George Pelecanos is the subject of a feature in today’s Times. No one doubts the quality of his work — he’s been a critical favorite for years. But he’s never sold more than about 20,000 hardcover copies of any of his books. His publisher is preparing a marketing assault that they believe will push him to the next level. Can he do it? I worked in a Borders in downtown DC for a while, and people were overjoyed when I reccomended his books — there’s got to be a market for smart, exciting fiction like his.
Here’s George on The Sound of Young America — an amazing guy.