There's nothing quite like a good used bookstore.
Portland publisher Tin House has taken a stand.
Starting August 1, the publishing house will only accept unsolicited manuscripts if they are accompanied by a receipt for a book from a bookstore. That’s right. A good, old-fashioned bookstore. The kind with shelves and walls and paper.
Tin House is a staunch supporter of the institution of the bookstore, noting the great fortune of those of us who “get to choose from a variety of wonderful independent booksellers–kind, nurturing people (some good-looking) who nudge us toward a special volume and take great joy and pride when we return to tell them we loved it.”
So their BUY A BOOK, SAVE A BOOKSTORE! policy comes as no surprise, especially after the New York Times reported last week that Amazon.com saw e-books topping hardcover books in the most recent quarter of sales. Still, despite being obvious paper-and-ink people, Tin House will accept the purchase of an e-book as a substitute for the real thing–but only if the writer explains why he or she cannot go to a neighborhood bookstore, why he or she preferes digital reads, what device he or she uses, and why.
Whew! I think I’d just go get a book. They smell better.
Photo courtesy Flickr user Troy Holden.
