Sometime I wonder if kindness still exists...

[reviews_and_ramblings]

I own an independent bookstore. It's little, it's beautiful and it's mine. Really from the bookstore I gain very little, my profit is from the connected restaurant-caffetteria, still I struggle to mantain my bookstore. I'm specialized in minor publishers and new authors. When I host an author I post the event on my site, I send for two weeks the newsletter (1000 email address!), I print posters to hang on my bookstore and I send the news to the local newspapers. And I ask nothing to the author or to the publisher: other bookstore ask money to host authors, specially new authors, but I want to give the opportunity to people and writers to meet by person. Most of the time the event has a medium average success, sometime a big success and sometime is a total flop. One week ago I hosted a new author, not very famous, but he has the lucky that his novel was published by a medium important italian publisher. But the event was a disaster: three people, and the author was very pissed. But what could I do? drag the people inside the bookstore? Other times when it happened authors were sorry but they didn't accuse me. Today I discover on the author's website that he has written that I'm an amateur bookseller, that other authors must not trust me, he says "fuck me" (I don't know is this is the exact translation, in italian is a very bad bad expression). I'm angry but I'm also sad: I don't understand why people are so brute and so negative.

Comments

[shiawmeimei.livejournal.com]

He's obviously full of himself for being published. I've seen book signings in big US stores like Barnes & Noble where you get a handful of readers stop by. You can't guarantee a turnout. No one can. It's just the way it is. The asshole should know better!

Hugs to you,
Shayla

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

My friend says to me that the same author has had another book signing some weeks ago, and also in that case was a flop, and he payed for the place. So now I understand that he is his fault and not mine.

[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

After you've written a book and found someone willing to publish it... and then discovering that you have to go out there and be a salesman ... that's the worst part of being published, I think. People who like to write are usually people who like to sit quietly by themselves and make up stories. To push youself to go out and do it, and then have hardly anyone show up... yes, it's discouraging! But after you gave him the space and found him a room, to go online and beat you up for it--doesn't he realize that any other bookseller who reads that is going to treat him like he's got a case of the plague? It isn't just mean to you, it's damned foolish.