Olduvai Reads

A NYTimes article explains just why is it that we see certain books on obvious display eg Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code at bookstores, while often better-written books languish on the shelves, hidden from plain sight.

""It is known, somewhat deceptively, as a cooperative advertising agreement. In plain terms, it means that many of the books on display at the front of a store or placed face out at the end of an aisle are there because the publisher paid for them to be there, not necessarily because anyone at the bookstore thought the book was noteworthy or interesting.

Under such programs, booksellers -- mostly chains, but also larger independent stores -- keep a certain percentage of a publisher's net sales, usually 3 percent to 5 percent annually, depending on the agreement with the publisher. This money is then parceled out for various purposes, to help, for example, defray the bookseller's advertising costs, when a chain takes out ads or prints fliers to promote certain books. But the publisher's money may also buy coveted space on the store's front tables or on tall, highly visible racks, known as stepladders, announcing to customers that these books are considered the most important in the store.""

Perhaps more revealing is this statement from the reporter:
Trying to get publishers or booksellers to talk about display agreements, even off the record, is like trying to persuade Mafiosi to break the oath of omertá.



my iPod is currently playing Mazzy Star's Flowers In December while I knuckle down to finish my stories on this hot Saturday afternoon - a day that no one should waste by spending time indoors, in an airconditioned office where the only hint of natural light flickers through the blinds, calling out to me... come and join us outside!