You might have already known that Jews love Chinese food, especially on Christmas. But did you know that "Jews as a group buy 23 percent of all hardcover books printed"? That's according to according to Stuart M. Matlins, EIC and publisher at Jewish Lights and Skylight Paths books. Jennifer 8. Lee, NYT reporter and author of Chinese food book The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, subjected herself to an "audition" to have her book included in the Jewish Book Network. In fact, she changed the number of chapters in her book from 19 to 18 (a significant number meaning "life") simply to appeal to the chosen tribe! So a Chinese-American author walks into a room of 200 Jews at the Book Expo...

"It is a combination of speed dating and the gong show or "JDate and a camel auction", as Rachel Donadio wrote in The New York Times last year. You have two minutes (and they will stand up and pull you off if you exceed that) to charm them. They get a book with your picture and bio in it. (It really is like JDate! One woman even asked me if I were single).

Seriously, Jews are one of the most important demographics for this book, I told them in my two minute spiel (which I rehearsed and rehearsed to get down to under 1:50). Why?

1. They love Chinese food.
2. They buy books (supposedly 23% of all commercial hardcover in the United States)
3. They have social groups like JCCs and synagogues where they can bring authors in."

Can the Stuff Jewish People Like book be far behind?

[Fortune Cookie Chronicles]