Ridiculous

They passed it.

Now is a good time to support the ABFFE, as they make an effort to have the legislation overturned.

Overzealous

There is a bill getting ready to cross the governor of Indiana's desk. If he doesn't veto it, any bookseller carrying "sexually explicit materials" will have to register with the state. The ABFFE, a group of 15 independent booksellers, and Borders are encouraging the veto.

Aside from the fact that it's unconstitutional, it's also bloody ridiculous.

The bill seems to be aimed at adult bookstores, but the problem is, the wording is so vague that pretty much anything could be considered sexually explicit. There are bookstores that carry adult magazines. Most stores have The Joy of Sex and a copy of the Kama Sutra lurking somewhere where the kids can't get to them. At Booksmith, we kept them right up at the register - perhaps not the best spot for adults who wanted their privacy, but it ensured that seven-year-old Billy wasn't getting an eyeful.

Expand out a bit from the obvious - what else gets painted with that broad brush?

Erotica, of course. But what about other books that have sex scenes of any kind? Is the spinner rack of monthly Harlequin romances suddenly against the law if you don't register it? What about Laurel K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series?

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings? What's Happening to My Body?

How about the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition?

We had a magnet display at Booksmith. The designs ranged from inspirational quotes to reproductions of fine art. A woman spied Michaelangelo's David and accused us of selling pornographic material. This was a store that didn't carry adult magazines, and she freaked out over a magnet with one of the most recognizable sculptures in the world. What if that's the kind of person deciding where the line of sexually explicit vs acceptable is drawn?

I don't know very many people in Indiana, but if you happen to have friends there, ask them to call or write to the governor. Or, if they don't want to do that, encourage them to poke their heads into one of those bookstores and offer their support.

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.

A Ramble Before Caffeine

Poking about a bit and updating the links over to your left there. I'm trying to keep a blogroll that has sites I actually trust and read on a fairly regular basis. Resisting the urge to fill it with every blog/site that makes me go "Ooooh, shiny" is tough. So, if there's a site you think is missing, or one you'd like me to peek at, please holler. There are tons and tons of book blogs out there and I'm trying to find the gems.

One thing I realized was missing was a link to American Booksellers for Freedom of Expression. They're fighting not only against banning books, but also against the USA PATRIOT Act and other legislation that threatens free speech.

I used to have this bumper sticker which read "Free people...publish books, buy books, sell books, read books...DON'T BAN BOOKS." I actually still have it somewhere because when I found it, I was driving this monstrosity that was just waiting to head off to the junk yard and couldn't bear to put it on a car I knew I wouldn't have for long. The sticker is from a long ago Banned Books Week and was most likely my first exposure to ABFFE. 2007's Banned Books Week is just over a month away. Expect ramblings and recommendations.

Three-quarters of the way through King Rat by the way. Over half of that list read...now I have to actually review them.