Apologies unnecessary

More than once, a reader has told me almost apologetically how he or she is sharing instead of buying a copy of “Hey, God? Yes, Charles.”. Thank you, but, with a nod to my publisher :), I promise you I don’t care about books SOLD. Sales are, in fact, just fine, but even if they weren’t, what matters to me are books READ, and the opportunity for a reader to benefit from that reading. And I’m learning lots of ways that books are being shared. They’re neat really, through book clubs or Bible studies, within families or among friends, some through counseling.

My favorite story so far came from a new neighbor, widowed, delightful and kind. She has started a chain by mailing a copy of the book to various friends and asking them to write a note inside the cover after they’ve read the book and before returning it to her for the next recipient.

We often hear the marketing term of “value added.” I can’t think how a traditional sale could add any more value than that.