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Thursday, August 11, 2011

Selling My Books on the Streets of Brooklyn 8/11

There wasn't much action on the sales front, but it was an interesting day nonetheless. As I was setting up shop, a tiny napkin fell out of one of the books that had been donated yesterday. Someone had written on it, a young woman, I'd guess. It was neat and the printing seemed to have a feminine lilt. It offered a glimpse into her heart. "I may shed tears now but I know happiness will be ours one day soon. I can't wait until you show me affection." And on the flip side there was: "I will not only shower you with affection, but I'll do it also with my love." I hope she got her wish. How refreshing to find someone who believes in love in this increasingly cynical world.
Bob Rubenstein stopped by. He showed me his royalty check for the previous quarter's web sales of Ghost Runners: $24 and change, which translates into at least 15 copies. He was disappointed. I was envious. I haven't had any web sales the last two quarters. I will resume editing his second novel, The White Bridge, this evening. He sent me the final few chapters this morning.
As I was hauling the crates back to the car, a middle age gentleman on a bike approached. His face was familiar, but it took me several moments to place it. Marin, who is of Romanian descent, purchased Close to the Edge about six months ago. He hated it. It took him two weeks to finish. He didn't like the story or the writing. This was the first bad review of any of my books I've ever had. A reviewer thought Edge was misogynistic but still rated it three stars. I'm more surprised when people tell me they like it. It is meant to be disturbing, delving into the darkness at the core of the soul of the characters. An old classmate of mine, who was too polite to say he didn't like it, said he felt as if the novel had put him through a ringer. I was happy to hear that. I admire Marin's honesty. I shook his hand and thanked him. Of course, such a review is a jolt. I reminded myself that another Romanian immigrant, Laura, a lovely college student, recently told me how much she liked the book. Naturally, I now wonder if she was telling the truth, wonder if I'm fooling myself about the works in which I've invested so much time and effort. On the bright side, Marin will not be asking me to edit his novel. I was so worried I wouldn't like it and was filled with dread imagining having to tell him. If that's karma, it's a weird instance of it.
Thanks to the women who purchased books on cooking and crochet today, and to the 84-year-old veteran who donated three thrillers.
Read Vic's stories, free: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/

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