Con Sellers — Who Was He?
In the next few weeks, I will be taking a look at Con Sellers and his titles from Novel Books. I’ve become rather interested in Novel/Merit and their tough-guy, Manhunt-style fiction, their house organ Men’s Journal, and their writers, such as Orrie Hitty, Jerry Goff, Jack Lynn, Bill Lauren, Herb Montgiomery, Ennis Willie, G.H. Smith, and Con Sellers.
Along with his Novel titles, he seems to have branched out from the sleaze era and penned a number of men’s adventure and thriller books with Pysramid and Pocket (some as Crane Sellers).
His Novel novels, like all Novel novels, have colorful and suggestive titles and artwork…
But will the text live up to the packaged hype? We shall see…
We shall know…
Those Sexy Vintage Sleaze Books 
November 10, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Camerarts also published (along with Men’s Digest): Rascal, Best For Men, and some “figure study” type mags. The early figure study mags were spiral-bound. They also published some of the early Novel titles in magazine form that were numbered like the paperbacks were and each copy had two complete novels. They were a strange publishing house—no doubt!
November 10, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Indeed. Too bad there isn’t a publisher like them today.
May 4, 2010 at 2:34 pm
Con Sellers was my writing instructor at Rogue Community College during the 80′s. It was an invaluable experience for any author and a fucking boatload of laughs. He was a REAL man. Tough as hell, a boxer. Tender as heaven, an animal lover. A strong body containing an even stronger intellect. Patriot. Rebel. Artist. He is still sorely missed by those who knew him. The world would be a better place if there were a million more like him.
Con Sellers 1922-1992
February 11, 2011 at 5:40 pm
Thanks for the great words about Con. All are true! He was a pretty interesting guy.
-j. sellers
May 5, 2010 at 6:20 am
Thanks for the info!
June 9, 2010 at 6:44 pm
Con was my great uncle and I am so glad I pleasure of knowing him and even the greatest pleasure of reading his books. I’m not sure if Marilee or Sweet Caroline is my favorite. He is missed very much!
March 22, 2012 at 12:47 am
I too learned a lot in Con Seller’s writing class. It wasn’t theoretical stuff, you had to write and stand up to the criticism of your classmates. Then, when they’d picked you apart, Con would synthesize what they’d said and add his own comments, and he was always dead on. And you no longer felt beaten down, you had a direction for the next piece of fiction. I went to his funeral, and a pretty young woman sang a spiritual, which must have been at Con’s bidding.
July 16, 2012 at 11:06 am
Con wrote so much more than sleaze, tho I must say finding boxes in the loft of the barn, full of so many more titles than you have listed here as a 12 year ranch hand; was almost as interesting as the man himself. I knew Con as a kid moving to Slate Cr. Or. from Wolf Creek’ Oregon: after some 35 moves before that due to a military father and some 4 relations with the ring; some 4 plus beautiful ceromonys later. He was the real deal, the last surviveing member of his unit in the big red 1 fragged by ye olde potato masher{hand grenade on a stick} n shot even the medic who found him fisrt was opened up on, along with Con trying to get back to safety. His wounds made for a cycle of writing around them; time to write, time to sleep, time to soak. He was from birth to death a Gladeator of the first degree. He would write through the night, tween the times o resolution:12 to 5am often being his best hours between soaks and sauna’s in his black and gold roman sauna. With Dallas out on tv again it it a wee bit of an interesting footnote the Con wrote the book. By the way he wrote some 200 plus books;Lee Raintree was one of many pen names, due to copywrights and modern day buisness. Yes, n I have the proof in the form of pihotos, autographed books, and his military acadamy clairinet from his days at Eastin in the 20’s.
I was working in on set of Mamoth Ivory grips for his 45 when he passed on. I was over seas in the service at the time and like so much in life: nothing like getting there; or something done just a little to late. He was incredablely huge in spirit, soul, being, and apparrently sexuallity. In the the world I now live in he is and was a sexual pioneer before his time. Just wish I coud even begin to share the man I knew: like as like; the true story is too big to begin here. For insance do you he was sent the script to a t.v. show being pitched…..8 weeks later Cons “Dallas” was released globally under the pen “Lee Raintree”; his controbution being the fundamental story line being valed at some $250,000. The books were released around the world and the fisrt pop of The Dallas was born. So much history so little time. have any questions, let fly