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Book Vending Machines Featuring Local Authors
What’s wrong with book stores?
We love our local bookstores, especially the independent ones. (You should shop there too!) But the publishing world needs help. As Dan Sinykin wrote in his accounting of literary consolidation, Big Fiction: How Conglomeration Changed the Publishing Industry and American Literature, major publishers are focused primarily on profit. The story of how American literature became commercialized is a story of repeated consolidation for commercial reasons, into its current, mainstream state.
What do we mean by mainstream? It means that in most bookstores across the country, you are likely to see many of the same few authors on the shelves, often chosen because they are likely to appeal to the greatest number of people. Generally, only literature that can be mass marketed for popular appeal makes it to the major publishers, and the big publishers dominate the stock of bookstores.
Although we include many large-scale authors among our favorites, this model of production also crowds out variety. It crowds out books that may be beautiful, award-winning, quirky, avant garde, genre-defying, but not deemed profitable enough to stock.
So can a book vending machine change this?
Well no, not exactly. But it’s our little drop in the bucket of pushing for change in publishing and book distribution.
Here’s how.
Our book vending business (starting with one machine, and hopefully more to follow), buys books from distributors or authors at the wholesale, discounted rate, and sells at the retail rate. That’s how we and the authors get paid. We also focus exclusively on local authors. That’s because we believe it’s important to read widely AND locally. It’s kind of like the farmers market concept. You still keep shopping at Safeway or Giant or Aldi, etc for most of your groceries, but when you go to the farmers market, you can get a strawberry that’s sweet and unique and delicious, and unlike anything you are likely to find at the big box stores. And it’s special because you can meet the person who grew it, because they live nearby. And that creates community.
We want big publishing names right alongside books from smaller presses that you’re less likely to have heard of. We love both, we love all our local authors, and believe it’s important to have them side by side. (In case you’re wondering, small presses, are simply traditional publishers with annual sales under a certain level. Authors on small presses include National Book Award winners, Pulitzer Prize winners and other awards. They include many profound works that are often initially overlooked because their books may not be widely available.
We also want to build community. We want you to know who may be living close to you and writing incredible books. DC and the broader DMV area are not just for politics. It’s a region full of talent and heart and amazing lines that will surprise and captivate you. We hope you enjoy what our authors have to offer.