B&N Won’t Stock If I Did It in Stores

by Jim Milliot -- Publishers Weekly, 8/21/2007 7:31:00 AM

The nation’s three largest booksellers have made their decisions about carrying If I Did It, and the results suggest that more customers may be buying the book online than in stores. Amazon said it will carry If I Did It on its site just as it would any other book, and Barnes & Noble.com will also list the title. But B&N said it will not carry the title in its traditional stores, with a spokesperson explaining that the store’s buyers do not believe there will be enough interest in the book to stock in stores. B&N will special order the title for any customer who requests it. B&N’s decision is a big blow to publisher Beaufort Books, especially since the company has minimal distribution in independent stores.

A spokesperson for Borders was more optimistic about It I Did It’s prospects, explaining that the retailer will carry the title, “since there will be customers who have an intererst in purchasing the book.” She added, however, Borders “will not promote or market the book in anyway.”  She said Borders chose to sell the book because, “We believe in our customer's right to make his or her own choices about reading and listening material, and to support that right we feel it is our job to make a full range of choices available, without regard for our own preferences.”