Bookstores

Well, I have succeeded in getting my book in some bookstores.
Namely:
People's Co-Op Bookstore
Spartacus Books
Metaphysical Bookstore

The thing they have in common is that the are small independent bookstores. The larger bookstores, Chapter's, droned on about upcoming renovations, limited shelf space and various other reasons; which after a minute just sound like Charlie Brown's teacher to me.

Now I would understand if they rejected the book after reading it. The little bookstores all read the book before accepting it. I also find it hard to believe that limited shelf space could be used as a reason for not carrying a book when you store is three stories tall. So what is their problem?

I think it is the same problem that is afflicting most of North American society, big business vs. small business. A small business is run by someone that loves their trade, in this case a bibliophile. Generally speaking, no one invests all their time and money into a venture unless they feel passionate about it. Thus a new book is another treasure.

Now with a big business things are different. The manager of a chain store outlet probably hates his job, considers himself underpaid and considers himself overworked. This is despite the fact that he might make more and work less than the small businessman. A little book will just make him have to work harder for no benefit. In fact, it may actually cause a reprimand due to 'loss of effiency'. It should also be noted that while his resume may say that he loves books, that affair ended a long time ago.

The upshot of this is that big business homogenizes culture and promotes a subtle form of censorship. A nationwide chain only requires a few hundred 'content producers', while independent bookstore foster a literate local community. Online bookstores are even worse; Amazon was created just due to realization that all those little bookstores are easy prey.

So to all those people who ask "What ever happened to customer service?" the answer is that your mutual funds killed it.