I have 2 Wal-marts near me. One has the WORST book section I’ve ever seen ( as in- why bother?) and the other one a really good one, with plenty of variety. I’d really like to know why in the same town, there is such a drastic difference between 2 stores in the same chain! (Most retailers I’m familiar with have *set-ups* that are company wide with specific requirements as to dept. size and stock that goes within them) Anyway, I hope that helps answer your question about why you see the variety of answers re: Walmart and their book depts.

I work for Walgreens, and we all have a standard, 6-ft. rack which ( up until the whole Anderson News kerfluffle) is restocked weekly, with the top 2 rows going to best sellers, and the rest mass-market paperbacks of all kinds ( Except erotica). I know Publix ( grocery stores) have 10 ft depts like ours. Now, I can’t always get the new releases the week their out ( except for the big names- Nora, Ward, Kenyon, etc.) in my store until the following week ( IF they hit the best seller list)

In those cases, it’s either drive to B&N in the next town over, or hit the *good* Walmart to see if they have it. Which is the one on my way to work thankfully.
(aside?- that’s about all I’ll buy at Wal-mart. As a company, I think how they treat their employees is deplorable!)

I apologize if this post rambles, my coffee maker is broken ;-/

I’m lucky and have a decent Borders right around the corner from me. I also order a fair amount online. In fact, it’s just about the only way I order my erotica and erotic romance titles these days because I refuse on principle to buy a “new” book that someone read in the store and bent the spine all out of shape. But I’m wacky like that.

The most romance-friendly “new” bookstores I’ve ever been in have been Waldenbooks. Sadly Borders has been shutting those down, and in some cases replacing them with Borders Express. The BEs I’ve been in have been OK – but just not quite the same “feel” as the old WB…..

sorry though… maybe they will have it back once the issue with anderson (I may have the name wrong here, having a bad dopamax day – don’t ask) is sorted out or whoev takes over for them or whatever happens… sucks in the meantime for everyone authors, readers and publishers

You can most likely get it online if you don’t mind ordering the ebook from kensington or you can order the book from Kensington at discount (I think) don’t recall what the shipping was might want to check out their site. Last I recall they had a really nice 30% discount if you order through them (I am just assuming, which yes I know what they say about that *g*) you don’t wanna order from amazon.

I’m tired of all of the power they have…if my bank wasn’t inside the store, I would rarely go.

Back to the issue at hand…Borders has the book by Beth Williamson on their site but available online only. Same with Lorelei James and most of the Samhain line that are coming out. I’ll stick with ebooks.

I will try not to bitch about having to go on a whole day excursion when I want to see an actual bookstore any more.

The whole Walmart thing is just wrong on so many levels… I try not to buy there, but I do not to buy there, but for many items they are it in town.

With books, when I finally make up my mind to buy a new title, I’m kinda into instant gratification, so it sucks when the one outlet 10 minutes away doesn’t offer what I seek and by the time I have enough for a $25 Bamm.com order with free shipping, the desire to read the book has kind of waned, so many books don’t get bought or not bought new… which sucks for the authors, but I guess it’s good for my wallet.

yeah, I wondered about that, since we live in the Bible Belt, but the one 15 miles up the road still carries them, so if it were a ‘family store’ kind of decision based on location/demographics you’d think they’d not have them anywhere nearby.

I did wonder if somebody complained, but quite possibly it had more to do with what actually sold and what didn’t, which brings us right back to location and demographics albeit it with the focus on buying behavior…

And yeah, my options are way limited. The nearest actual BOOK store is more than 5 hours’ drive from where I live–mostly through unpopulated forest. There are spinny racks at the two groceries, and a shelf at the convenience store–but it sucks because there’s nowhere really in my town that I can imagine would carry my own books. Maybe the convenience store would stick ‘em up near the Hustler mags, but that really isn’t the target readership, you know? Might be worth asking, though… LOL

Whenever I see the company name I can’t help a wince and an involuntary “ouch.” Several years ago they refused to carry my first book because they found either the title or the cover offensive. Or possibly both. I can’t remember now, except that it wasn’t considered the right kind of book for a family store (even though there is no actual sex in the book – go figure).

But it’s interesting that they haven’t got the Blaze series in your local branch, GrowlyCub – I wonder if Blaze is considered too “hot?” and not right for a family store, too? Just a speculation based on my particular experience.

While our local Wally so far hasn’t taken away shelf space, they stock fewer different titles and concentrate heavily on ‘bestsellers’ and the ‘Choice’ religious books.

I agree with you, I’d much rather they weren’t the ones deciding who gets published, because they got some priorities that do not jive with mine.

I’m still puzzling about the mechanics behind the Gennita Low situation, because the vast majority of the books I’ve bought lately were not sold in Walmart stores. What’s different for them that they got published even though Walmart didn’t carry them?

Maybe somebody in the know can clarify. I’m not saying I don’t believe in the power of Walmart, I just don’t understand why it affects some books and not others, since the majority of books published every month are not carried by Walmart to start with.

I almost wish Another Lori and Growly hadn’t shown up to say their WalMart’s shelves are still full. Maybe we’d all be better off if WalMart got out of the bookselling business. Maybe if they did, B&N, Borders, (or Chapters and Coles in Canada) would stop shrinking as well, and start carrying more midlist again.

If the public’s reading choices must be arbitrated by someone, I’d rather it be a handful of stores that, you know, specialize in books. And I’d rather no one store have the power to fuck with my career with the stroke (or lack thereof) of a pen.

Besides, I wish I had all y’all’s problem. I live on the ass end of nowhere. All I gots is the rack at the drug store.