Pot Thief Tour 2010 - Day 25

Back in my home town today for a signing at Barnes & Noble. The folks at this B&N have been great. They treat the authors as if we were royalty. But their customer base has no connection to the store. For the B&N customer, a bookstore is no different from the dime store or the drug store. In indie bookstores, the customers know the names of the staff. The indie bookstore is not just a retail establishment, it’s a destination. You don’t go there just to buy something; you go there to be rejuvenated. Sales were good, and they keep my books in stock after I leave. I signed five copies of each one for them so they can put a “signed by the author” sticker on them. But it just doesn’t have the feel of an indie event. When I go to an indie store for the second time, I see a lot of the people I saw the first time. When I go to a B&N, Borders, or Hastings a second time, I see more people because they are bigger stores, but I see fewer repeat customers.