Saturday, June 19, 2010

Minor/Major Annoyances

If I ever launch a digital self-pub venture, I will choose a name for it that cannot at first glance be mistaken for the word pubic.

When I visit a chain bookstore, I don't mind walking around an enormous ugly kiosk pimping said chain's e-reader. Nor do I mind being asked if I'm interested in seeing a demo. But you e-reader sales people need to learn the definition of the phrase "No thank you." It does not mean keep talking to me while I walk away so I feel rude. Nor does it mean talk to me again as I'm trapped beside your booth while standing in line with my print books waiting to check out. It doesn't even mean Tell me while I'm a captive audience how superior you think electronic format is to print, and be sure to insult my generation and my reading preferences while you're at it. I could be wrong, but last time I checked, No thank you actually means no thank you.

Wordless Wednesday. On writers' blogs. No, I think I must be hallucinating this trend. Okay, who slipped the mind-altering drugs into my crystal light when I wasn't looking?

I can't rant about a truly idiotic thing an industry professional said to me this week because a) some friends of mine work with this person, b) you wouldn't believe me unless I posted the evidence -- yes, I have it in writing, no less -- and c) everyone's head would explode as soon as they read it, because mine did. And yes, it's killing me to keep my mouth shut.

If I go to the largest, busiest bookstore in my region a week and a half after my bestselling release, I'd like to see at least one copy of my book in the store. On the back shelves is fine; that's where the rest of them are. I don't want to be told "They haven't arrived yet." Lie to me. Say they sold out in the first hour and they're on reorder. (I admit, I did laugh over this major annoyance as soon as I saw this new release at the front of the store):



*This is Karma, I think, and only funny if you read Rob Thurman's LJ. Or see the irony yourself here.

13 comments:

  1. I can't rant about a truly idiotic thing an industry professional said to me this week because

    Now you officially have paranoid, since I rant or whine to you at least once a week. I'm staying sane, though, because I'm not an industry professional.

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  2. Well, at least they had Chimera so you had something to read. I could rant to the end of time about how I drive half an hour both ways to support a local bookstore and then they tell me to order my not-in-stock new books and I'll get them in ten days, but instead I'll just admit that e-reading devices are damn useful for rural people who still want to READ.

    And you KNOW we want to know what made your head explode.

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  3. Shiloh wrote: I'm staying sane, though, because I'm not an industry professional.

    Ha. No, it wasn't you. It's never you. I might show you, though, just so I can watch your head explode.

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  4. Charlene wrote: And you KNOW we want to know what made your head explode.

    No, you don't. Trust me, you really, really don't.

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  5. Gee, thanks... LMAO. My head explodes on a weekly basis. Haven't you seen that yet?

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  6. So...an industry professional did something inappropriate? And you're not sharing? Now I find myself really, really, wanting to know.

    Oh, Lynn, you tease us so!

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  7. I worked in a bookstore for a dozen years, it's publishers paying for space and if you don't put the right books there big wigs get very, very angry.

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  8. Hey! :) Just wanted to let you know that I gave you a blog award in my most recent post as of June 18 (yesterday). Congrats on being an awesome and versatile blogger. :D

    Hope you're having a good weekend.

    ~TRA

    http://xtheredangelx.blogspot.com

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  9. That is so true! I went to the Borders AND Barnes & Noble near my house and couldn't find a copy of Dreamveil. Instead, I drove the extra 30 minutes to another Borders, scoured the appropriate section (where I still couldn't find it) until I went to the far side, at the bottom, of a display table and hit the jackpot. I just didn't understand the difficulty. Still, I'm glad I made the trip :D

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  10. "I can't rant about a truly idiotic thing an industry professional said to me this week because..."

    Okay, you've got my email address. Please? Awww...

    Seriously, you have got me intensely curious.

    Meantime, I've been buried in regular life, but it's good to come by and see your father's day note and also this one. Plus, the baby bird pictures.

    Have a great summer!

    Best,

    Doug

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  11. Rest assured, Dreamveil was available in sweltering AZ at our local big name bookstore and I just finished reading it. Needless to say, it was AWESOME!!! Now I have Frostfire to look forward to.

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  12. Since this post was about ranting, I thought I'd let you know that Walmart store #2335 in Madison, WI had Dreamveil on the shelf 2 weeks early. I know this can mess with counts/sales, which sucks.

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  13. Saw a nice display of Dreamveil in a Barnes and Noble in San Antonio earlier this week. It was about the fourth or fifth rack back in the center aisle. In fact, I think it was on the rack in front of the rack that had Rob's book.

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