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Stores swiftly accused
Ann Arbor News ^ | September 1, 2004 | Mike Ramsey

Posted on 09/01/2004 8:30:18 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife

It's a conspiracy!

Barnes & Noble and Borders are intentionally keeping a book critical of John Kerry off the shelves - so say conspiracy theorists who fly with the right wing.

The nation's No. 1 and 2 booksellers have been barraged with complaints about the unavailablity of "Unfit for Command," by John E. O'Neill and Jerome R. Corsi.

The book, released Aug. 15 and authored by former Vietnam War swift boat veterans, flew off shelves during its first week on the market. The publisher, Regnery Publishing, said they didn't anticipate it being so popular and didn't print enough copies.

Its unavailability has been viewed by some as an intentional act to prevent the anti-Kerry book from being distributed during the run-up to the presidential election. The backlash against Barnes & Noble was so strong that the company issued a statement to defend itself.

"The fact is Regnery has not been able to keep up with customer demand for this title," said Steve Riggio, chief executive officer of Barnes & Noble Inc. in the statement. "We've been put in the difficult position of having to defend ourselves over a title we can't seem to get enough copies of from the publisher."

Emily Swan, spokeswoman for Borders Group Inc., the Ann Arbor-based bookseller, said the company has similarly had problems stocking the book and has been flooded with complaints.

"Everybody was having trouble getting stocked," she said. "As soon as it was on the shelves, it was flying right off. We did have customers upset, and there were rumors flying around that we refused to stock it - which is absolutely false."

She said before the stores ran out of stock, it was the week's bestseller.

But the explanation has failed to convince some. Posters on conservative Internet newsgroups like www.freerepublic.com have urged boycotts against Barnes & Noble, claiming anti-Bush bias.

"I have a Barnes & Noble around the corner from me, and I can guarantee you that all of the Bush-bashing books lining the shelves got put on the shelves most-ricky-tick," someone known as "Doc" H wrote in a post titled "Boycott Barnes & Noble."

Jeff Carneal, CEO of the conservative book publisher Regnery, said the book is in its 10th printing with more than 650,000 copies in print or on order.

"Despite what some customers may believe, it isn't the stores' fault that supplies are scarce. I wish I could blame it on a vast left-wing conspiracy," said Carneal in a statement, "but I just can't. The book's record-setting demand just couldn't have been anticipated by the stores or by us."

Swan said the complaints come from both ends of the political spectrum when it comes to political titles. And they are especially intense during the presidential election season.

"We are just trying to put out what's hot," she said, explaining the company's philosophy on carrying titles. "We have very conservative books as well as very liberal books."

In fact, "My Life," former President Bill Clinton's presidential memoir, has been one of this year's biggest sellers for both Borders and Barnes & Noble. Both companies attributed better-than-expected second-quarter sales to the book's popularity.

Swan said the company brings in both conservative and liberal authors to do book signings at its stores and puts out titles and lets the readers decide what's worth reading.

"Our basic statement is that all of our customers have the right to read, listen and watch what they want," she said.

For both Borders and Barnes & Noble, the top five selling book titles in 2004 alternate between conservative-leaning and liberal-leaning authors.

Swan said the best-sellers tend to follow the political mood of the nation. In 2004, there are more left-leaning titles, led by former White House terrorism adviser Richard Clarke's book "Against All Enemies: Inside America's War on Terror."

But 2003 had more titles supporting conservative philosophies, such as Bill O'Reilly's "Who's Looking Out For You?"


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: bookstores; censorship; freerepublic; kerry; liberalbias; sbvt; swiftboat; unfitforcommand
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Kerry's threat to bookstores played a big role in how people see this.
1 posted on 09/01/2004 8:30:19 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

Ann Arbor = Berkley east.


2 posted on 09/01/2004 8:32:24 AM PDT by cripplecreek (The economy won't matter if you're dead.)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

When so many people on here were immediately claiming conspiracy and saying that they were never going to set foot in a chain bookstore again, I had the same reaction as the author of this article. The fact that this book had to be published by a small company and not a big boy of the publishing world is a sign of bias, but the bookstores themselves weren't turning away a source of profit just to spite Bush. Many people on here and in other places were far too quick to cry foul.


3 posted on 09/01/2004 8:34:21 AM PDT by susiek
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

I just love it when they tap dance. Heheheh.


4 posted on 09/01/2004 8:34:32 AM PDT by EggsAckley (........."YO" is "OY" spelled backwards.........)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

If true, there is no greater way to stoke demand for the book. . . (ala Disney and Michael Moore).


5 posted on 09/01/2004 8:34:57 AM PDT by Elpasser (Be careful what you ask for . . .)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

There never was any kind of company-wide conspiracy. My local B&N had UfC out on its tables the other day. If a book is selling, a bookstore will put it out there, regardless of what it is.


6 posted on 09/01/2004 8:35:05 AM PDT by TheBigB (The donger need FOOD!)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

I was unable to purchase this book at Barnes & Nobles and at Schwartzs. I ordered it through Amazon and they said it was backordered until mid September. I canceled that order and ordered it from Books A Million. They said they had it in stock. Yesturday, they sent me an email saying the book was back ordered. I sent them an email saying that they show the book was in stock. They apologized and my book should be here tomorrow. (I have the UPS tracking number). Why is this book so hard to get, or do places not want people to read the truth??


7 posted on 09/01/2004 8:35:51 AM PDT by meeps
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

So, are Bush-bashing books are heaped up in big piles at these stores because no one is buying them?


8 posted on 09/01/2004 8:35:52 AM PDT by proxy_user
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

All B&N have to do is come clean on how many copies they've actually sold. (It's probably ZERO! ! !)


9 posted on 09/01/2004 8:36:07 AM PDT by JATO
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To: meeps
Why is this book so hard to get, or do places not want people to read the truth??

It's selling faster than they can be printed and distributed. I got a copy yesterday at WalMart.

10 posted on 09/01/2004 8:38:05 AM PDT by Cboldt
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

I think the biggest thing a buyer can do at this point is call several stores and ask them if they have it. If not ask them to place it on order for you. This is how their little system works.


11 posted on 09/01/2004 8:38:47 AM PDT by e_castillo
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To: meeps

"Why is this book so hard to get, or do places not want people to read the truth??"

The CEO of Regenery answered that question for you already. He said that his company can't keep up with demand. The bookstores don't have copies for you because others got there first and the publisher doesn't have more to send right away. I'm sure there are plenty of libs within these bookstores that would love for you not to read the book, but at the same time they are a business and sell what they can. If they can't keep a book in stock because so many people want it, they will keep ordering it and selling out again and again. Regenery itself says the problem is their supply, not the bookstores' fault. If it's backordered, that doesn't mean they don't want you to read it, it means everyone else is already reading it!


12 posted on 09/01/2004 8:38:54 AM PDT by susiek
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

These stores have to live by their own track record. When many of their stores throughout the country display only liberal books in prominent places, and they make it very difficult to even FIND the conservative books, then they are going to discover that the public is no longer willing to just take their word for things, especially when the liberal candidate for president is wanting the book and commercials banned, and has already pressured TV stations to not run the commercials. Show me the books.


13 posted on 09/01/2004 8:40:28 AM PDT by The Ghost of FReepers Past (Legislatures are so outdated. If you want real political victory, take your issue to court.)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

DocH
Since Aug 13, 2004


14 posted on 09/01/2004 8:41:45 AM PDT by ZGuy
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To: proxy_user

"So, are Bush-bashing books are heaped up in big piles at these stores because no one is buying them?"

The answer to this lies not with the stores but with the publishers. Unfit is published by a smaller company, Regenery, that by its own admission can't keep up with demand. Clinton's book, in contrast, was published by a major company that could do a huge first printing to make sure the market was flooded with copies right away. The bias comes from the big publishers who could have published far more copies of Unfit than Regenery is able to but who wouldn't touch the book.


15 posted on 09/01/2004 8:42:07 AM PDT by susiek
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

So why does Amazon have so many copies? I remember reading posts a couple of weeks ago where Borders and maybe B&N told prospective buyers they had order a small number of copies. I guess if you order a dozen books, which sell out in a day or two, gives you a a free hand to say you're out.


16 posted on 09/01/2004 8:43:24 AM PDT by ampat
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To: susiek
Many people on here and in other places were far too quick to cry foul.

Maybe about the book not being available, but what about the people were told by clerks that the book was recalled because it was full of lies? It happened more than once.

17 posted on 09/01/2004 8:43:41 AM PDT by JoeBob255
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Comment #18 Removed by Moderator

To: Cincinatus' Wife

Philly Radio (1210 WPHT, Dom Giordano) reports that the local Kerry Edwards Campaign meetings in northern Delaware were at the local Barnes and Noble. How unbiased is that?


19 posted on 09/01/2004 8:43:47 AM PDT by blanknoone (Republicans need to acknowledge that campaign finance reform failed and start setting up 527s.)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

Philly Radio (1210 WPHT, Dom Giordano) reports that the local Kerry Edwards Campaign meetings in northern Delaware were at the local Barnes and Noble. How unbiased is that?


20 posted on 09/01/2004 8:45:26 AM PDT by blanknoone (Republicans need to acknowledge that campaign finance reform failed and start setting up 527s.)
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