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Eric Reynolds on… oh, forget it
posted February 28, 2005
 

Eric Reynolds
via the Internet

BRIAN HIBBS ASKS:

What I'm asking is why do we cast the DM in the light of half-empty, and the ID in the light of half-full? Barnes & Noble not necessarily stocking Like a Velvet Glove is greeted with a shrug, the DM store not doing so is much stronger. Doesn't that seem like a problem when the publishers themselves always discuss the DM in that light?

Brian implies that my perception of the direct market is arbitrary, as if the power of positive thinking will rectify all of our problems. If only the book industry could get its act together, create an industry council, and hire Tony Robbins as a consultant. Why, think of the power we could collectively wield!

Alright, I'm being a smartass, and really, you echoed my thoughts pretty thoroughly with your Sunday magazine piece. But is it that hard to believe at this point in time, given their relative sizes and untapped potential, that the bookstore market does seem like a glass half-full compared to the half-empty direct market? None of this is to discount the practical value the direct market continues to have to any publisher. But all I know is, we do our best to service both as effectively as possible, and the book trade continues to grow while the direct market continues to, well, chug along about the same as it has. The direct market seems largely indifferent to our efforts, and the upside in the book trade just continues to seem far greater than the direct market. This is not something I necessarily want to happen, but it's what I clearly observe.