Have just stumbled over a Times report on publishers paying for placement in bookstores.
I knew they did this sort of thing but it's the sheer scale and blanket acceptance of the act that is annoying. The noble art of bookselling should be a lot more than another excuse for book publishers to flex their chequebooks.
Obviously, no money is involved in either the highly recommended comics I'm reviewing here or any of the comics and graphic novels we highlight at Nostalgia & Comics.
(Although if publishers would like to pay me for the reviews I'm more than willing to listen to their offers.)
That's an interesting article. As you say, it's not something we didn't know (or couldn't have guessed at) before, but the extent is something of a revelation. It's a strange thing, though, that makes me think it's less acceptable in bookshops than it is in record shops - why is that? Why do I assume or expect booksellers to be more idealistic and less tainted by the pressures of commerce? No idea.
ReplyDelete