Happy to see my book among ‘Local Authors’ in ‘my’ Barnes & Noble store

By JEFFREY MUNROE 
Author of Telling Stories in the Dark

My wife and I enjoy visiting “our” Barnes & Noble in Holland, Michigan, so I was eager to take advantage of the relatively new marketing policy that frees up the management of BN stores nationwide to make local decisions about what books to feature on the store’s shelves.

In the weekly news from Front Edge Publishing, I had been seeing stories like: A Virginia Barnes & Noble experiments with local author events and then Why are Barnes & Noble stores so different now? 

And, yes—I understand that other authors have not had the enjoyable experiences Martin Davis and I have had as authors when talking with the management of “our” BN stores. Bricks and mortar stores tend to focus on stocking bestsellers from the biggest publishing houses and most BN stores nationwide are still in the process of becoming more welcoming to local authors.

But I’m here to say to other authors: Give it a shot! And, if at first you don’t succeed, keep talking to the management of “your” stores.

Perhaps print out a copy of this column and bring it along with you.

I visited “our” store in Holland, which is about four miles from my home, and I spoke with a friendly store representative named Jessica Harsevoort. She seemed enthusiastic about speaking with me and placing my book on their shelves.

Then, my books sold out quickly—and the store has asked for more stock!

This has been a win-win-win for me, BN and our readers.

I’m a big supporter of this new BN marketing concept. My “take” is that this practice moves the store from cold and corporate to warm and local.

Now, when my wife and I visit, it feels even more like “our” store.