The Jewel of Medina was released for sale on Monday. However, when I stopped by my local Barnes and Noble store at noon, I could not find a copy of the book on the shelves nor anyone who knew a thing about the book. One of the clerks did offer to order it for me, but that's not what I want to do.The Barnes and Noble website offers it for $17.46 and says that it is number 502 on their bestseller list (it dropped one spot while I was preparing this post, in fact).
Borders.com offers it for $19.96 but does not indicate how it is selling. The Borders website includes the option to search for the book by zip code and I found that no Borders store in the entire Houston area seems to have a copy on the shelves.
Amazon.com has it available for immediate shipment at $14.97 for the hardcover version or $7.99 for the Kindle electronic book version. The good news at Amazon is that The Jewel of Medina is number 136 on their bestseller list. The bad news is that the book is already picking up one-star reviews there from people who don't seem to have actually read it. Why am I not surprised?
Leave it to the big chains to have employees blissfully unaware of some publishing controversy. While working at a borders once, I watched in horror as an assistant manager went to a computer to find where we might have a new bestselling book, that was, of course, on full display at the front of store.
ReplyDeleteI checked the reviews at amazon.com and found that out of nine reviews, only two had reviewed more than this one book.
ReplyDeleteThat's not all big chain stores, bostonbookeditor.
ReplyDeleteIt's part of the October batch for early reviewers over at LibraryThing.com.
ReplyDeleteI've signed up to try to get a copy.
I've also go the video you posted here up on my blog.
Don't get me started on book clerks at the big chains, Boston...of course, I'm a bit prejudiced these days since I've been rejected as an employee by the big two in recent months.
ReplyDeleteLinda, you are on to something there for sure. One-time reviewers almost always have an ax to grind and come around only to trash something that offends their little sensibilities.
ReplyDeleteAnnie, I suspect it's all the big chains...but not all of their locations. The B&N nearest my house is really poor compared to the one a little farther north of me. I suppose it all depends on who is doing the hiring.
ReplyDeleteGood luck, C.B. I haven't had much luck in the last three or four months snagging anything from there. I've asked for that one, too, but I don't have any hope of getting a copy.
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