So I ranted to the manager of Borders tonight.

[WildEyedLiberal]

Well, maybe "rant" is a bit strong. I did, however, ask to speak to the manager after I had to hunt all across the store for a copy of "This Moment on Earth" and finally found it shoved away in the "Nature" section. Meanwhile, I might add, Tom Delay's new preening memoior "No Retreat, No Surrender" (profanity alert: fuck that motherfucker for DARING to use THAT phrase as the title of his bloated self-congratulatory offal. He belongs in JAIL) was featured prominently at the front of the store.

So I asked to see the manager, and while I was very polite to her, since I used to work at a Barnes and Noble and know that the store manager has to follow a specific plan regarding which books they put on display, asked her why John Kerry's new book, which was #1 on the Amazon nonfic list and authored by the Democratic candidate for president in 2004, was almost impossible to find while Tom Delay's disgustingly smarmy mug greeted me as soon as I walked into the store.

She was very nice and told me they had received 25 copies, and only 5 were on the floor at the moment because it was due to be featured on a display next week. She also said that if it made the NYT bestsellers list it would end up on the "nonfiction bestsellers" shelf in the front of the store. She sympathized with my political leanings and I told her I understood she had to follow the store's plan, but also hoped that if I let her know my concern, she could let the corporate higher-ups know that there's a demand for this book.

Of the five copies in the store, I purchased one for myself and my mom purchased another for the library she works for. So maybe selling almost half of their on-floor inventory will convince them to put it out front sooner than next week.

If your local bookstore doesn't have the book prominently displayed, I encourage all of you to do the same: politely request to the store manager to put it out more in front. Chances are, the bookstore manager is a liberal (I mean, come on, literacy and liberalism do kind of tend to coincide), and will respond very positively to a polite request.

I felt like I did my little part here in central Illinois. :D

PS: Thank you all who have replied to my messages with well-wishes... it really means a lot to me. I'm doing much better (well enough to rant to the manager of Borders at least :evilgrin: ) and hope to be back on my feet resuming normal activity in a couple of weeks. I have a lot of pent up energy so I hope no one is fool enough to disrespect JK in my presence. Things might explode.

[Island Blue]

1. WEL ...

:yourock:

[globalvillage]

2. I'm almost afraid to tell you this ...

but I was at two airports this week, and the book was not even available (Hudson Bookstores, a huge chain). This is at the airport. Where thousands of people were delayed (O'Hare, go figure) and looking for something to do. I was surrounded by people reading, and the only copy of TMOE I saw was mine.
I alerted someone to address this oversight formally and sent an email of my own, but WTF is up with that? How are we going to make sure this book hits the NYT bestseller list if it's not on the shelves?
On the bright side, it was prominently featured at my local B&N on Monday (and someone had put a copy of TMOE in front of Delay's POS, lol).

Good idea, WEL. I'll hit the bookstore at the mall tonight and make sure they have it displayed. Also, does your mom know of a national organization that accepts book donations? The only ones I could find just take cash.

Hey, WEL, :hug: glad you're back.

[sandnsea]

6. Better World Books

http://www.betterworldbooks.com/programs/BookDonations.aspx

[WildEyedLiberal]

8. That is crap

All you CAN do when your flight gets delayed at an airport is go to the Hudson bookstore and buy something - anything - to pass the time. That would be a great place to move copies. Of course, that requires them carrying it in stock, first. Grrrrrrrrrr.

Hahaha I should've taken the copies at Borders and moved them up front to cover up Tom Delay's ugly face. I didn't want to agitate the nice store manager, though. But, they're just going to have to end up sending all those copies of Delay's trash back to the publisher - there is no WAY they'll move 15 copies of his crap in a liberal college town.

:grouphug: for GV and all of you - I've missed you guys!

[globalvillage]

11. Update on Hudson Bookstores

I received a very nice (and prompt) reply to my email, and they assured me the book had been ordered and that they would check on the distribution. If anyone is in an airport anytime soon, check to be sure they're displaying it.
I stopped at Borders in the mall, and they had one copy in the science section. Delay's piece of crap was up front with the new releases. arrrggghhh.
My Costco doesn't have it yet, but it's due in Monday or Tuesday. It's $16.99 at Costco in case anyone plans on buying in bulk. :-)

I'll have to check out Target, too. Maybe tomorrow.

[blm]

9. Marriott runs most of Airport shops and concessions - Marriott is a BIG Bushie.

.

[Noisy Democrat]

3. Good for you!

At the Borders here in Ann Arbor, it *is* prominently displayed -- they're displaying it as a New and Noteworthy book, and it's set out on shelves where it's very likely to be the first thing a person sees when they walk into the store. I got it there about 10 days ago, back when I thought the book wasn't even due to be released yet. Now *my* question is why JK and THK aren't doing a book tour event in Ann Arbor.

[WildEyedLiberal]

7. The Midwest is definitely being shafted

I REALLY hope that doesn't continue - hello, how many JK fans (and environmentalists) live between the two coasts? Not all greenie liberal people live in San Francisco and Cambridge, yanno.

[globalvillage]

12. Well, when you consider

there is an entire section of Chapter One dedicated to Pittsburgh's revival, you'd think the mayor himself would be standing in the B concourse handing them out. After all, this is THK's hometown.
But nooooo. You can't even buy a copy at the airport.
I hope it's there next time I fly. The person who replied to me from Hudson seemed sincerely concerned that it wasn't in the stores.

[karynnj]

4. So glad to hear that you are doing well enough

to be out and about and fighting for Kerry. I do agree that there is no way that Tom Delay deserves that kind of prominance- he is utterly and completely disgraced. He has no redeeming characteristics as a person. He never was a statesman and he led to many of the corruption charges that hurt the Republicans. Why is he not in jail.

I suspect that some of the publishers may pay for that kind of placement. There are always way too many RW books prominently placed. I miss the smaller bookstores that we used to have - though I am as guilty as anyone of going to Borders and Banes & Nobles because the selection is so big.

[blm]

5. You're a sight for sore eyes, Wild. And kudos to your mom for donating a copy

to the library. I bought an extra book for our local library, as well.

[wisteria]

10. Good for you and your mother!

i hadn't bothered to check in the stores because I received my copies by mail. I WILL look now.