Why isn’t ASH at my local chain bookstore (and where can I find it asap)?

I recently got a few messages from people saying that they were unable to find Ash at their local chain bookstore. This isn’t a new thing, actually — I’ve gotten messages like this from time to time since the end of 2009, but the recent burst of messages got me thinking.

I think that sometimes people are contacting me about this out of an attempt to be helpful. Like, they think that by telling me I can pop an email off to my publisher and say, “Hey, it’s not at the B&N in [name your city]; can you check on that?”

Let me just say here and now: I have no power in this arena. I do not have a direct line to the sales force at my publisher. I have no control over where the book is available for sale.

I think sometimes readers don’t understand what goes into getting a book on the shelves, so here are a few things I wanted to mention about books, bookstores and where to find a copy of Ash these days.

1. Ash was definitely stocked by Barnes & Noble and Borders¹ from the get-go. If it’s not there anymore, that’s because it is now seven months after it was first published, and those chain stores don’t tend to stock books after the first three months. The chain stores are focused on new releases and bestsellers — and Ash doesn’t fit into either of those categories.

2. That said, if you’re at your local B&N or Borders looking for Ash and it’s not on the shelf, you can very easily ask one of the clerks to order it for you. Usually it takes about 2 or 3 days for the book to get there. It also very helpfully reminds the chain store that someone is asking for my book. I thank you in advance.

3. You might have better luck finding Ash on the shelves of your local independent bookstore. Why? I’ve found that many times indies stock a bigger diversity of backlist (as in, not new releases). Of course, if your indie is a tiny little shop focusing on cookbooks, it’s unlikely that you’ll find Ash there. Your best bet is to find an independent bookseller with a good selection of children’s and YA fiction; another good bet is looking for a women’s or LGBT bookseller like Women & Children First in Chicago.²

4. Again, if the indie doesn’t have the book on the shelf, you can order it! It will probably take a few days to arrive, and again, you’ll be showing the bookseller that there’s interest in my book, plus you’ll be supporting a local business and your community. (Thanks!)

5. There are also many options for finding Ash online. Obviously there’s Amazon, but I’d suggest you also take a look at Powell’s, an independent bookseller based in Portland, Oregon, that carries a large backlist. By buying from Powell’s or any other indie as opposed to Amazon, you invest in a local business that supports authors in ways that Amazon cannot.³

6. Last but not least, you could buy an electronic version⁴. I have nothing against ebooks, and Ash is available in many electronic forms (thanks to the twitterverse for finding out about some of these), including but not limited to:

• Sony eReader
• B&N Nook (although I haven’t heard of anyone using this yet — does it actually exist now?)
• Kindle (which means you can read it on your actual Kindle or on a Kindle app on your iPhone/iPod/iPad/wherever else Kindle works)
• an application downloadable from the iTunes app store (search “Ash Malinda Lo”), so you can read it on your iPhone/iPod/iPad
• as a book downloadable from the new iBooks store for iPads only

7. Actually, one last last thing: You can get it at your local library. If your branch doesn’t have a copy, you can request that your library buy one. This helps out, too!

So. I hope that clears things up. Remember: typically, the longer a book has been out, the harder it is to find it on bookstore shelves (unless it’s a bestseller). You can help keep it on the shelves by ordering it at the actual bookstore when you don’t see it out there.

Eventually (probably later this year) there won’t be any more hardcover editions of Ash. This isn’t bad news, though. This is because in October 2010, Ash will come out in paperback. Yay!

1. I understand there’s a bookstore called Books A Million, which appears to be a chain, but I’ve never seen one in real life and therefore have no idea what they’re like, or if Ash was ever there. [↩]
2. I know, there aren’t many women’s or LGBT bookstores left. [↩]
3. I do have some issues with Amazon, but I’m not going to get into them here. [↩]
4. As long as you have a means to read it electronically. [↩]

Related posts:

1. Pre-ordering ASH
2. Cue the confetti! ASH comes out today!
3. ASH gets a blurb from Meg Cabot!

Tagged as: bookstores, publishing