Absolutely direct marketing

En route to the outer Cape a week or two ago, we paused at a rest stop with a Burger King and visitor information center, off Route 6. As we were getting back in the car, we were approached by an exceedingly polite senior citizen. He said, "My name is Bob Pease. Some people think I'm crazy, but I'm here to promote my book."

He was so unpushy, only handing us a leaflet, that we were not put off. Later we looked at his website and discovered that he has written several books, as well as poems, essays, and a children's book. He is also a birder and a jazz buff. His books are available from Flagg Mountain Press in Barnstable, which looks as though it might be the author's own imprint.

The book is "O.U.I," a novel about a teenager's death in a car accident and her parents' ordeal in the aftermath. I can't vouch for the book, but a link on the site says that 5,247 copies have been sold, many in orders of 50 or 100 copies by schools. It apparently was used at Falmouth High School as a waker-upper for kids.

Many an author published by respectable commercial publishers, including some who are well-known, would be thrilled to sell as many as 5,000 copies of a novel. Perhaps they would do better if they were willing to go directly and cheerfully to potential readers in a Burger King parking lot on a hot day. We wish Robert Pease good luck.