So Much for That

Oh, well. Barnes & Noble is selling it after all.

It's in response to customer demand - the book was up at the top of the preorder list on their site, so it follows that they'd see a reason to bring it into the stores.

And since this seems to be the first time Beaufort has done anything this on this scale, I can also understand wanting to get the books in stores for the first wave - yes, publishers can get reprints in pretty quickly, but for someone new to the game, better to have it in stock to start than wait while everyone else sells it.

Still, though, I'd appreciated what seemed like them taking a stand of a sort.

Now, granted, it's awfully hard for a national corporation to declare itself on one side of an issue or another - the last thing a retailer wants to do is alienate its customers. Some places can - you can see CEOs endorsing candidates, or making donations to a cause in the company's name - but for a bookstore, where you're supposed to be able to walk in and find shelves and shelves of information, it's an interesting conflict.

Do you refuse to stock books whose views you disagree with and, in a sense, prevent your customers from deciding for themselves on an issue? Or do you carry them and put money in the pockets of people you sneer at when they're panelists or guests on news shows you watch?

Indies have a bit more leeway with that - there are bookstores across the country whose whole existence is based on a political leaning. They're situated in communities who share similar views. B&N, Borders and Amazon can't do that - and really, their employees are scattered all across the country; there's no way to declare a corporate stance without potentially alienating your staff as well as your customers.

So, nice try, B&N. I won't say I agree with the decision, but I understand.