Esquire magazine

The last time a copy of The Beat Handbook sold was on June 16, so I decided it was time to try another approach. I sent a copy to Esquire magazine and requested a review. Esquire has an offbeat sense of humor, and they routinely glamorize drinking and other "manly" pursuits featured in the book (as modeled by the beats), so why not give it a try? (I've been reading the magazine of late because the guy who lived in our house before us left a pile of them--they have made good bathroom fodder.)

I figure they will either ignore it (no harm done), or review it. If they give it a good or better review, I bet a number of books will sell at Amazon. If they give it a mediocre review, I bet a book or two will sell. If they pan it, I bet a book or two will still sell just out of curiosity (the "no such thing as bad publicity" angle).

To help me out with my quest, if you have the time and desire, you could send a letter to Esquire and ask them to review my book. Here's the address:

The Editors
300 West 57th Street
21st Floor
New York, NY 10019

Can't you just see them getting a dozen or so letters from all over the place asking them to review The Beat Handbook? Come on, be a hepcat and write 'em a letter. Or an e-mail! There's a drop-down form at Contact Esquire.

I added a P.S. to my cover letter and asked them not to just throw the book away, but rather to give it to someone who might appreciate it. I suggested a NYC street bum. After all, the beats were green before green was cool (as many entries in my book, such as Day 71, attest).