In today’s mail:
“Dear Mr. Roth,
“Thank you for submitting The Immensity of the Her [sic] and Now for our consideration. After careful consideration, we have determined that this book does not meet our needs and/or selection criteria.
“We wish you success in marketing your book and thank you for your interest in American Wholesale Book Company.
“Sincerely,
New Acquisitions Review Board”
I’ve developed a relatively thick skin about the bias against small business that exists in our media-conglomerated world. Even though my press has national distribution, I can understand why the #3 book retailer in the country would want to skip on a book from an author with a 40-year track record, writing about 9.11, in a hardcover book that’s already received some nice reviews from national venues.
But my skin’s not SO thick that I won’t ask any Virtual Memories readers who live in the southeast or midwest NEVER TO SHOP AT BOOKS-A-MILLION (the parent company of American Wholesale Book Co.) EVER AGAIN.
Gil
PS: If you want to call AWBC to special order the book (in massive numbers, for a book club), or prank them with the Prince-Albert-in-a-can routine, they can be reached at 205.956.4151. I’m just saying, is all…