50 Shades of Brown
I have to say I am absolutely amazed by the runaway success of these 50 Shades books. All three have been topping the Times bestsellers list for several weeks now, with sales way in excess of anything else. 50 Shades of Grey alone has been clearing a good 100,000 copies a week.
Now - I can perfectly understand the desire to read erotica - I must admit I enjoy a juicy story myself. Though there does seem to be this consensus of opinion that men being the shallow creatures we are, only are interested in pictures/ video and that women, being somewhat more sophisticated enjoy the fiction as they "have an imagination". Quite frankly I find this insulting and sexist - we aren't all cavemen you know! Well I'm not anyway - but unless you know me, or have known me "very well" shall we say, you will have to take my word on that.
I guess the thing that surprises me about the runaway success of 50 Shades of Grey is why now? Such fiction has been around for decades - back in the 70s we had Emmanuelle and numerous other copycats, and I've noticed that WHSmith has had a large erotica, or soft porn, if you will collection for many years. And if you were ever a member of World Books or any of those other book clubs that were so popular back in the 80s and 90s you will remember a fair number of books of these type available through them. I know because once I had bought my DIY Book, Encyclopaedia, Dictionary and Atlas, there wasn't a lot else worth buying and locked in for a year I had to buy something.
Yet suddenly, despite all of this long term availability this book appears and smashes all sales records. And as I understand from various reviews I have read it isn't even anything that special or original. I'm not qualified to comment myself as I haven't read it, but a consensus of reviews can't be wrong. Some were quite scathing, one I read comparing it to something...well there's a clue in the title of this blog entry!
Perhaps I shall read it - I have a very vivid imagination and contrary to popular opinion not all men are purely interested in knocking one out to an utterly predictable DVD - give us some credit ladies.
Royal Ascot starts today - and with it an unbelievable gift horse quite literally. Now we all know gambling is a mugs game and you never see a poor bookie. But just occasionally, a statistical and mathematical quirk presents itself that leaves clever punters in a position to place a bet where the odds are MASSIVELY in their favour.
In the first race at Royal Ascot today, the great Frankel runs. This amazing horse has never lost and has crushed all opposition every time it's raced. But I am not proposing you bet on it, even though it's a certainty. Because the odds are so short (1/6) - that you would have to put £60 on to win £10 - really not worth it, though still quite good when you think you'd have to leave some money in a building society for about five years to get such a return.
Anyway - here's the statistical quirk. Because the odds are so short, all the odds of the other horses are big. And because the bookmakers calculate their each way prices at a fixed one quarter of the odds, you can get amazing value on each way bets, because something has to come 2nd and 3rd to Frankel.
There are 11 horses in the race and 8 of them are absolute no hopers - all should be at least 100/1. That leaves Frankel to cruise home and Excelebration and Strong Suit to fill the places at tasty each way prices. OK, it's not a certainty, but any bet where you are getting way over the odds is worth having. Bookmakers are running scared and on course I doubt whether any of them will take an each way bet - but the big firms online and the shops have to because of the way their rules are set out. 99% of the time it's in their favour but this particular race they are on a hiding to nothing. Such opportunities do not present themselves very often!
The odds this afternoon will be much better than this morning, so unusually I would say do not take a price - the SP is bound to be bigger. I reckon about 8/1 for Excelebration and 16/1 for Strong Suit.
As for the outsiders if you do fancy taking a punt on one of them in the hope one of the first three in the market bombs out you will be getting astronomical odds!
Of course there is even the teeny weeniest (highly unlikely) possibility that Frankel might lose and on of these two might win! Then you really hit the jackpot!
Don't believe me if you don't want to. Some people will always see anyone who bets as a fool and a loser, but that's just another generalisation such the "men only watch porn" thing above. But I think you know that I know what I'm talking about on this subject. It's free money. Enjoy.
If you have enjoyed reading this blog, please take a look at my books on Amazon (Paperback & Kindle), where you can read lots more of the same! Click here.
Jason xx
Runaway success |
Now - I can perfectly understand the desire to read erotica - I must admit I enjoy a juicy story myself. Though there does seem to be this consensus of opinion that men being the shallow creatures we are, only are interested in pictures/ video and that women, being somewhat more sophisticated enjoy the fiction as they "have an imagination". Quite frankly I find this insulting and sexist - we aren't all cavemen you know! Well I'm not anyway - but unless you know me, or have known me "very well" shall we say, you will have to take my word on that.
I guess the thing that surprises me about the runaway success of 50 Shades of Grey is why now? Such fiction has been around for decades - back in the 70s we had Emmanuelle and numerous other copycats, and I've noticed that WHSmith has had a large erotica, or soft porn, if you will collection for many years. And if you were ever a member of World Books or any of those other book clubs that were so popular back in the 80s and 90s you will remember a fair number of books of these type available through them. I know because once I had bought my DIY Book, Encyclopaedia, Dictionary and Atlas, there wasn't a lot else worth buying and locked in for a year I had to buy something.
Racy stuff in the 70s |
Yet suddenly, despite all of this long term availability this book appears and smashes all sales records. And as I understand from various reviews I have read it isn't even anything that special or original. I'm not qualified to comment myself as I haven't read it, but a consensus of reviews can't be wrong. Some were quite scathing, one I read comparing it to something...well there's a clue in the title of this blog entry!
Perhaps I shall read it - I have a very vivid imagination and contrary to popular opinion not all men are purely interested in knocking one out to an utterly predictable DVD - give us some credit ladies.
Royal Ascot starts today - and with it an unbelievable gift horse quite literally. Now we all know gambling is a mugs game and you never see a poor bookie. But just occasionally, a statistical and mathematical quirk presents itself that leaves clever punters in a position to place a bet where the odds are MASSIVELY in their favour.
In the first race at Royal Ascot today, the great Frankel runs. This amazing horse has never lost and has crushed all opposition every time it's raced. But I am not proposing you bet on it, even though it's a certainty. Because the odds are so short (1/6) - that you would have to put £60 on to win £10 - really not worth it, though still quite good when you think you'd have to leave some money in a building society for about five years to get such a return.
Anyway - here's the statistical quirk. Because the odds are so short, all the odds of the other horses are big. And because the bookmakers calculate their each way prices at a fixed one quarter of the odds, you can get amazing value on each way bets, because something has to come 2nd and 3rd to Frankel.
There are 11 horses in the race and 8 of them are absolute no hopers - all should be at least 100/1. That leaves Frankel to cruise home and Excelebration and Strong Suit to fill the places at tasty each way prices. OK, it's not a certainty, but any bet where you are getting way over the odds is worth having. Bookmakers are running scared and on course I doubt whether any of them will take an each way bet - but the big firms online and the shops have to because of the way their rules are set out. 99% of the time it's in their favour but this particular race they are on a hiding to nothing. Such opportunities do not present themselves very often!
The odds this afternoon will be much better than this morning, so unusually I would say do not take a price - the SP is bound to be bigger. I reckon about 8/1 for Excelebration and 16/1 for Strong Suit.
As for the outsiders if you do fancy taking a punt on one of them in the hope one of the first three in the market bombs out you will be getting astronomical odds!
Of course there is even the teeny weeniest (highly unlikely) possibility that Frankel might lose and on of these two might win! Then you really hit the jackpot!
Frankel - officially the best horse for 25 years. A golden opportunity to win money by not betting on him! |
Don't believe me if you don't want to. Some people will always see anyone who bets as a fool and a loser, but that's just another generalisation such the "men only watch porn" thing above. But I think you know that I know what I'm talking about on this subject. It's free money. Enjoy.
If you have enjoyed reading this blog, please take a look at my books on Amazon (Paperback & Kindle), where you can read lots more of the same! Click here.
Jason xx
What's wrong with cracking one off to a predictable DVD?
ReplyDeleteI imagine a sex therapist would say something along the lines of "Absolutely nothing - when enjoyed as part of a wide and varied range of erotic activities"
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to your review of said books in a future blog. . !
ReplyDeleteI guess I shall have to read it at some point to see what all the fuss is about. But not this week. We're off to Paris - without the kids, so who needs to read about it? lol x
DeleteI have just finished the 50 shades books and absolutely loved them but not so much for the erotic content but more for the love story.
ReplyDeleteI did get to the point of skipping past the sex parts as these bits got boring. How many women honestly have mind blowing orgasms everytime?? Even on the first ever go!! Us meer mortals cannot keep up.
You should def give it a try though Jason if you do like an unconventional love story mixed by erotica. Although keep it out of reach of small people (although I'm fairly certain your two at their age would pick up much if they could read it).
Xx
Really? - I thought women did have mind blowing orgasms every time...that's been my experience anyway. Maybe I just got lucky with my choice of partners, huh?
DeleteLMAO! xx