ellenkushner | Life's Little Annoyances

Well doh. My first answer was going to be "bookstore". Then I saw the "Amazon" in fine print. I'm obviously slow :)

My *mother* used to ask me this question all the time. I'm not sure she understands even now that my books are *not* self-published. After all, I'm just, yanno, her daughter. :-) Bless her to bits, but still!

My mother seems to think that all authors are celebrities. On a few occasions, I've mentioned things that happened in online conversations with one author or another, and she always expresses disbelief that it could have possibly been the real author in question. Authors are too famous-y and busy writing books to be on the internet! It must have been somebody pretending to be them.

(no subject)

teriegarrison.livejournal.com - 2008-12-20 16:19 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

woodburner.livejournal.com - 2008-12-20 23:21 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

teriegarrison.livejournal.com - 2008-12-21 09:11 (UTC) - Expand

Well, I can speak from experience that the truck stop outside Cassellton, ND (by the family farm) doesn't carry 'em. Refrigerator magnets of apparently transvestite bison, however...

I've seen your books in several bookstores here in Iceland (even though I bought mine on Amazon). So... uh... you can tell them that.

Oh, good! "In Iceland!" I love it.

People sometimes need to be told that if they're buying my buttons (http://www.nancybuttons.com), it doesn't matter where I live, at least so far as the first world is concerned.

This suggests that people haven't emotionally assimilated the idea of a postal service yet. It's probably a little much to expect them to remember the internet.

If they mean "right this minute or tomorrow morning" it's because they want you to say "Bob's, two blocks away" kind of thing. This would require you to know who has your books in stock, everywhere. Hmmm, tricky.

There are a lot of people who still haven't shopped at Amazon. And I think a lot of people go into bookstores and see only the face-out displays. They don't realize that the bookstore (unless it's a Borders, say, or a specialist) will order anything they can think of that's in print for them, if they ask.

They are not on sale at the theater, I take it... maybe next year...?

(They are on sale at the theatre.)

Thank you for the analysis; this is kind of what I was hoping for by way of illumination on how other people might think.

(no subject)

drcpunk.livejournal.com - 2008-12-21 07:53 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

drcpunk.livejournal.com - 2008-12-21 07:57 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

ellen-kushner.livejournal.com - 2008-12-25 21:45 (UTC) - Expand

possibly they ask in case you are soon to be doing a signing, or would like to support local businesses, or you know of some sparkly lovely edition being printed someplace? i personally have a plurality of "privilege of the sword" for the last two reasons....

Lovely!

drcpunk.livejournal.com - 2008-12-21 08:05 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

ellen-kushner.livejournal.com - 2008-12-25 21:48 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

drcpunk.livejournal.com - 2008-12-25 22:06 (UTC) - Expand

This is insane but probably intended to be polite small talk. Those people are probably trying to prove that their interest in your work is genuine and that they actually read books and will read yours too. They are just very stupid about it.

Excellent insight. Thank you!

You could take it as an opportunity to get oddly over-specific, like "Try the Fantasy section of any bookstore, or the SF & Fantasy section, snuggled all nice and kentucky right in between Kurtz & Lackey."

Though not, as in this case, THE GOLDEN DREYDL.

Ebay or Waterstones.

Internet(ABEbooks, B&N, rarely Amazon, small privately owned presses that are online), Barnes and Noble brick and morter stores, small locally owned bookstores...

When Lin Carter wrote his book on the history of fantasy, he got letters asking him who wrote this "Arabian Nights" thing he referred to, and where they could find it.

What I wonder is, how did people that slow figure out where to write him?

Maybe they're hoping you'll pull a book out of your pocket and offer to give it to them and autograph it right then and there.

Aha! Maybe so.

I have been receiving this question as well. Are they gently trying to find out if I'm self-published, or something? Do they think I'll say, "from the guy in the overcoat who hides behind the dumpster?"

*puzzled*

Yes! Thank you! That is what I meant!

Two possible, more charitable interpretations:

1) They are giving you the opportunity to say, "I have some copies" because many authors do sell copies of their books (especially if they are running around doing readings) and the author makes more money off those, or...

2) They are really asking "Which bookstore do you recommend/treats you nicest?"

Especially the latter. Though I'm not an author, I'll almost always buy my SFF from the local specialty store rather than a chain or Amazon, because I want them to be around to have author signings and stuff.

(no subject)

ellen-kushner.livejournal.com - 2008-12-25 21:50 (UTC) - Expand

Perhaps they are asking where they can buy the books so as to maximize your personal profit? While I usually buy books through Amazon, I will order via other channels if it results in more income for a favored authors (such as yourself).

Michael Burstein (http://mabfan.livejournal.com/387351.html) has a FAQ on this topic also. His first book I Remember the Future (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0981639062?ie=UTF8&tag=lennhoff-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0981639062) just came out and he's doing an amazing job promoting it.

It's out? It's out?

Gee, where can I get a copy? (Yes, I can figure that part out.)

(no subject)

drcpunk.livejournal.com - 2008-12-25 22:06 (UTC) - Expand

Maybe they think a certain book by you is out of print. I can think of several authors I like, but their older books are out of print. It's not an idle question to ask where it might be possible to buy those books!

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.

I know, I know . . . Many fine insights here, and I will try to take it all less personally in future. It's not like I've ever asked a stupid question of someone in another profession.

Though maybe this is my chance to add that it is GOOD if you go into a chain bookstore and they don't have my (I mean, a favorite author's) books there, to wander innocently up to the desk and ask if they have them in stock. Because (a) sometimes they actually have them in the back; and (b) if people keep asking for the same author, eventually they will get the picture and order more from the warehouse! Coin flips, you see, can sometimes be jiggered out of randomness.