Is an author's death good for book sales?

The funeral for writer John M. Ford sounds like it was well attended. So many laudatory things have been said about him since his death that I'm now motivated to actually read something that he's written because before now, his work remains unknown to me. I find that's a common occurance for me.

I have my favourite writers and read a lot of their stuff and will occasionally pick up something new. I am familiar with the names of many authors and some of their more influential work, but have never had the time to ready any of their work. When they die, I feel compelled to see what I've been missing. Recent examples were Octavia Butler and R.A. Lafferty. In both cases, I was pleased to add two more authors to my favourites list.

Ford pretty much died penniless. Neil Gaiman was struck by the fact that Ford didn't have a will and that this will cause problems for his family as they try to keep control of his literary estate. He urges all creative types to bite the bullet and draw up a will of their own.

Another author who died recently is short-story writer Nelson Bond. I can't say that I know who he was, but it looks like I'll be picking up one of his books along with Ford's the next time I'm at the bookstore.