EVERYONE'S GOT ONE #2: ANDREW KESSLER: GENIUS OR LUCKY?

Ever hear of a book called MARTIAN SUMMER: ROBOT ARMS, COWBOY SPACEMEN, AND MY 90 DAYS WITH THE PHOENIX MARS MISSION by Andrew Kessler? I’ll hazard a guess and say you haven’t. But you’ve probably heard about the publicity stunt Kessler pulled recently in New York City at a place called Ed’s Martian Book.  (Which is an awkward name for a book store.)



You see, he recently rented out a store, the aforementioned Ed’s, so he could sell one and only one book title: his own. And this actually worked out for him. So far, he’s sold 500 copies at $27.95 a pop. He says that they’re close to breaking even. Not a bad deal, right?


I haven’t read the book, so I can’t tell you whether or not it’s good, but I can easily see the attraction of this kind of novelty. Who wouldn’t want to go to a bookstore that sells only one book? It’s kooky, and it makes for good conversation. Word of mouth on something like this spreads pretty quickly.


Naturally, the next step for something like this would be for a self-published author to pull the same stunt. But hold the phone: Kessler isn’t a self-published author. His book was published by Pegasus Books, a reputable company. He actually bought 3,000 copies of his own book from them at a discount so he could do this thing.


This means that he has an editor. In other words, someone is paying attention to the words going into his book. Someone who (presumably) knows a thing or two about good writing. This does not hold true for an author who pays to have his work published.


So the danger to something like this is that the book has to have quality to it. Otherwise, people are going to talk shit about you. Things that you don’t want to hear about your book. You might be saying so what?  By the time they actually read the book and hate it, their money will be in your pocket.  That's a good plan, provided you never intend to publish another book.  Readers aren't very forgiving.  They won't give a shitty writer a second chance.  A stunt like this simply cannot continue to perpetuate itself if the book isn’t good.


Kessler seems to know this. His store will only be around for a limited time. It will soon be replaced by a coffee shop this month. So it’s pretty clear that this is not a get rich quick scheme. Like I said, Kessler’s close to breaking even. He’s in this for the word of mouth. And remember, 500 copies is still short, by far, of 3,000 to start out with.


What do you think? Is this a viable marketing strategy for authors now? I doubt it. In answer to the question in the title of this column, I think Kessler’s a genius. If this plan works for anyone else, then they’ll simply be lucky. But let me know what you think in the comments below.