In Canaan, Babylon and other eastern societies, perhaps. Not in Greek or Roman societies, where the "sacred prostitutes" were generally slaves.
Mostly they were free women completing their cultic obligations at the local temple. This was a a rite of passage that confirmed their womanhood. They were not considered marriageable until they had prostituted themselves at the temple.
This practice went on well past the period of Biblical authorship and was part of Roman and Hellenistic culture until Christianity became firmly established.
In the early days of Christianity, critics claimed that Jesus was born of Mary's temple obligation. Women were still considered virgins afterword. It is also the origin of the term "son of god".
Now there's a book that would've created a firestorm.
I believe the author is describing the general pagan attitude toward *resorting to* temple prostitutes, not toward *being* a temple prostitute. What he says applies to Greco-Roman pagans as well as to Canaanite.