from sports pickle
Some publishing company under the impression people want to read a book about Ron Kittle
Sports Publishing, LLC, a Champaign, Illinois-based publisher who just released the title “Ron Kittle’s Tales from the White Sox Dugout,” seems to be under the clearly delusional impression that there are people in the world who want to read a book about Kittle, a career scrub who played two decades ago primarily with the White Sox – one of the worst franchises in all of sports.
“A lot of publishers will put out books about sports legends like Muhammad Ali or Babe Ruth that guarantee strong sales, but not us,” said Sports Publishing president John Merriman. “We think there is huge market for titles about athletes a tier or so below those types – folks like Ron Kittle, former Falcons and Bills kicker Nick Mike-Mayer, or outfielder Sixto Lezcano.”
Merriman said he expects the recent publicity surrounding Kittle’s accusation in the book that Barry Bonds once told him that he “doesn’t sign for white people” will really boost sales.
But publishing industry experts disagree.
“Sure, the Bonds thing might get that book a few extra sales, but people aren’t going to plunk down 15 bucks just to wade through hundreds of pages of Kittle recounting his many strikeouts and blowout losses to the Brewers and sparse crowds at Comisky just to read that one anecdote,” said Jeremy Westbrook, who reviews books for the ‘New York Times.’ “I don’t expect this book to sell more than 100 copies, the vast majority being to Kittle’s friends and family.”
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