A happy convergence in my life was subscribing to the Literary Review of Canada, Geist and the New York Review of Books, at the same time as learning to order books on line. The prospect was too tempting and the columns of book sculptures in our home tottered as high as they multiplied. I had one nagging discomfort, I was buying from the mega book chains.
Having published a number of books myself, I know these large retail stores are no friends of authors, other than the mega selling Dan Browns or Margaret Atwoods. The rest of us are relegated to the back shelves if we make it into the store at all. Their retail monopoly dictates the low price the author receives. Charges are deducted for storage and for shipping to and from the store. The ultimate author's price is a pittance.
I now have an antidote for my discomfort, AbeBooks-Canada an alternative on-line store, founded by two couples from Victoria British Columbia. New, used, rare, text – millions of books accessible through connections to thousands of independent book sellers around the world.
Free shipping in Canada, titles in French and English. Other countries, same deal. Click here to see what they have to offer around the world. And yes, you can buy my books there as well, new or used!
Thanks to John McKnight for alerting me to this service. His latest book Abundant Community is available too.
One Comment
Jay
Could you post a few pics of the book columns : ) Good to hear there is an alternative to the large bookstores.