Posted on 11/25/2002 11:52:57 AM PST by SeenTheLight
Ann Coulter’s book “Slander” includes an excellent section on liberal bias in the world of book publishing. She provides evidence that, despite the consistently high sales of politically conservative books, most publishing companies persist in pushing books from the left side of the spectrum, at the expense of all others. But there is another link in the chain of bias in the publishing world that is rarely addressed: independent bookstores. Independent bookstores are overwhelmingly owned and staffed by liberals and they make sure that their political inclinations take precedence.
A letter to the editor in the Chronicle (11/22) inadvertently highlights the kind of politics many independent bookstores espouse. The writer of the letter sings the praises of City Lights Bookstore for “its four-paneled sign, which states “Stop war and war-makers” with a picture of President Bush on the last panel.” In fact, it’s fairly common to see this kind of leftist, anti-war rhetoric posted in the windows of independent bookstores. These establishments could demonstrate a modicum of professionalism by curbing their proselytizing and doing what they’re supposed to do, which is sell books, but I’m not holding my breath.
Having spent a couple of years working for an independent bookstore, I witnessed first-hand the dominance of leftist politics in that sphere. The buyers, although they did order a wide variety of books for the sake of keeping the store competitive, often conveniently forgot to order paperback versions or additional stock when it came to conservative books. The Marketing Department did their best to imbue the front window displays with as much liberal propaganda as possible, to the point where they ignored customer complaints in the process. Even the humble sales clerks wielded their own power when it came to recommending books, “facing out” books on the shelves and doing floor displays.
Politically conservative books were rarely displayed, even when they were bestsellers. At the same time, leftist books were displayed constantly, even when they were no longer new releases. The anti-American screeds of Noam Chomsky, and the hateful vitriol of Gore Vidal were mainstays of the political displays, as were such juvenile favorites as Michael Moore’s “Stupid White Men.” If it fit their liberal sensibilities, it was assured of long term prominence in their displays.
In contrast, I was in Borders recently and it was a revelation. Their Military History and American History sections were three times the size of the ones at my former job. There were stacks of books everywhere, including many by well-known conservative authors. There was a conspicuous display right by the front door on liberal bias in the media. None of these books were tucked away or hidden for fear of letting out the conservative bogeyman, but rather put out there, along with the whole range of political books, for all to see. In short, it was exactly as it should be in a bookstore.
The fact is, Internet sites like Amazon.com and the large chain bookstores are by far the most democratic when it comes to offering different political viewpoints. It is time for independent bookstores to adapt to a changing world, or go the way of the dinosaurs.
Here's an excerpt:
"Miss Nickson, in noting the number of right-wing bestsellers, also reminded me of why I loathe those small bookstores we're all supposed to prefer over the big-box impersonal chains. I used to date a gal in Burlington, Vermont. She was swell, but the one bookstore in that quintessential latte burg drove me nuts. There's a whole category of books they ought to call "Bestsellers That Are Entirely Unavailable In American College Towns": Rush, Dr. Laura, anything by anybody on Fox News. You might as well be asking for "One Hundred Great Yak Recipes From Bhutan" in the original Bhutanese. Actually, it's worse than that. You might as well be asking for "One Hundred Great Bhutanese Catamites Under Nine" for the looks you get if you enquire about any book on Ronald Reagan that doesn't assume he was an economic illiterate and nuke-crazy airhead."
"Fortunately, in Burlington, Barnes & Noble opened up on the edge of town, and the small personal bookstore attuned to the needs of its customers closed down almost immediately. So now, instead of the allegedly charmingly quirky independent bookseller with his idiosyncratic tastes, everything's ordered by some computer in New Mexico or Bangladesh or wherever the hell it is. Result: not only is the gay and lesbian section much bigger but you can get Rush and Dr. Laura, too."
Here is a link to the column.
LOL, what a wonderful idea. And not really a stretch of the fact of the matter.
I have to shill for my current favorite book:
Basic Economics: A Citizen's Guide to the Economy
by Thomas Sowell
excellent - and very illustrative of the level of economic ignorance rampant in our society.
I started reading from the adult section right quick...
Ahem, ahem.. Aren't you forgetting something?
Is that the one without the gannett in it? Horrible birds, just beastly.
As a customer of the three big bulk warehouse stores, I regularly shift their book stocks around. Whoever their regular stockers are...place many of the right of center authors behind columns or out of arms length. I move the piles around, and place the popular right of center authors in prominent positions. This becomes a bi-monthly game between me and the anonymous stockers.
Of course I live in the DC metro area....this might be a regional warehouse store problem.
With those dim bulbs?
Ferlingetti has brains of spaghetti! The commie/creep even has a street named after him.
Agreed, except you forgot the socialist bastion of public libraries, where I get all my books. Heck, I figure I paid already with my tax money, the price is right, and I don't have to worry where to store them - the books from my flush cash days take up all available bookshelves in my house. Seriously, the library is great and one area government should be welcome. My local library even loans CDs, videos and DVDs for free. I have to wait a while for bestsellers and hit movies, but for those of us on a budget, it's a great deal.
Oh, and I had no problem getting "Slander", "Shakedown" or "Bias" from my local library.
When I did my stint working in a bookstore, I took a True Crime paperback on Charles Manson and other unsavory characters, that said boldy on the spine "Death Cults" and put it in the Islam section! It stayed there for about a month---probably because it looked like it belonged!
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