A few days ago I received a nice email from an oyster company across the bay who had just ‘discovered’ my book O is for Oysters. They were thrilled at the information it contained and ordered a number of copies to sell in their small retail outlet. My warehouseman (read Farmer Nyel with A Different Hat) reported a little later that we didn’t have even half the number. When we ship these remaining books, we will be sold out!

I am both pleased and saddened by that discovery. The book was self-published in 1998. I believe we ordered 2,000 copies (but it could have been just 1,000) which means sales averaged fewer than 120 (or maybe 60) a year. Meanwhile, they have been stored in our back room (“the warehouse”) along with the back-stock of most of my other books in the “Mrs. Stevens’ ABCs” series.

As my 80^th birthday looms nearer (six months from tomorrow, in fact) I am feeling an increased desire to sell off the rest of those warehoused books – you know, downsizing. D is for Discovery has been out of print for some years. Now, O is for Oysters. They are officially collectors’ items!

But there are a number of other books in the series: P is for Peninsula, O is for Oysterville, P is for Papa Train, C is for Cranberries, K is for Kidnapping the County Seat, and I is for Indians (which is the only one that we have ever had reprinted.) I do hope that they sell out in my lifetime – which is to say I hope I live to 100 and beyond. (You have to be optimistic in the book biz…)