The Noble Barn

The thing that surprised me the most about Barnes & Noble was that they were selling advertising space. Selling prime shelf space to publishers seems counter-productive. I thought that Barnes & Noble chose the books that would be displayed. That way they would be able to push books thy felt would sell the best and make more money. I guess they are generating more revenue by offering good product placement than they would by selling more books.

I was also amazed by the sheer number of books in the store. I have a cut-throat perception of large businesses. I wouldn’t have expected B&N to carry books that sell only one copy a week, or less.

I was surprised by the author’s advice, “do whatever your editor wants.” I don’t consider my writing my art, but I still value my own judgment. He made a good point though. I’m going to be better off picking my battles and selling more articles than making a huff over something insignificant, like a book title, and losing interest from a publisher.

Weird book: "I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence" by Amy Sedaris