June 24, 2011
No mystery, says Seattle bookseller
by Dennis Johnson
The Seattle Mystery Bookstore
On Wednesday, Amazon rolled out a press release announcing that it had swung a major deal — 47 books — for a major author — the late Ed McBain — to pump up Thomas & Mercer, its new mystery publishing imprint for print books.
On Thursday, J.B. Dickey, owner of the Seattle Mystery Bookshop, announced he wouldn’t carry a single one of them.
It’s hard to say which announcement has kicked up more of a furor.
Dickey’s announcement came in the form of a post on the store’s blog where he posted an exchange he had with a Thomas & Mercer author who wanted to do a reading at the store. Dickey tells him,
We cannot do anything to support, help or benefit Amazon. They’re the enemy of independent bookshops and aiding them in any way — mainly ordering their books and selling them and promoting them — would be suicide. Things are tough enough without cutting our own throats.
But the author doesn’t take no for an answer. He writes back,
I understand your concerns. But please know that the opposite is happening nationwide. Amazon is reaching out to independents everywhere and offering to send hundreds of thousands of Amazon emails promoting an individual bookstore. Happily sending Amazon customers to independents … It is a tremendous show of support for the independents.
At which point, the gloves are off, and Dickey unloads on him or her. Some highlights:
… this is a huge corporation that has not only taken massive amounts of sales away from me over the years but also sales reps (which means the attention of publishers) and has waged a price war with the NYC publishers over their e-books. Remember when they removed ALL St. Martin’s titles from their site in retaliation for St. Martin’s insisting that they no longer undercut the price structure for e-books that the others were observing? Remember, too, that Amazon is the company that reached into the private devices of individuals and deleted e-books (one of our very good/long time customers is a computer worker and had downloaded a technical book from Amazon and make copious notes in her reader — Amazon deleted the ‘book’ and she lost all of her notes/ and then they also deleted — what was it, 1984? — from people’s e-readers). And let’s not forget that they appeared to buckle to outside pressure to remove gay and lesbian fiction and, when caught, blamed technical problems, not mendacity. I cannot tolerate censorship of any kind or by anyone. If these people are not intentionally evil, they come damn close to it by their actions and policies.
You want me to buy books from them? Pay them money to continue their efforts and to have books in my joint that clearly say “Amazon”, to give them free advertisement as well?
If they’re like NYC publishers, they’d demand that I open an account with them. That means giving them my personal info (this shop is a sole-proprietorship), tax numbers and bank accounts and, probably, the account information from three other businesses (either publishers and/or wholesalers) as references. Sorry – not a chance in hell I’d give all of that to Amazon. I do not trust them.
… I don’t doubt that they’re doing good things for you authors. It is fully within their interest to do so. First of all, they’re launching a mystery/crime imprint and want to do all they can to promote it and its authors. Secondly, they want you to promote it and talk about it and to have more authors want to sign with them and to make more and more sales. I would bet that the intent is to take more and more business away from the major publishers who are very good at letting sales slip through their fingers.
… I’m the owner of the Bailey Brothers Building and Loan. You are working for Mr. Potter. And Mr. Potter is always buying.
Of course, MobyLives has commented on one or two, maybe more, of these issues, not to mention the larger subject of Amazon’s impact on indie booksellers. But it would be interesting to hear if other indie booksellers plan to carry Amazon’s books … or whether they, too, plan to resist?
Dennis Johnson is the founder of MobyLives, and the co-founder and co-publisher of Melville House.
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28 Comments
Independent bookstores make up such a tiny % of sales, that it really doesn’t matter if they boycott. Even if Amazon was to disappear, most of these stores won’t be around in a few years anyway.
Short sighted, bitter store owners like this one deserve to go under.
Independent bookstores make up such a tiny % of sales, that it really doesn’t matter if they boycott. Â Even if Amazon was to disappear, most of these stores won’t be around in a few years anyway. Â
Short sighted, bitter store owners like this one deserve to go under.
uhhhhhh….. you aren’t indie if you sell what Amazon sells. You’re just a book store.
uhhhhhh….. you aren’t indie if you sell what Amazon sells. Â You’re just a book store.
WOW! JB Dickey is my new hero!
WOW! JB Dickey is my new hero!
Hmmmm….. I’ll have to see if my favorite indie bookseller …..BookPeople in Austin, TX,…… sells Amazon stuff. I was just there a couple of days ago.
Hmmmm….. I’ll have to see if my favorite indie bookseller …..BookPeople in Austin, TX,…… sells Amazon stuff. I was just there a couple of days ago.
Independent bookstores not only have Amazon worry about, they have large chains such as Barnes and Noble. Despite more competition, there are independent bookstore that are doing very well. They have had to learn to adapt, as any business does over time (if they wish to remain viable). There is an extremely successful independent bookstore near where I live, just a couple of blocks away from a Barnes and Noble. Though I am sure there were some tense moments when a big box bookstore moved in, the independent is doing great. They sponsor author visits multiple times each week, which always seem successful as well as programs to encourage reading. They reach out to schools and work hard to promote themselves and reading. If they had sat back and merely written angry letters when things were starting to change, they would not be in business. J.B Dickey needs to think about what he can do to adapt. NO ONE can rest on what they have already done and get ticked off when something potentially more popular comes along. Each business needs to figure out how to continue to attract business and make itself the top dog, and there is no reason an independent shop can’t do it.
Independent bookstores not only have Amazon worry about, they have large chains such as Barnes and Noble. Â Despite more competition, there are independent bookstore that are doing very well. Â They have had to learn to adapt, as any business does over time (if they wish to remain viable). Â There is an extremely successful independent bookstore near where I live, just a couple of blocks away from a Barnes and Noble. Â Though I am sure there were some tense moments when a big box bookstore moved in, the independent is doing great. Â They sponsor author visits multiple times each week, which always seem successful as well as programs to encourage reading. Â They reach out to schools and work hard to promote themselves and reading. Â If they had sat back and merely written angry letters when things were starting to change, they would not be in business. Â J.B Dickey needs to think about what he can do to adapt. Â NO ONE can rest on what they have already done and get ticked off when something potentially more popular comes along. Â Each business needs to figure out how to continue to attract business and make itself the top dog, and there is no reason an independent shop can’t do it.
Ahhh, so very Seattle. Be successful, but don’t become too successful! The kvetching covers Amazon, Costco, Nordstrom, Expedia, Microsoft, etc……
So very glad I moved away from that city.
Ahhh, so very Seattle. Â Be successful, but don’t become too successful! Â The kvetching covers Amazon, Costco, Nordstrom, Expedia, Microsoft, etc……
So very glad I moved away from that city.
are you SURE they’re doing ok or do you just think they are b/c they appear to be? i can’t think of a single indie bookstore that isn’t struggling – usually immensely.
are you SURE they’re doing ok or do you just think they are b/c they appear to be? i can’t think of a single indie bookstore that isn’t struggling – usually immensely.
nothing about this store’s story makes them bitter or short-sighted. why wish hardship on someone like you have? just b/c you don’t agree with their stance or principals doesn’t mean they “deserve” anything…
nothing about this store’s story makes them bitter or short-sighted. why wish hardship on someone like you have? just b/c you don’t agree with their stance or principals doesn’t mean they “deserve” anything…Â
*principles
*principles
You have made a valid point. I do not know for a fact that they are not struggling, but they certainly seem to be doing well. I still believe that there is a niche for independent bookstores, although maybe there will not be as many of them around as pre-e reader days. I still feel that the store owner above has misplaced his anger.
You have made a valid point. Â I do not know for a fact that they are not struggling, but they certainly seem to be doing well. Â I still believe that there is a niche for independent bookstores, although maybe there will not be as many of them around as pre-e reader days. Â I still feel that the store owner above has misplaced his anger.
I agree completely with Mr. Dickey. Those who disagree either work for Amazon or don’t understand the plight of a small business owner vs a big box store. Stores like Home Depot put a neighborhood nursery out of business.
I agree completely with Mr. Dickey. Those who disagree either work for Amazon or don’t understand the plight of a small business owner vs a big box store. Stores like Home Depot put a neighborhood nursery out of business.
Maybe I’m confused, but… isn’t Amazon acting like a traditional publisher in this instance? And haven’t traditional publishers often “strong-armed” independents as well? I know of that personally, with high minimum orders and difficult buy-backs. And there has been loads of controversy with the big publishers, too (refusing to publish controversial titles, for one). Does this mean, then, that this gentleman does not carry Random House, Simon & Schuster, and the like?
Amazon’s model is very different from the big box retailers and even the traditional publishing houses. Its concept, while not perfect, is on the forefront of the new ways we receive information. If everyone keeps complaining about these new ways, then their logic should take them to not using e-mail anymore, as e-mails take away from traditional mail service (and the jobs of mail carriers, and the loss of expected privacy, and the censorship in employer-sponsored e-mails). But that won’t happen… so where should indignation stop and begin?
Maybe I’m confused, but… isn’t Amazon acting like a traditional publisher in this instance? And haven’t traditional publishers often “strong-armed” independents as well? I know of that personally, with high minimum orders and difficult buy-backs. And there has been loads of controversy with the big publishers, too (refusing to publish controversial titles, for one). Does this mean, then, that this gentleman does not carry Random House, Simon & Schuster, and the like?
Amazon’s model is very different from the big box retailers and even the traditional publishing houses. Its concept, while not perfect, is on the forefront of the new ways we receive information. If everyone keeps complaining about these new ways, then their logic should take them to not using e-mail anymore, as e-mails take away from traditional mail service (and the jobs of mail carriers, and the loss of expected privacy, and the censorship in employer-sponsored e-mails). But that won’t happen… so where should indignation stop and begin?
I love bookstores, but if I walk into one looking for a specific book and am told that they refuse to even order it for me, I’m not just going to buy something else. I’m going to take my money to someone who actually wants to sell me the book. And may not bother with that bookstore again.
I love bookstores, but if I walk into one looking for a specific book and am told that they refuse to even order it for me, I’m not just going to buy something else. I’m going to take my money to someone who actually wants to sell me the book. And may not bother with that bookstore again.
If they do not want to carry books published by Amazon, then they will probably be losing most, if not all, the business from customers who want to read those books. If driven to buy from another source for some books, I’ll probably get any other books that I want from that source. When Seattle Mystery Bookshop goes out of business, they will only have themselves to blame.
If they do not want to carry books published by Amazon, then they will probably be losing most, if not all, the business from customers who want to read those books. If driven to buy from another source for some books, I’ll probably get any other books that I want from that source. When Seattle Mystery Bookshop goes out of business, they will only have themselves to blame.