How to Buy the Complete Beer Course for Father's Day
Uh, wrong book cover.
Much like pumpkin brews, sales for beer books follow a seasonal rhythm. Following Thanksgiving sales spike, culminating in Christmas week. I would like to think this is solely due to the merit of my works, but I fully understand that my books fulfill a much-needed gift niche.
My [insert subject] likes beer, the reasoning invariably goes. I'll get [insert subject] this book.
Shopping for people is hard. Hard! Hell, when I got engaged, I made my wife's best friend go shopping for the engagement ring. If it were up to me, I would've twisted aluminum foil into a ring shape and called it a day. It's the thought that counts, right?
Which brings me to Father's Day.
In this enlightened era of inebriation, men and women enjoy beers equally. Bend elbows at any better beer bar, and chances are the sexes will be split right down the middle. On my homebrew tours, there are often more women than men in attendance. Those dusty old clichés are consigned to the dustbin. Except during the holidays.
Around Mother's Day, I barely see a sales increase for my books. (But trust me: as a newly minted parent, moms and dads are both hitting the bottle.) My inbox is flooded with press releases touting chocolates, jewelry and wine for that special mom in your life. Cultural norms are reinforced.
During Father's Day, though, my book sales once again board that sales escalator. It's consumer behavior, behaving as you'd expect.
On the one hand, I wonder why beer books must ride that gender road. Everyone likes a little IPA-fueled buzz, no matter your chromosomal makeup. On the other hand, I guess I should say: Thank you! Diapers are expensive. So very expensive. So for Father's Day (or a belated Mother's Day gift), if you'd like to help out with my Pampers fund, here are a few ways to buy The Complete Beer Course.
Amazon: The ol' standby, though the site is running low on stock. If so, check out... Barnes & Noble: It's essentially the same price as Amazon. IndieBound: Support your favorite independent bookstore. Signed copies from me: Yeah, I know it's more expensive. But I have to ship my books out by hand. By hand! And I have neither a drone nor an assistant. Save for Sammy Bernstein. And he can't be trusted to go the Post Office.
