Kepler's

Do you know that I’m on the Barnes & Noble bestseller list two times over?!?! I can’t tell you how thrilled I am about that. I’m doing pretty darned well at Borders too. I’ve had managers of Borders Express' contact me and ask if I would be willing to speak at their stores. It’s all incredibly flattering and insanely exciting but there is one group who I’m still fighting to be recognition by: the independent booksellers. There are those who feel that this isn’t an important fight for me to win. Some people feel that independent booksellers are relics from a bygone era and that their support (or lack there of) isn’t going to significantly affect my sales one way or the other.

I don’t agree with any of that. I am just naïve enough to think that there’s room in this world for both the superstores (like Borders and Barnes & Noble) and the independents. Go to any shopping district in an area that is at least marginally metropolitan and you’ll find two Starbucks, one other chain coffee shop and two independently owned coffee shops. And they’ll all be busy. If people can support five coffee shops in a three block radius then surely they can support two book stores in a five block one. I’m aware of all the independents that are closing and/or being pushed out. I know they’re struggling, I just don’t think it HAS to be that way. There has to be a way to spread out consumer support so that everybody wins. Do I have the answer as to how that’s going to work? I have some ideas but on a whole, no, I don’t. I’m just hopeful.

But while independent bookstores may be struggling financially I still think they wield an enormous amount of influence. Because they are perceived as members of the community they have the ability to get the community talking. They have the power to start a buzz and that’s not a power to be underestimated.

All this is leading up to a personal request. At 7:30 on Tuesday the 25th of July (as in six days from now) I’m going to be speaking at Menlo Park’s Kepler's. For those of you who don’t know, Keplers is one of the country’s best known independent bookstores in the country and like most independent bookstores they’ve had their fair share of financial difficulties. But things are beginning to look up for them and that’s partially due to a carefully selected and extremely high quality inventory. The powers that be at Kepler's are spending a lot of time studying the buying patterns of their customers and they make sure to carry what will appeal to them

I’d like to think that I would appeal to their customers. But Kepler’s is not in a position to take a gamble. If I was writing a type of book that they specialized in (non-fiction, science, children’s literature) then I’d have an automatic place in their store. But I write commercial women’s fiction and while they do carry commercial women’s fiction they don’t sell enough of it to justify carrying every chick-lit book that catches their eye. I have to prove myself to them. I’d like to think that this next event will do that. After all, I can usually pull in a crowd of 30 or more. But while I have gotten a lot of publicity in other areas of the country for some odd reason I haven’t had much in the South Bay this year. That could affect the size of my audience. Furthermore I’m going to be speaking with two other chick-lit authors and both of them are from the South Bay. I’m not in competition with these ladies but I don’t want them to feel like they have to provide me with exposure to dozens of new readers while I provide them with exposure to maybe three. So this is what I’m asking: if you can make the 7:30 signing please, please, PLEASE do. Furthermore bring friends. If you don’t live within driving distance of the store but know someone who does tell them to go. If you already have a book or if, for whatever reason, you don’t want to own one, that’s fine. I just want to provide the store with a crowd. You can go on their website to get instructions but I highly recommend that you actually call the store (650-324-4321)to ask a salesperson and that you mention the event while you’re on the phone, thus subtly letting them know what kind of attendance to expect.

I realize that I’m on the verge of begging here, not something I normally do. It also feels odd to be making this plea when my currents sales are so incredibly strong. But I really want to have more of a presence in those darned independent stores and this seems like a great opportunity to further that goal. Help me out?

Kyra Davis
http://www.kyradavis.com/
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