September 7 National Buy A Book Day (Again!)

SEPTEMBER 7: NATIONAL BUY A BOOK DAY (AGAIN!) This article first appeared on August 19, 2010 on John Ottinger’s Grasping for the Wind. With National Buy a Book Day coming up once more this Saturday, I thought I’d go ahead and re-run that authentic submit here. Though a few of it might already appear a bit “dated,” the truth that so little has changed, economically, in the meantime is only extra purpose for us all to go out on Saturday and, nicely . . . It began with a tweet, which warned of extra layoffs forward at Borders. I know a number of folks there, and one of them informed me, “I’m only speculating, however I actually think that except Borders has a huge holiday gross sales run, they’ll be looking at chapter by the early part of subsequent 12 months. I hope I’m mistaken. And unless things change, it wouldn’t surprise me if B&N shares the identical destiny in a number of years.” That quote got here to me from someone I know properly, and someone I know to be a guide lover: a bibliophile of the first ord er, a client of books, a collector of books, and a bookseller. How do I tell you how much I worth booksellers? It’s an old and noble profession, and one worthy of respect. Whether they promote books for a major nationwide chain or a tiny native impartial, they are no much less booksellers. I love booksellers, and I need them to keep doing what they do. I additionally love authors. There isn’t a single one I don’t worth, even those that’ve written books I don’t like, or write in genres I don’t read. Anyone who puts him/herself on the market in print is a hero to me. Talk about old and noble professions. Where would we be without the author? Probably nonetheless living in caves, and caves with out graphic novels on the walls. I love authors, and I need them to maintain doing what they do. And I like publishers, too. Even the ones that have rejected my manuscripts, laid me off, printed books I didn’t like, or publish genres I don’t learn. I do wish some of them would ce ase paying multi-million-greenback advances to semi-literate “celebrities,” but then if one Sarah Palin can fund a dozen Mark Z. Danielewskis, then I say, “Viva Going Rogue.” But significantly, publishers do the unimaginable every day: They operate with razor thin margins in a business that forces them to essentially launch a brand new product line with each single release, and promote that new product line on a completely returnable, consignment basis, actually assuming all of the monetary risk for what ends up being a few quarter of the quilt worth of perhaps 30% of the books they paid to print, the remaining 70% of that are pulped. I love publishers, and I need them to keep doing what they do. It used to be that publishing was thought-about a type of “recession proof” companies. That tended to be the case with small-ticket entertainment gadgets. When you’re unemployed it’s just about impossible to buy a automobile or go on vacation to Paris, however you can scrape up eight bucks for a book and be entertained for maybe even ten instances longer than a $10 film. Books are more expensive now than they were once I was a child, however then so is every thing, and comparably they’re still pretty cheap. A new entrance list video game is greater than twice as expensive as a new entrance list hardcover. As I mentioned, a mass market paperback is cheaper than a movie ticket. All this stuff are cheaper than a trip to Paris. But this recession was completely different. It stabbed right on the weakest a part of the publishing business: retail. It’s phenomenally costly to run a retail retailer. I know for sure, as a result of I used to do it. I as soon as ran a document retailer in suburban Chicago, and our month-to-month electrical bill hovered round $10,000. The lease was about the identical then there was payroll, insurance, and so on. And I had to pay all those payments by promoting CDs that price me $11.fifty seven at $15.ninety nine every, where as sure major nationwide appliance store chains have been promoting them for $10.99. It grew to become an inconceivable enterprise, and off to the unemployment lines I went. Bookstores have that same downside. They have to hold an enormous stock, even if it’s returnable, and in order to maintain the lights on they need to sell an awful lot of books at eight bucks every. Some of them supplemented their operating costs with enterprise loans. Enter the Great Recession, exit the line of credit, and the underside fell out. Quite a story of woe. So the place does that go away us, the reader? And I assume if you’re coming to a website like Grasping for the Wind, you’re a reader. Like me, you're keen on books, bookstores, authors, and maybe even publishers. Is there anything we can do to assist? I suppose so. On September 7, 2010 go to any bookstore wherever and purchase one new, full price guide. Before then, unfold the word in any means you'll be able to (GoodReads, Twitter, Faceboo k, and so forth.) It’s just that straightforwardâ€"however lots of us are going to need to do it. I’m calling it National Buy a Book Day, which I made up off the top of my head. I determined it would be September 7 as a result of I needed to do it soon, needed to choose a day, and September seventh is my birthday. There’s nothing more magical or vital to it than that. I think you can purchase a new e-book by a residing author so the writer receives full royalty, and both the publisher and the bookstore obtain their full revenue. But any book will do, by any author, in any genre, in any format. You don't have to spend greater than you can afford. A $7.99 mass market paperback counts. A $4.ninety nine youngsters’s e-book counts. As lengthy because the guide is new and full value, purchase it from an indie, from a chain, in the suburbs or town, whatever. If the guide you’re buying is by a dwelling author, we are able to encourage people who find themselves writing now to main tain writing. If you've the means and want, purchase a couple of e-book. One book is all I’m asking, however should you can afford two, purchase two, or three, or . . . Buy your book at a retailer you significantly like, in an space that has few bookstores, that in any other case helps your group, or you understand is strugglingâ€"or buy it from any of the large chains. I don’t care. Books are value saving. Authors are price supporting. Any city is always higher having any bookstore in it. People who work in bookstores are literate, intelligent guide lovers, and the world is a greater place if they've a spot to ply their trade. I love books, and I love book individualsâ€"all books, and all book folks. It’s time to stroll the stroll. SPREAD THE WORD! Since this was written I’ve happily expanded the “rules” of National Buy a Book Day to include actually any guide (sure, together with e-books, graphic novels, and audio books) from any retailer (including on-line retailers o r used guide shops), and so forth. If it’s a guide, and you got it on September 7, you’re collaborating in National Buy a Book Day. What’s also modified in the previous couple of years is that, with the assistance of some like-minded friends, I’ve put collectively the National Buy a Book Day Foundation. When you’re accomplished shopping for books, I hope you’ll visit the muse’s site and donate whatever you possibly can. we need to increase about $a thousand to file our federal tax paperwork so we are able to settle for company donations and actually begin to unfold the word and make this actually a national occasion. But in the end, should you solely have five bucks to spend on Saturday, spend it on a e-book. Donations can wait. â€"Philip Athans About Philip Athans Reblogged this on Bibliomancy and commented: For guide lovers.