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Edited by Christopher Simmons, senior news editor

'BEDTIME STORIES' PUT TO BED - THE BOOK YOU NEVER HEARD OF YOU MAY NEVER GET TO READ

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - November 6, 2002 /Send2Press Newswire/ -- Owing to an almost epic lack of interest from the book-buying public, Kevin Dawson's satiric short story collection "Bedtime Stories for Insomniacs" has been withdrawn from publication.

A briskly attended web site (http://insomniacs.bizland.com) somehow failed to generate sales. "If every visit--not hit, mind you, visit--resulted in the sale of a single copy, I'd have a bestseller," lamented the first-time author (assuming that everyone understands the difference between a web site "hit" and a "visit"). The site, which includes excerpts from the book and a whimsical "FAQ" section, will remain open for the time being.

"Bedtime Stories for Insomniacs," published by "print on demand" (POD) publisher iUniverse, was not available in stores but could be purchased via internet booksellers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble.com. At one point, the book was Barnes & Noble.com's 14th bestselling book whose title included the phrase "Bedtime Stories," and the 26th bestselling book among authors named Dawson. Despite these fascinating statistics, sales of the book remained paltry.

A mass mailing of "Bedtime Stories for Insomniacs" copies (at the author's expense) to selected newspapers, magazines, "alternative" newsweeklies, and television talk shows resulted in a single (positive) review on web site epinions.com. According to a recent "New York Times" article ("You Oughta Be In Print," 10/17/02), POD books generally are ignored by the media which perceive them as falling below a professional standard of writing. Upon reading this, the author remarked, "Now they tell me!"

About the Author
Kevin Dawson was born in a hospital the day after Marilyn Monroe sang "Happy Birthday" to President Kennedy. His timing has been a bit off ever since. He got A's in elementary school, B's in high school, C's in college, fired from several jobs, and is defensively vague about his future plans. Prior to "Bedtime Stories for Insomniacs," Mr. Dawson's writing experience has been limited to a number of surly Letters to the Editor which mistakenly appeared in otherwise respectable publications. When asked what other would-be authors might learn from his own chastening experience, Dawson replied, "Become famous first, then write the book."

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URL: insomniacs.bizland.com

Source of news: Kevin D. Dawson