I’m not one of those people who pays much attention to the best seller lists when choosing my reading material. In fact, most of the time after scanning the list I’m left scratching my head, wondering how Bill O’Reilly’s book(s) can stay at the top of the list for such a prolonged period. Can O’Reilly have so much more to say in a text than he’s allowed to spew for an hour a day on TV and three hours a day on the radio? Or do the people who listen/watch him need a primer to aid their daily fix? And I don’t even pretend to understand why one (or all) of the Left Behind series remains on the list for eons.
It is baffling until one takes into consideration the Wal-Mart factor (explained here). I have to tell you that I’m a life-long Wal-Mart hater. If I could go the rest of my days without stepping foot in one of these stores, I’d be a happy man. Sure, the places are convenient, the prices are generally great, and they are everywhere, but these three factors also make them the downfall of many a small business in small town, U.S.A. I’ve known business owners who’ve been forced out by the moving in of a Wal-Mart or a Super Kmart. There’s just no way that they can compete with the prices. And with America’s ever-desirous nature to get instant gratification, a store that has it all at a minimal cost will bury the Ma & Pa that may have been around for decades. Customer service and neighborly allegiance be damned. Luckily for the older small business owner, Wal-Mart will be more than happy to hire them on at minimum wage to act as the smiling greeter at the doors of hell.
But I digress.
So what, you ask, if Wal-Mart drives the American literary market? As the article points out, this Wal-Martization of books (and music and movies) can lead to some frightening things. If the big chain stores put money in the pocket of the publishing houses, the big corporations will in turn produce and market books that will appeal to Wal-Mart’s mostly conservative ideals. Literary fiction has suffered recently from a lack of marketing. Unless you are a Grisham or a King or you’re able to garner the critical acclaim of an Oates, your book will probably be relegated to word-of-mouth or kind reviews on amazon.com for its marketing. I don’t have a problem with Wal-Mart being a bookseller. I do have a problem with them setting the standards for the rest of the reading public. Take a trip to your local Wal-Mart and stand around in its book section. Who do you think will be buying these books? Do you honestly think that their sole intention was to browse the books at Wal-Mart? I’m guessing that in their shopping cart, alongside that O’Reilly book, you’ll probably find the true target(s) of their shopping venture: shampoo or faux designer jeans or gold fish. If Wal-Mart is indeed the place where the O'Reilly's and Limbaugh's of the world must sale their books because traditional booksellers may not carry them or may stick them in a darkened corner of the store, I can understand that. But publishers need to realize that the only market Wal-Mart should dictate for writers is pens and pencils.
So remember to support your local bookseller. Buy your toilet paper (or O’Reilly book) at Wal-Mart.
