August 3, 2006
Harry Potter, anyone?
Funny thing happened after reading about Prozac Nation, Elizabeth Wurtzel's acclaimed best-selling memoir that recounts her experiences with depression: I tried buying it. A trip to Indigo produced nothing, and the in-store computers revealed that no location in the city had a copy. That’s right: nothing at any Indigo, Chapters, Coles, or World’s Biggest Book Store. What’s odder than the fact that a book translated into 20 different languages isn’t readily available at any of the chain's stores within the GTA is that this exactly what happened roughly a year ago when I tried to buy another book that gives an insightful look at another not-discussed-important-issue: And The Band Played On by Randy Shilts. That book provided a thorough history of the AIDS crisis, tracing it as far back as what was believed to be "Patient Zero"; it sold and inspired a movie. But good luck finding a copy at Indigo. Or in Toronto for that matter. My search in 2005 took me as far as Yonge-Eglinton, where I eventually found a copy at the reliable BMV Books.
(Worth noting is my stop at Eliot’s Books, where I asked about And The Band Played On and was directed to the “music” section. When told that the book was about the AIDS crisis, the manager replied, “We don’t carry those kinds of books.”)
So what’s the deal? I’ve gotten past making those “Oh, they sell books too, ya know!” jokes about Indigo, but surely any bookstore that stubbornly insists on selling grossly overpriced DVDs and multicolored tissue paper for gift wrapping while still managing to expand their empire must have some notion of supply and demand.
Or is it something to do with the content of certain books that makes Indigo not have them readily available?
|
I'm no fan of the Indigo/Chapters monopoly, but in this case I suspect it may just be more of a case of the books being older than some sort of conspiracy regarding their content. I notice one of those books you mention originally came out in 1988, and the other in 2002, an eternity in the publishing world. There are slews of other books at the Indigo stores about potentially controversial issues like American politics, the war on terror, global warming, the end of oil, gay rights, etc. In fact, if anything I think books stores like controversy because it sells.
I've noticed in the past that if you don't buy a topical book within one or two years of publication it quickly becomes harder to find as the shelf and warehouse space is needed for the Next Big Thing. This is still not a good thing (in my opinion all books still in print should be available for purchase on the web at least) but I'd need more direct evidence before I could be convinced this is some sort of censorship due to the content of the books themselves.
Heather's got a habit of censorship, though I never interpreted Prozac Nation as touting anti-depressants.
And The Band Played On was actually found to be factually wrong, re: "Patient Zero". (This was mentioned in the Star this week, you can look it up.)
Prozac Nation was made into a movie with great expectations, but ended up straight-to-video, so a reprint in the last five years might have been called off.
I just assumed that's why he said "What was believed to be 'Patient Zero'"... And the Band Played On was groundbreaking when it was released, are we really going to say it shouldn't be stocked because a fact was corrected 20 years later? that's what your post suggests.
Actually that makes sense. Book stores are under no obligation to provide diversity or variety in any way. They are trying to sell product. Mostly that's newly released books.
Look we all did this to ourselves (most of us anyway). We have been seduced by Chapters’/Indigo’s bright cheerful stores where we can read magazines without buying them, buy lovely accessories and whatnot along with our starbucks and shiny home décor books – not to mention discounted copies of the Da Vinci Code.
But this had a price and that price was the variety carried by the city’s independently owned book stores that have been closed for ages now. Heather and her crew decide what books to you’ll like. And mostly she’s right – if you’re like everyone else and want to read The Kite Runner or A Million Little Pieces. For the most part, Indigo and its ilk have topical books that are up to date. However, they are uniform across the different stores. That’s why chains exsist.
Heather doesn’t care about freedom of the press, she just doesn’t want people protesting at her stores or worse. So she pulled the Harper's issue. I don't agree. But that's business. She doesn't care what people read. She cares what people will buy. No one’s going to protest the books mentioned. The fact that it wasn't in stock is not censorship. Likely the buyers didn’t think people would purchase it.
And the surving independents have to work hard to get our business because many go to Chapters first, I’ve had a hard time finding stuff I wanted and the same issues you have. But book stores have to know their clients. And stores like Eliot’s know what their buyers want just as Indigo does.
But it’s not like you lack options in Toronto. If you really want a book – Try amazon, abe.com, the UofT bookstore or the TPL. (depending on your opinions about the book market)
BTW - One of the best bookstores is City Pages on Queen. Where the staff can be a little snooty sometimes (especially if you're in a suit) but overall they like to read. Plus they have the most interesting table displays.
As for not stores not knowing books or what they are about. That’s common. They can’t be expected to know every book, just because you want it. Even new releases. These are book stores not libraries. They don’t pay their staff enough to to provide that kind of service.
It broke my heart to find out ColesIndigoChaptersStarbucks had bought WBBS, a store that was surely the antithesis of the Chapters experience. Now I only buy from Book City and Pages.
Please don't tell me either of these last remaining havens has also been purchased by the Empire...
World's Biggest Bookstore was always owned by Coles, Chapters, whatever.
OK. I have to be straight up here and confess that I happen to work for Indigo. Just wanted to say that a quick search on Prozac Nation just now turned up several copies available in three downtown stores, in case the posting was really about trying to get a copy of the book and anyone is interested. Get it from us or your favourite book place but keep reading! Enjoy!
i have a copy of prozac nation if you still haven't found it (it's a good book - i just have too many).
as for bookstores - i find it too infuriating to go to indigo. it's pages, used, book city and amazon for me. and the victoria college book sale for academic material.
Sorya- what kind of computer search are you doing? The in-store computers said that no locations had a copy. So how is it possible that they do?
Go to the website chapters.indigo.ca, search the book and there is a function that enables you to see what locations it's available in. You can identify locations of your choice.
Mine are Eaton Centre, Festival hall, Manulife and Runnymede and copies are available at all of these (the trade paperback version - movie-tie-in I think). Hope you'll give it a try!
AMAZON!
it's amazing.
One: everything is like, at least 30% cheaper than if you bought it in a store. (I got a hardcopy of jPOD for $14...)
Two: free shipping on orders over $39. With the discount, for that price you can usually get at least three books!
Three: Email updates about the status of your order! Little reminders about when it's coming your way!
Four: your order shows up at your door asap and is like a great present you convince yourself to pretend to forget you ordered!
Five: good return policy.
Six: recommendations! Personal 'lists' made by the amazon computers telling you what you'd like and then you rank things and it gets even more personal and spot on and AHH!
...And if not Amazon then Pages and Book City, of course.
The Eaton Centre location definately didn't have a copy yesterday, so there must be a discrepancy between the info on the online site and what's actually on the shelves.
Using my extensive contacts (ok, I work there) I called Book City and they tell me that they have copies of Prozac Nation at the Yonge and Charles and the Danforth location. Also we carry And the Band Played On. I was reshelving that book last week.
While we don't like Hitler we also carry Mein Kampf, just in case there are any history buffs out there and no, we won't be banning any future issues of Harper's either.
Try the public library. They have a number of copies (though a bunch are out being read right now), and they'll be glad to have one brought to your local library.
It turns out that I have three copies of it, which is not representative of how much I liked it.
Still, if anyone wants one I'd be willing to give up two.
Cal, you were probably checking availability on the non-movie edition. The movie-tie in version appears to be in every Chindigo store in the GTA.
If you're looking for a book at any online store, it always pays to investigate all available editions.
BMV up at Yonge/Eg is usually the first place I go for books. I curse the fact that I can't walk by that store without going in...thank gawd I've mustered up the strength to stop buying so many books (no room, less money). They have a great selection and I'm pretty sure they'd have copies of Prozac Nation.
Odd that the Eaton Centre's one copy wouldn't be on the shelf though.
Not that odd. All it would take would be for someone to pick it up, browse it in another part of the store and put it down. Then it would end up in re-shelving limbo. Probably all stray books get picked up and put in one cart until it's full enough for someone to go around the store re-shelving. That's how libraries do it, anyway.
Check the Customer Service desk. That's where they keep the books that often get stolen. You'll rarely find any Vonnegut, JD Salinger, even On The Road (!) on the shelves, or in the computer directory. You have to specifically ask them for it...so they can keep tabs on you, of course.
Well damn, if WBBS was "always" a Chindicoles store, I've inadvertently given them my money more than once.
Theory is that the beatniks and drifters who like those books feel like they shouldn't have to buy them.. isn't it??
(Or that they would just sit in the store and read them for afternoons on end and never purchase?)
Nah Paige,
those books are behind the counter because they're easy to resell and therefore targets for book rustlers.
Damn beatnik-capitalists.
You thought the World's Biggest Bookstore was an independent operation? I feel sorry for you...
Actually, I feel sorry for this entire post and thread. The naivete level here has increased about 9000 percent in recent months.
I agree with Bono.
Hey where's josh? I feel sorry for you, surrounded by commenters who don't know everything you know.
Does anyone here miss Edwards Books? I miss Edwards Books.
But I also have been going to WBBS since I was in short pants - and never thought they were independant.
Just 'cause it doesn't have a big "CORPORATE" sign on the front, doesn't mean it's hard to tell these things.
They sell Coles notes, and use the same signs as Coles.
Duh.
As someone who once worked in a school library, I can comment on And the Band Played On. We were decommissioning some books; this happened to be one of them. I asked the librarian if this was a mistake since there were so few books (at the time) on this subject. He said that it had not been signed out for a while and also pointed out to me that there were a number of things in the book that had since been discredited.
No conspiracy here.