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Jonathan Grimm’s The Future Poor debuts at historic Vroman’s in California

We’re all celebrating, this week, the milestone of Jonathan Grimm’s book, The Future Poor, displayed on the shelves at Vroman’s, which is widely regarded as the oldest and largest independent bookstore in southern California.

Why is Vroman’s such a big deal?

If you’re not familiar with this historic—and famously public-minded—institution, then read this summary that Vroman’s provides for its customers:

Vroman’s Bookstore holds an important place in Southern California’s history. For many years, Vroman’s was the largest bookstore west of the Mississippi, and it continues to be the oldest and largest independent bookstore in Southern California. During World War II, Vroman’s donated and delivered books to Japanese Americans interned at nearby camps, returning on several occasions despite being fired upon by camp guards. Mr. Vroman’s legacy of philanthropy continues into the present day. Throughout the years, the store has supported a variety of causes and institutions through food drives, holiday gift drives, free HIV testing, pet adoption days, mentoring and support for local girl scout troops, donations for charity raffles, school book fairs, and the Vroman’s Gives Back program. Vroman’s Gives Back is a charitable program that donates a portion of customers’ purchases to local nonprofits, including public radio stations, arts centers, family services, and programs supporting literacy, the unhoused, and animal welfare.

Why does that matter so much in this case?

Vroman’s mission fits perfectly with Jonathan Grimm’s own mission of bringing his scholarship in Christian ethics to bear in advising people about the looming retirement crisis that is going to hit millions of now-young Americans. Jonathan’s book—and his public talks, podcasts and columns—encourage people not only to make smart decisions about their finances but also to give back to their families, friends and communities. (Want to read more about Jonathan’s inspiring work? Check out this major story we published to mark the publication of The Future Poor.)

Why is the appearance of Jonathan’s book at Vroman’s something we celebrate?

Every new author we work with asks about book distribution and, of course, we explain that Front Edge Publishing uses all the major resources of global giant wholesaler Ingram—as well as other direct arteries. That. means our books show up in paperback, hardcover and ebook formats in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Powell’s Books, Walmart’s online store, indie-popular Bookshop.org. And then we see our books showing up in many other booksellers’ listings across North America and around the world. For example, our books show up in the giant Australian online bookseller, Booktopia.

“But will my book show up on the shelves of my local bookstore?” authors ask us.

“That can happen, if you understand the business model of bricks-and-mortar stores and take a few steps yourself,” we tell readers.

Want to know more about our publishing house and our marketing of books? Please, contact us!