Christmas in June

[friend of the friendless]

Sirs, Madames,

JR, an expert witness when it comes to Canadian publishing, will tell you that hockey books sell before Xmas and then fade into the background.

Curious thing today on Canadian amazon.ca ... # 1 best-selling sports book is my goofy hockey book (at one pt today #104 among all bestsellers, getting close to its high-water mark back when it was published in November). No other hockey book was in the top 100 sports books. The second-ranked book on the hockey list was No. 26,000 on the best-seller list. My editor says the title didn't burst out of the blocks but its sales haven't slowed down in over six months on the shelves.

Not that it will earn out its advance but it might qualify as a Canadian best-seller (this isn't the qualifying height for the Olympic high jump but rather the qualifying height for the Special Olympics). My sense of satisfaction can be traced to unpredictable Canadian book-shopping habits and painfully low expectations. Of course, five book orders turn amazon.ca inside out.

Back to our regular programming.

YD&OHS, etc

 

[imjustagirl]

Yay for you!!!

 

[hockeybeat]

Sirs, Madames,

JR, an expert witness when it comes to Canadian publishing, will tell you that hockey books sell before Xmas and then fade into the background.

Curious thing today on Canadian amazon.ca ... # 1 best-selling sports book is my goofy hockey book (at one pt today #104 among all bestsellers, getting close to its high-water mark back when it was published in November). No other hockey book was in the top 100 sports books. The second-ranked book on the hockey list was No. 26,000 on the best-seller list. My editor says the title didn't burst out of the blocks but its sales haven't slowed down in over six months on the shelves.

Not that it will earn out its advance but it might qualify as a Canadian best-seller (this isn't the qualifying height for the Olympic high jump but rather the qualifying height for the Special Olympics). My sense of satisfaction can be traced to unpredictable Canadian book-shopping habits and painfully low expectations. Of course, five book orders turn amazon.ca inside out.

Back to our regular programming.

YD&OHS, etc

Congratulations!

 

[mike311gd]

That's awesome, sir.

 

[HC]

Well done, FoF!

 

[User 1019]

Beers on FoF!

Congrats, man.

 

[spnited]

Further proof that Canickustanis are all crazy.

Way to go, Friend

 

[friend of the friendless]

Mr Full,

This is Canadian publishing. This round is on me. A bottle of beer, please, and six straws.

YD&OHS, etc

 

[Dirk Legume]

Mr Full,

This is Canadian publishing. This round is on me. A bottle of beer, please, and six straws.

YD&OHS, etc

TBF can bring the shrimp [/crossthread]

That is awesome news. Just awesome. Having never written a book, I can't imagine the feeling that you must get when you realize that people are validating your hard work.

Gotta be amazing!

 

[terrier]

This thread reminds me of that great Young Adults (legendary satirical R.I. bar band of the seventies/early eighties) tune "Christmas in Japan in July."

 

[Cadet]

Congrats!

 

[Smasher_Sloan]

It's outselling "The Tim Harkness Story?"

 

[JR]

Congrats to FoF. Christmas is over but maybe people are buying it as NHL Entry Draft presents.

Unlike 99.9% of most hockey books, you can read Mr. Friend's latest tome without caring or knowing anything about the sport.

 

[Huggy]

Indeed, congrats to Mr. Friend O'. His new book would appeal to people who are into sports as scouting is the same business whether it's hockey, baseball or football.

 

[friend of the friendless]

Mr R,

It's funny but a lot of the kids going to the draft this year or anytime soon have been reading it. Hodgson, Duchene and Hall among others talked to me about it when I've interviewed them this year. (Hall wanted to know exactly what Crosby was paid by Rimouski, probably to see if he was being shorted by Warren Rychel. But I digress.)

YD&OHS, etc

 

[Huggy]

Hell, I'd love to know what Crosby was paid in Rimouski. If Rychel gave Hall his empties to return he'd probably come away with a good buck.

On one junior team bus trip that I'm familiar with - four people (two players, two staffers) - were reading Mr. Friend O's tome at the same time.

 

[JR]

On one junior team bus trip that I'm familiar with - four people (two players, two staffers) - were reading Mr. Friend O's tome at the same time.

The Troops could start a FoF Book Club.

 

[Huggy]

Yes, I was one of the staffers....

 

[The Big Ragu]

Thing is, I needed something to line the birdcage with, FoF, so I figured a dozen books would be enough paper to last for the next year. I just picked a book randomly, though.

Seriously, congrats. Earning out the advance is one thing... We want royalty checks!

 

[friend of the friendless]

Sir,

Hell, I'd love to know what Crosby was paid in Rimouski. If Rychel gave Hall his empties to return he'd probably come away with a good buck.

On one junior team bus trip that I'm familiar with - four people (two players, two staffers) - were reading Mr. Friend O's tome at the same time.

That's an amazing story -- not that they were reading my books ... that they were reading any books!

YD&OHS, etc