The best of all booksellers

I have some fantastic people working to promote my book: my agent, my editor, my publicist, and all of the booksellers working for my publisher and staffing fine bookstores everywhere.

But sometimes, I wonder if my mother-in-law might not be the best of the bunch. I received this email today:

So I went into Posner’s Bookstore at Grand Central Station and asked why the book was not on the front table of the store. The man looked it up and discovered that they had one copy.

“So where is it?” I asked.

“In the mystery section.”

“OK. Let’s check it out.”  I found it on the shelf tucked ALL THE WAY in the back of the store on the next to lowest shelf of the mystery department. I explained that my son-in-law had been written up on the FRONT PAGE of the Sunday Courant, written about in the Boston Globe, and written about in USA Today, and how could they possibly sell this one measly book if they have it in the section that it doesn’t even belong in? I was outraged.

“Well, I will look into this and peruse the book,” said the poor chap!

“Yes, and talk to your boss about ordering more copies for all of your Connecticut shoppers. They will be looking for the book.”  I explained that both Barnes and Noble and Borders has the book displayed prominently in ALL of their stores and that they are doing themselves a disservice by having only one copy hidden away. I told him that I will be back in two weeks and that, hopefully, it will be on the front table (at least six of them) then.

He laughed and said that he will do his best. He is going to look through the book and then talk to his boss.

I’m doing my best to promote and sell the book. On the lower shelf in the back of the store in the mystery department? Damn! We can’t have that!