While it does sound like a rather airheaded comment to make, in the possible defense of folks who ask this - sometimes trying to find an author you like at a bookstore is dicey. And even a casual observer of book chains finds out that some chains pick up an author that another doesn't.
For instance, there are many authors I either have to buy through Barnes & Noble, because Borders seems to pick their books (particularly SF/F books) based on flipping coins or playing pin-the-tail-on-the-book or something random like that.
And perhaps to someone who really doesn't know much more about the publishing/bookselling world, the author seems the natural person to ask about where a book might be found. Of course, the author wouldn't be able to tell you, but I don't think they know that.
I agree with an earlier comment, I think this is meant to be polite and expressive of interest in you and your work - it just comes out of a deep misunderstanding of how books work.
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For instance, there are many authors I either have to buy through Barnes & Noble, because Borders seems to pick their books (particularly SF/F books) based on flipping coins or playing pin-the-tail-on-the-book or something random like that.
And perhaps to someone who really doesn't know much more about the publishing/bookselling world, the author seems the natural person to ask about where a book might be found. Of course, the author wouldn't be able to tell you, but I don't think they know that.
I agree with an earlier comment, I think this is meant to be polite and expressive of interest in you and your work - it just comes out of a deep misunderstanding of how books work.