or outside. |
...Children's books, |
....Christian children's books, |
Alongside her openly-displayed quadruple-X-rated wares Lasondra also offered her mainstream fiction and her publications on budgeting advice, herbal healing, and self-help. |
There can be no doubt that the author's engaging style with the customers and spot-on salesmanship were helping her sales of Determined, which I'm guessing measured about six by eight inches, had maybe 50 pages and sold for $20. |
"Open to any page in the book except the first or the last," she'd say proudly, indicating that one could find what one sought in this genre on almost any page, precluding the annoyance of having to either read or flip through a number of pages to get to the, uh, goods.
"That's really hardcore," commented one young guy who'd taken the challenge and flipped to the center of the book.
Still, the author had a way of pitching her hardcore erotica that made it sound excellent and downright wholesome - which, for all I know, maybe it was, though I can't really say as I declined her repeated friendly offers to open to any page, any page except the first or the last. As I explained to her, I like my salsa mild.
In truth the people, men and women, who were buying the book looked wholesome enough. One young woman who came in with her husband and four small children bought a copy of Determined and a couple of Christian books, too.
As for me, I sat at my table at the Literature Festival from 11 am until 5 pm, pitching my book to any occasional passer-by who showed the faintest ember of interest. |
Turned out the best-sellers of the day were the Christian novels and the Christian children's books. And the porn.