Friday, August 31, 2007

Barnes & Noble Decides to Carry Simpson Book in Stores

News comes today that the Barnes & Noble bookstore chain has decided to go ahead and add the O.J. Simpson trash-book to the shelves of its stores across the country. After all, you can't argue with a public that has sunk to the level of wanting to read this kind of garbage when there's money to be made, can you?
Barnes & Noble, the world's largest book retailer, has decided to sell O.J. Simpson's book "If I Did It" in its stores, reversing an earlier decision to offer the controversial title only on the Web.

"Our customers are asking for it. We have been monitoring pre-orders and decided we had enough" to put the book on retail shelves, company spokeswoman Mary Ellen Keating said on Thursday.
...
The book is set for a September 14 release, and 150,000 copies will be printed, up from a previously planned 125,000 copies, according to a Beaufort spokeswoman.

Keating said Barnes & Noble originally believed demand would not be high enough to put the book in stores. But online pre-orders have risen more than expected and the book has been on the top 100 list at barnesandnoble.com.
I really wish I didn't feel that this was the Barnes & Noble plan all along. Take the highroad and then succumb to customer demand. That's a nice bit of public relations strategy if I've ever seen one.

Previous posts on this topic:

Have We Lost Our Minds

No O.J. Simpson Book in Barnes & Noble Stores

6 comments:

  1. What an incredible disappointment - and here I thought that maybe for ONCE, someone would do the right thing vs. bowing to the almighty buck. Boo hiss B&N!

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  2. That's disappointing news. I wish I could take back the money I spent there while on vacation.

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  3. Sylvia - great play on words. I love it. :-)

    Wendy - It's a business and I suppose that sometimes we expect to much from corporations who, after all, have a board of directors and stockholders to answer to...but I have to admit that I'm disappointed in them, too.

    Bybee - I hear you, but don't feel guilty. Enjoy all of those books. :-)

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  4. NOOOOOO!!!! How on earth am I going to be able to keep myself from lunging over the counter and smacking every person who comes into the store and asks for it?! I don't want to see this book everyday. :(

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  5. Hang in there, Annie. This "book" is going to require all the patience that you can find. Good luck. :-)

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