Monday, December 9, 2013

Against the Big Boys

I do love football. My sons played in high school and one played in college. Those years were fun and I miss watching them play. This year I've had the pleasure of watching my oldest son coach high school football. They had a great year and on Saturday they played in the state semi finals for AAAA football, which of none PA fans means the big school division. Our high school, the one I recently retired from, is the smallest school in the state in the big school division so our playoff run was very unexpected.
Cold and snowy in Altoona
They didn't even clean the bleachers.

To make the football story short, our beloved Falcons had to play against a huge private school from the city of Pittsburgh. We lost. By a lot. It was sad for my son, the coach, and for our hardworking players, most of them boys I've had in class in the past few years. It was a heart breaking loss to end their season. But today or the next day when the bruises fade a bit, they'll take a look back on the season and know they had a great year. Considering the size of our school, they had a great run.

Doing a little Christmas shopping, in a bookstore of course, it's difficult to miss the 'bestsellers' and 'big name' books being promoted. There are entire tables with Hobbit trinkets and dozens of possible selections of paperback and hardback copies of Tolkien's books. Then there are the Hunger Games and Game of Thrones tables. I'm sure you can name a few. Big revenue generators. Lots of money spent in bookstores at this time of year. Will anyone be spending it on my books?

After Christmas, there will also be a lot of gift cards waiting to be spent. There will be new tablets able to easily download and purchase books. New laptops and smartphones. Will any of those buyers look at my books to purchase or will they mostly buy books from those big names with all their promotions?

The playing field isn't necessarily fair, but sometimes the little guy, or girl, does win. I'm hoping I'll find the magic I did with The Marine's Queen that sent it to the top of the list, ranked above some of the big boys even if only for a while. Like our little football team, I'll work hard with the skills I have and believe it will pay off with a good run or success.

What displays have you found front and center in the bookstore lately? Tired of seeing Duck Dynasty everywhere? Did the snow storm interfere with your weekend plans? Have you signed up for the contest over at the IWSG blog yet?

17 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I always look forward to spending gift cards. And having them spent on my own books!
Yes, little tired of Duck Dynasty.
And sorry your son's team lost. But if they made it that far, that's quite an accomplishment!

Heather R. Holden said...

I tend to ignore most of those "bestseller" tables and such, to be honest. I have more fun seeking out hidden gems!

shelly said...

I live in Florida. It's been warm and sunny. And since I've got a Kindle, I very rarely go to the bookstore.

Pat Hatt said...

That made it really far, sometimes the odds are stacked or packed but they can be beat back

Kimberly said...

Sorry about the loss. That's always hard.

I haven't been in the bookstores lately but I sure have seen the Duck Dynasty stuff everywhere!

I just checked out The Marine's Queen and I'm going to go add that to my Goodreads list! Sounds really great!

Dana said...

I also ask for bookstore gift cards for Christmas. I generally bypass the bestsellers shelve search in the corners to find amazing books. :)

Unknown said...

I love getting gift cards. My favorite are the ones to Amazon. They have everything.

Unknown said...

I love getting gift cards. My favorite are the ones to Amazon. They have everything.

PK HREZO said...

No snow storm here down in FLA. It's unbelievably hot and it's so hard to imagine it cold anywhere right now. lol

Arlee Bird said...

I've never been able to grasp football. I guess if I'd had a son or grandson who played I'd learn the game, but all I have now is daughters and granddaughters and none of them show an interest in playing yet. They do like soccer though and that game I can understand.

Wouldn't it be great to write a book that spun off into all sorts of licensed items. You could retire and just write what you wanted. Or write more franchise series.

Lee
An A to Z Co-Host
Tossing It Out

Stephen Tremp said...

You can only go so far with Duck Dynasty. Really.

I saw a Duck Dynasty shower curtain at WalMart. I really don't want those neared weirdos watching me take a shower.

Cate Masters said...

Book store gift cards are my favorite. :)
It is exciting when your book rises above some big name authors on the bestseller list. Congrats!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

The team still did really well to get that far.

Can't remember the last time I was in a bookstore. We only have a BAM here and I don't consider that a real bookstore. You can never find anything!

Unknown said...

Even after all the years my son played football, I struggled to understand the positions. My husband had to explain what my son was doing almost every game. But I sure liked watching him!

I'm hoping for book gift cards; my list runneth long! I like to search out bestsellers and the little knowns--- good stuff in each.

Denise Covey said...

Keep your spirits up. Next season your son's team may wipe those private school boys!

I love bookstores, but don't shop in the Big Ones. I shop indie and luckily we have a thriving indie bookstore industry in Brisbane. They have everything you'd want, without all the hoo ha of what you describe. All year round they gift wrap for free, so it's my go-to place for gifts.

As an early Christmas present, I just bought one of your books, the one you're using as your profile pic at the mo'. Don't know when I'll get to read it, but it's snugly on my kindle.

Denise

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

If only all our family and friends read my blog. They would know to get almost all of us book gift cards fro Christmas.
Thanks, Denise. Hope you enjoy it.

The Happy Whisk said...

I don't know what Duck Dynasty is, but I am for sure, tired of seeing their mugs every frickin' where.