Smart Bitches Trashy Books | All of the romance, none of the bullshit.

There’s a rumble down under - in the publishing community. If the big chain bookstore gets its way, shoppers looking for small press books will have a hard time finding them, even award winning best-sellers.

Seems Angus & Robertson, one of Australia’s larger chain bookstores, has informed small publishers that they must now pay between $1500AU and $45000AU per year to have books stocked in the A&R stores. On top of that, A&R expects a discounted price on the books themselves. In a letter from Charlie Rimmer, ARW Group Commercial manager, A&R asks for payment of an attached invoice and outlines new proposed terms of trade, and closes by inviting the recipient to a 10-minute meeting on Friday, 17 of August. That’s a lot of talking to be done in 10 minutes. 

One independent bookseller, Michael Rukusin, a director at Tower Books, has penned a most delicious and asskicking reply to the Angus & Robertson letter, citing A&R’s “arrogance” and potentially unethical business practices.

Both letters can be read in their entirety online.

Other news outlets in Australia cover the story at length, quoting reactions from various small presses who are shocked and outraged at the demands and the manner in which they were expressed.

Spokespeople from A&R are attempting to smooth over the letter’s content, saying that “the deadlines and payment requests were not non-negotiable.” Reading that original letter? I didn’t see any room for negotiation beyond that 10 minute meeting.

An Australian blog, Crikey, has published a letter from the COO of Angus & Robertson, which backtracks a good bit from the original correspondence (and teaches me a marvelous word: “stoush"):

I understand that Crikey and its readers are alarmed by the negotiations that Angus & Robertson is currently seeking with a number of its suppliers. I also understand that the correspondence sent to some of our suppliers has caused offence.

I completely acknowledge that the tone of this correspondence was inappropriate, and I appreciate the opportunity to set the record straight on our intentions.

Firstly, I would like to assure you that the negotiations that are taking place between Angus & Robertson and our suppliers are not intended to have any impact on Australian authors and are purely about reaching a commercial arrangement with publishers.

*Note: Crikey is subscriber only and this link may go dead by tomorrow.

I am curious how a decision between a bookstore and a publishing house would not affect authors. It would seem that the ripple effect would be somewhat direct. According to the source who emailed me, this has the publishing community in Australia up in arms - which is not a surprise at all! - and it remains to be seen what the outcome of A&R’s ultimatums will be.

Perhaps I should be helpful. Let me see if I have that recipe for slow-cooked crow, with a side order of hat.

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