Cute Babies Sell Maine Clambake Mysteries, continued

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by Barb who is at the Jersey shore with 3 generations of extended family

Long-time readers will be familiar with my highly mercenary and ethically debatable ad campaign, Cute Babies Sell Maine Clambake Mysteries.

I’m happy to say we have a new entry this year. Cute baby (really toddler) sells Hidden Beneath!

Like the others, my newest grandniece (greatniece? great-niece?) is taken with Kensington’s colorful covers.

Very taken.

(Her grandmother swears she’s never done this to any other book and I believe it.)

Kensington’s covers are so distinctive that my non-reading grandchildren can pick them off the shelf and know that I wrote them.

Let’s review the campaign.

2021–Cute Babie Sells Shucked Apart

My third granddaughter, another one who seems to find cozy culinary mysteries delicious, selling Shucked Apart.

2019–Cute baby sells Jane Darrowfield

My second granddaughter, selling us Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody.

2013–Cute Babies Sell Clammed Up

The whole campaign started because in 2013, I had new granddaughter, a first grandchild as a matter of fact, and a new book series. My daughter-in-law took a photo of my son reading Clammed Up to his daughter and we were off and running!

The photo that started it all!

My brother also had a new granddaughter and they got in on the act. A campaign was born.

Here are our models at the beach last year. (Somehow we missed a campaign with the cutie second from the left.)

We’ll try to get an updated photo of six wiggling, giggling children this year!

Readers: What do you think? Exploitation of unpaid child labor or compelling advertising campaign? (It can be both.)

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Published by Barbara Ross

Barbara Ross is the author of twelve Maine Clambake Mystery novels and six novellas. Her books have been nominated for multiple Agatha Awards for Best Contemporary Novel and have won the Maine Literary Award for Crime Fiction. She lives in Portland, Maine. Readers can visit her website at www.maineclambakemysteries.com

50 Thoughts

  1. Your family is proud of your books. Let them shamelessly show off! 😊 sweet memories for when they reach that mysterious teen era when they may not even like to read. 🙀 Jane Darrowfield needs to return. We need more mature protagonists in cozy land!

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    1. Thank you, Jeanie. I do think we’ll hit a wall with the older ones soon. However this is the first generation to have every movement documented on Mom’s phone, so maybe they just accept it as part of life and keep going.

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  3. Oooh Very Compelling Advertising Campaign!! Love watching all your grands grow and appreciate your books! I am sure you’ll be their inspiration to grow up reading.

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  5. I’m shocked, shocked, at this disgraceful exploitation of grandchildren! Phenomenally cute!

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  6. I think you are okay. I don’t see any ‘labor’ going on, just kids having a lot of cute fun ! I think we are doing all the work with heads swiveling back and forth – cutie, cover, cutie, cover 🙂

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  7. I love it! I think it is a very cute campaign. I am probably biased though. I can’t get enough photos of my first great-niece, who just had her first birthday. Of course the competition is heavy as she is competing with her 3 month old twin cousins for attention. The entire family is the real winner since we get to enjoy numerous cute baby photos.

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    1. My daughter sent so mamy photos of her little ones to the family when we were separated by the pandemic that my niece started creating memes with them.

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  9. Love both the idea and the kiddos photos. And why not use those you love to promote books written love reading by those they love! To me it’s a smart marketing strategy as well as getting to show off those precious babies. Just keep your amazing books coming as well as the adorable photos.
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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  10. I would have to say compelling advertising campaign. I mean who could say no to those sweet little faces.

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  13. “A story you can sink your teeth into” or “She couldn’t wait to devour the latest tale from Busman’s Harbor”.

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  14. Such a gorgeous set of young ladies you are blessed with, Barb! Each one of them is adorable! Don’t hesitate to engage them to promote your brilliant books, and reading in general. One cannot be too young to start reading! Go for it, they have the looks, and you have the “goods” to promote, so all is fair in commerce and love 🙂 Happy August to y’all Luis at ole dot travel

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  17. Just keep feeding them books. The fiber is good for them! And keep feeding us with your books and the pix.

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  18. Sounds like your great-niece heard culinary cozy and thought she could eat the book. 🙂

    And, if it is family, is there such a thing as unpaid child labor? I thought that was just part of being in a family was you got exploited, I mean you got to participate in things like that. 😉

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  19. If I had granddaughters, I’d show their pictures to everyone I could! My teenage grandsons, forget it. I’m lucky to get them to stand next to grandma and grandpa for our annual Christmas photo. Luckily, I started that when they were very young!

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  21. Compelling advertising campaign. In terms of how they are related– My niece had a son who was my grandnephew. Now he has a son, and he is my great grandnephew. So, if your niece had a daughter, she would be a grandniece. If she is third generation, she would be a great grandniece. But I love your books as much as they do though I don’t eat mine. Ha! By the by, they aren’t unpaid as they are paid with all the love you have for them so evident in the photos. So cool to have such a great and supportive family.

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  22. I love the pictures with the Dad’s reading to their babies. What a great idea, showing off your beautiful grandchildren and wonderful books at the same time. You are so blessed.

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  23. Who can resist a baby and a one of your books? Great advertising! Your grands are adorable!!!

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  25. I love it. I do not think it is either. You are just showing us your grandchildren. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.

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