I made my first foray to the San Marcos Hastings with book in hand and promo flyers from Nebraska with ISBN and all that good stuff. And the first thing they said when I asked for the "book buyer" was "We don't buy back used books." Er. Right. Let me rephrase that. I'm a local author and I'd like to speak with the inventory manager. Right then the two staff at the counter exchanged knowing looks, and said they generally handle "local authors" on a consignment basis. I swear I could almost see the air quotes when they talked, like the heiroglyphics scene in Bubba Ho-Tep. So I spend 10 minutes convincing them that no, I'm not a vanity press sucker, and I'm not peddling unedited dreck out of the trunk of my car. I don't think I convinced them, but they eventually caved and called over the book manager.
Pretty much the same routine with him, until he checked the inventory system and discovered that, yes indeed, the Hastings corporate office considered my book a legitimate publication. He was significantly more friendly after that, turning out to be a SF reader (a Peter Hamilton fan to get specific). He put me in touch with the corporate office, which he said would help me set up book signings and make sure all the stores in the chain stocked at least a few copies. He seemed genuinely interested in VoV, and even offered some suggestions regarding signings and how to deal with the individual stores.
I spoke with Hastings World Headquarters earlier today on the phone. I'll write about that experience a little later. Right now I've got to take off for a pending tee-ball practice.
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