September 11, 2012

SLIDESHOW: Fifty Shades of Melville Novella

by Dustin Kurtz

At Melville House we pride ourselves at bucking a trend or two, at fighting the good fight for literary scruples, but there are some trends that even we can’t ignore. Even intrepid indie marketing guys (hi!) have to eat, if only occasionally.

It’s with this (and a certain runaway bestselling guide to whips and pantone spectra) in mind that we less-than-proudly present to you our newer, sexier line of novellas. If the people want sex and BDSM who are we to say no?

Now it’s about bookselling and foot fetishes, I suppose?
Maybe it’s time to be afraid of her now?
Hm. Some of these are pretty kinky already. We’ll leave this one as it is.
I assume that most of our sales of this were already to people with a surplus of libido and a deficit of spelling skills, so why not just go with it?
This one is probably fine as is, though it makes me a bit uneasy.
Wait. Wait, wait. Is this really the sort of book people are coming to us for? I’m starting to doubt this whole venture.
You know what? We’re done here. Shut it down.

Dustin Kurtz is the marketing manager of Melville House, and a former bookseller.