Balm for One of My Pet Peeves

(partial) Quote of the day:
…Ayn Rand, who is to traditionally female attributes like empathy and interpersonal relationships what Grover Norquist is to functioning government… Salon Magazine

Over the past 24 hours, I’ve been pretty busy. For that matter, over the past 24 months, but that’s neither here nor there.

Wednesday evening I was trolling one of the several Internet message boards I scan to keep up with news about books. I came across a posting by an author, Robert Thompson, who was seeking to promote his new book on leadership by offering to do Internet radio interviews. In his sign-off, he blithely told the board to “Order Your Copy Today at: Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com.”

I’m sympathetic to the difficulty authors face in getting exposure and sales for their books. In Mr. Thompson’s case, he had taken his professional skills as a trainer and translated that into a book. The book had been picked up by a major publisher of business books, but, as you will see in the correspondence I’m sharing below, he was surprised at how much of the burden of selling his book had fallen to him.

But this blissful ignorance, this example of taking the easiest way, sounded my gong. So I flamed him, albeit gently. Here’s what I said:

Hi, Robert.

I have a new BTR show that will be about half books and half local public affairs. I'm also an independent bookseller.

Should you realize that amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com arent' the be-all, end-all of bookselling, we'd be happy to schedule you on our show.

Every time an author solicits bookseller support and then says "check me out on amazon," another angel falls from heaven.

I thought that was gentle. I have the same reaction when I hear the word “Kentuckiana.”

We Indies, the independent booksellers of America, are an amazing resource for authors of “midlist” books like Mr. Thompson’s. At this moment, I can’t tell you if the Indies would or could make his book a bestseller. His publisher, Jossey-Bass (an imprint of John Wiley & Sons), hadn’t chosen to promote it by sending it out for evaluation and I’m perfectly willing to admit that I would never have heard of it, in all likelihood, or at least I wouldn’t have remembered hearing about it.

Here’s the book, in case you were wondering. If you click on the book jacket, you will be directed to our Web site, where you can purchase it. More about that later.

To his credit, Mr. Thompson (I’ll call him Robert from now on) responded with alacrity.

He wrote: Randy, so sorry for all of the fallen angels. :-)

As a first time author, I am learning I am somewhat clueless to the industry but trying to learn as quick as possible. Thanks for the new lesson…If you ever forgive me, I would be happy to be a guest on your show. If your store carries my book it could be a mutual benefit.

Again, sorry. No offense intended.

Cheers, Robert.

Thus began a rapid-fire exchange in which I tried to educate Robert to the realities of the 1,800 independent booksellers in America who could, unless supremely insulted by the author’s attempt to drive sales to monolithic, soulless, quarterly dividend-chasing online retailers, help to sell his book.

Indies contribute to their local communities at about 150% the rate of chains. As best as I can tell, nonlocal online retailers not only don’t contribute to your community, they, inexplicably, don’t even collect or pay sales taxes.

Over the course of the day, Robert instructed his technical people to insert a link deep on his Web site that would also direct those who are aware of the distinctions between Indies and the chains and online parasites to other choices, including our own www.destinationsbooksellers.com.
Oh, and by the way, Robert’s e-mail signature now reminds his correspondents that they can buy his book at their local independent bookseller. And I learned a bit more about how authors think during the exchange of e-mails, too.

What does this mean for you, the typical reader, a person who likely shops at Destinations Booksellers and gets it? Probably not much. But let me share with you some of the reasons it’s important to shop local first.

First of all (in my words), your shopping choices are your votes. When you shop at Destinations Booksellers, you’re telling us you want us to stay in business, that having a local independent bookseller is something valuable to you. If you were building a city from scratch, wouldn’t you choose to have a bookstore? If you were to, instead, buy your books from national chains or internet purveyors, wouldn’t that be your vote to replace your local bookstore with something else – either something you prefer or, God forbid, another empty building?

But take a look at these reasons (not my words, but ones I wholly endorse):

Thanks for shopping at
Destinations Booksellers
Here's what you just did!

1. You kept your dollars in our economy
For every $100 you spend at one of our local business, $68 will stay in our community. What happens when you spend that same $100 at a national chain? $43 stays in our community.
2. You embraced what makes us unique
You wouldn't want your house to look like everyone else's in the U.S. So why would you want your community to look that way?
3. You created local jobs
Local businesses are better at creating higher-paying jobs for our neighbors.
4. You helped the environment
Buying from a local business conserves energy in the form of less fuel for transportation, less packaging, and products that you know are safe and well made, because we stand behind them.
5. You nurtured community
We know you, and you know us. Studies have shown that local businesses donate to community causes at twice the rate of chains.
6. You conserved your tax dollars
Shopping in a local business district means less infrastructure, less maintenance, and more money available to beautify our community. Also, spending locally instead of online ensures that your sales taxes are reinvested where they belong - right here in your community!
7. You created more choice
We pick the books and gifts we sell based on what we know you like and want. Local businesses carry a wider array of unique products because we buy for our own individual market.
8. You took advantage of our expertise
You are our friends and neighbors and we have a vested interest in knowing how to serve you. We're passionate about what we do. Why not take advantage of that?
9. You invested in entrepreneurship
Creativity and entrepreneurship are what the American economy is founded upon. Nurturing local business ensures a strong community.
10. You made us a destination (Destinations?)
The more interesting and unique we are as a community, the more we will attract new neighbors, visitors, and guests. This benefits everyone.

Love your local
Community, Business, and Neighborhood Alliance

Tim's On the Way

Tim Dorsey is at this moment blanketing the state of Florida in support of his tenth Serge A. Storms novel, Atomic Lobster. Fans in the Sunshine State are having a ball before Tim departs for his trip to see us.

Along the way, he's blogging at his MySpace blog. Below is an entry that will tell you an awful lot about the author. It's dated Jan. 10th.

Hey everyone,

Only a little more than a week till blast off. ... People are always asking me, "Hey Tim, now that you no longer work for a newspaper, are you going to run out of ideas for your novels?" Actually, people never ask me that. I just compulsively make up crap all the time. That's why I write books. But it's still a valid question. And here's the answer: The book tour is hands-down weirder than anything I experienced in journalism. Out there is where rubber truly meets the reality road.

First priority of touring is not to become another Florida crime stat. Which is tough if you're traveling alone on business and have a soft spot for sub-budget (but historically significant) motels. After shooing off enough hookers and foiling more than a few muggings with my early-detection scumbag radar, I decided that returning from evening book signings in a suit was not the best tactic. Now I stop at convenience stores/gas stations and change into my anti-crime-victim uniform, i.e. crazy clothes that make you not just an unattractive target, but a potential social burden. My "standard" is a ratty T-shirt, laceless sneakers on the wrong feet and one of those baseball caps with the moose antlers (sweat pants w/urine stains optional) – while loudly repeating Peter Gabriel lyrics: "Shed my skin!"

But the compliments of readers more than make up for any hardships, and they always come in the least likely form. Such as the woman who handed me a cell phone in one book store and asked if I could talk with her husband who wanted to make it but couldn't. So I did. Yeah, he couldn't make it – had four years to go in the federal pen. But he said I was tops with the gang in the cell block.

Then there all the photos I get (see the "Readers' Pix" album on my page) of tattoos and Flat Stanley-esque location shots with my books. ... So thank you all for making this one of the most implausible livings in America!

Peace,

Tim

Atomic Lobster crosses the Ohio River on Tuesday, Feb. 26, for a booksigning at Destinations Booksellers in New Albany, Ind. But you can get your copy now and also reserve space at the after-party at Rich O's Public House. The in-store event starts at 5 p.m. The party at Rich O's at 7:30. Space is going fast, so reserve now.

Here's a little peek at A.L.

Just a Tease

June will not be a month to miss. In the coming weeks we'll have some exciting news to announce - about events, new books, and a very special piece of news that was confirmed just today. I'll tell you more about these in the coming weeks.

Our Harry Potter 7 plans are coming together and will kick off at 7 p.m on Friday, July 20, at Track Nine and Three-Quarters. Will we find a Horcrux? Will a special spell allow us to experience Hogwarts the way Harry, Hermione, and Ron do?

This weekend we're excited about hosting local author Bev Lozier Jackson, who will introduce her beautiful new children's book Mommy, Is God a Superhere? Bev will be at the store at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 16, to read from and sign her first book. That's the same day our representative to Book Expo America will be coming to town with an armload of goodies. Join us.

And mark your calendar for Thursday, June 28. I can't reveal the details just yet, but what happens that day will be very big for Destinations Booksellers and our patrons.

Finally, if you're just a casual reader of the blog you may have missed the announcement about our e-mail lists. All patrons were unsubscribed from our newsletters and our specialty e-mails as of June 1. If you want to keep up with everything going on in the books world and the store, you need to go to our primary Web site and re-subscribe. With our new program, we have streamlined e-mails for children's interests, new books just in, the blog, and an expanding list of specialty announcements. If you've been missing your news, that's why. Why not click http://www.destinationsbooksellers.com and sign up now?

Earth IS in the Balance

We've watched with some envy the dramatic way our neighboring state has committed to the promotion of tourism and economic development. An outstanding way to boost your economy is to draw visitors from outside the state.

But the private sector does a fine job, too. James Bilodeau has compiled a compelling list of free attractions in the Bluegrass State and will be appearing to promote his book, Free Kentucky: Free things to see and do in the Bluegrass State, at Destinations Booksellers this Saturday, April 14, at 11 a.m.

Come by to hear Bilodeau discuss the book and the attractions in Kentucky to get this next spring weekend off to a rousing start. His publisher, Xavier House Publishing, will soon be releasing Free Tennessee and we can only hope they'll consider a Hoosier edition soon.

Then, travel from here to the Falls of the Ohio State Park in Clarksville for Southern Indiana's celebration of Earth Day. This celebration of all things healthy for our planet was the brainchild of Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson. Did you know that our own Carnegie Center's Suellen Wilkinson was a good friend to Sen. Nelson and worked closely with him on Earth Day and other progressive causes?

The celebration at the Falls is a day-long event featuring earth-friendly techniques, products, and ideas you can use. Jamey Aebersold Jazz is subsidizing free admission to the interpretive center and will perform at mid-day. Great food and fun for the kids, too.

For the third straight year, Destinations Booksellers will be participating in the event. This year we've arranged for a corps of local authors to appear to discuss, sign, and sell their books. Please drop by the Destinations tent and show your support for local authors.

In addition, we have a special nature and ecology display set up at the store to commemorate Earth Day.

April is also National Poetry Month and with Easter finery now put away, our prime display is a selection of poetry that most of you have probably never seen.

Have a great week, a great Earth Day, and a great Poetry Month.

How We Work With Book Groups

We're big supporters of book clubs, in case you didn't know it. Our staff can work with you to develop your reading lists, and we have several ways we can make your 2007-2008 book decisions easier.

First of all, we're very happy to host your club here at the store. It's fairly simple to set up for discussion groups during or after store hours, and we don't have any restrictions on any refreshments you might want to enjoy. Using the store can serve as a pretty good way to launch a book discussion group until everyone gets to know each other. Give it some thought. Whether you want to use the bookstore just once a year (for example, to make your picks) or make it a regular monthly event, we're happy to work with you.

As you may know, we have one club that is itinerant, traveling to area independent restaurants on the third Tuesday of every month. The group has remained fairly stable, with some members attending only when they like the book. It's a great success and the combination of fine dining and books is a boon to the local restaurants.

There's a recent addition to our book group program that you may be unaware of. I'm dismayed that so many book groups let economics dictate their selections. To economize, most groups choose trade paperbacks, the quality editions that sell for $12-16. But that means that the book will have been out for as much as a year - sometimes more - and much of the "heat and light" that makes a book a success has faded. Authors have moved on to their next books by that time and publishers have far less incentive to provide extras.

We want to remove the impediment of price. Since we can fairly well predict the future price of a new release (let's say it's The Book of Air and Shadows, the thriller about a mysterious Shakespeare document by Michael Gruber via William Morrow publishers). The new hardcover sells for $24.95, a price just high enough to discourage a book group from picking it up, even if it's the hottest book of the season. Major reviews, author appearances, special promotions, and huge buzz might surround it, but almost all groups around here will wait until 2008 to take it on. In the meantime, a couple will read it in hardcover and then next year be bored to read it again.

We know, within a dollar or so, what that same book will cost when it releases in trade paperback - something like $16.95, considering inflation. We figure, why wait? If a book group of five or more people doesn't want to wait, we'll sell it to you for $16.95 RIGHT NOW. Now, some clubs make their picks a year in advance, so this might not work for them. But it might be just the ticket for you.

This can be especially valuable for that hot new nonfiction book on a topical subject in the news. 18 months from now, it may have lost its relevance (say, a Barack Obama biography or John McCain's book on decision-making, Hard Call). After November of 2008, those may be duds, but that doesn't mean they won't stimulate a rousing book discussion now. I lament the fact that price influences the selections so much, so I'm making it easy for your group to READ IT NOW!

A third way we work with book groups is to offer standing discounts on books with regular trade discounts (that's pretty much every book, but not all). Any group purchasing five or more books gets an automatic 13% discount; ten or more (the rare club) gets 18% off; and 15 or more earns a hefty 23% discount off the list price - whether it's a $9.99 mass market mystery or something like the upcoming Ike, the definitive biography of Dwight D. Eisenhower.

You'd be surprised how many clubs (and school classes, for that matter) let their members fend for themselves to scrounge for 10-100 copies here, there, and everywhere. We can make it simple. Place a certain order and we'll even have the book there when you meet next. Give us a heads-up and we can ensure that everyone has a copy well in advance of your meeting.

We also archive book club selections on our Web site at www.destinationsbooksellers.com. Ann has placed a quick link at the top of the page so you can see what other book groups are reading. We invite your group to send us past and future lists to share with our readers.

Honestly, my forehead crinkles up when three members of a 12-member group come in to buy their next book. Where are the other nine going? And why? I remain convinced that we need a hometown bookstore, but when 9 out of 12 readers vote with their feet and take their business elsewhere...well, does that mean they want us to leave?

We welcome your suggestions as to how we can help your existing or prospective club prosper. If we can help to arrange an author visit or a live telephone call during your meeting, we'd be happy to do so.