You Saw My Book Where?

For years, I dreamed of being an author and seeing my name on a book in a real-live bookstore. Isn’t that every aspiring author’s dream?

A few weeks ago, I got a message from a friend in another state. He had been out shopping and saw my book.

In a discount store. With a price tag about one-fourth of the list price.

Yet another new author experience.

At first, I was a bit disappointed, but I thought about it. Here are the insights I gained:

1. The book has been out for nearly three years, and, deep in my heart, I knew it could not stay front and center in regular stores forever.
2. At the lower price, in a well-known discount store with many locations, the book has the potential to reach a bigger audience. We want as many people as possible to read our stuff, don’t we?
3. I love to shop at this particular store, with an outlet about an hour from where I live, and, in the past, I have noticed other books from my publisher. Now, mine has joined the selection! I’m part of the author club!
4. To quote the words of a friend of mine who passed in 2022:

It is what it is.

I feel my adventure with this publication has come full circle. I have seen my name on a book at full price in major stores and at a reduced price in a discount store alongside the sales of nearly out-of-date chocolate, oddly-scented air freshener, and rebuilt appliances. What more could I ask?

Carlton Hughes, represented by Cyle Young of Hartline Literary, wears many hats. By day, he is a professor of communication. On Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, he serves as a children’s pastor. In his “spare time,” he is a freelance writer. Carlton is an empty-nesting dad and devoted husband who likes long walks on the beach, old sitcoms, and chocolate—all the chocolate. His work has been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dating Game, The Wonders of Nature, Let the Earth Rejoice, Just Breathe, So God Made a Dog, and Everyday Grace for Men. His latest book is Adventures in Fatherhood, co-authored with Holland Webb.