B&N vs. S&S: The casualties are you and me, dears.

Here's the bad news: my publisher is having an argument with the last big bookstore.

And who's being punished? Little authors like me, and readers like you.

Check it: A DEPRESSING STORY.

I'm a big supporter of B&N. I have a Nook and buy around 50 titles a year on it. I do lots of writing at my local Starbucks just so I can smell the books in the attached B&N and pick up new favorites for my entire family. And I keep on top of visiting author signings and head over there to meet other writers and get signed books. And I love booksellers.

And!

I love Simon & Schuster. I love my editors, my editorial assistants, my publicist, my copyeditors, my cover artists, and my book design.

And!

I love my fellow S&S authors.

And!

I love readers.

And!

From what I can tell, all of these people I love? Are the ones being hurt by this dispute. Not to mention you, the reader, as you'll have fewer choices when you go to a Barnes & Noble to browse. This is a war being fought by executives in board rooms, and we, my friends, are the casualties.

New authors like me depend on physical bookstores. My career hinges on the chance that a new reader will stumble on a physical copy of my book or that a bookseller will recommend it. And because B&N has driven out so many small indies, that big box store that opened by my movie theater when I was 16 is a pretty big deal for physical sales.

Last year, on launch day, my book was on one of those "New Release" towers in my local B&N. That's where I went to see the first copy of WICKED AS THEY COME in the wild. That's where my friends went to buy it. That's where friends all over the country went to take a pic and post it on Facebook and put a copy face-out in the hopes that it might catch someone's eye. And that's where I proudly took my Sharpie to sign books. I love my local indie (hey, FoxTale Book Shoppe!), but I know where most of America goes to browse, and it ain't Woodstock, GA.

The thought that I might show up at B&N on April 30 and not find a single copy of my book? I don't scare easy, and it's TERRIFYING.

So I want to make it easy for you to find my book, even if your B&N won't.

Here is WICKED AS SHE WANTS directly from Simon & Schuster.
Here is WICKED AS SHE WANTS on Amazon.
Here is WICKED AS SHE WANTS on Indiebound.
Here is WICKED AS SHE WANTS on iBooks.
Here is WICKED AS SHE WANTS on Books-a-Million.
Here is WICKED AS SHE WANTS at Powell's, a great indie.

In fact, here is an entire page of alternate sources!


Pre-ordering makes you my hero. Asking for it at your local bookstore makes you my hero. Buying it in any format, anywhere? MAKES YOU MY HERO. Need more ways to help me or the authors you love and want to keep writing forever? Here's a handy list of ways to help authors, which is the best way to make sure you'll always have tons of new books to enjoy.

We're all David as two giants battle it out, heedless of our feelings. Every time you buy my book (or anyone's book!), you ping the Goliaths with a little stone that lets them know someone still cares.

Ping away, darlings. Ping away.

***

Other authors talking about it:

Stephanie Burgis
Chuck Wendig
an anonymous B&N bookseller speaks out
Go forth and buy their books!