Founding Editor Bob Kuttner is joining us on TAPPED with commentary about his new book, Obama's Challenge: America's Economic Crisis and the Power of a Transformative Presidency, and on economic issues in the campaign.
Well, Obama's Challenge (the book) is stimulating a lot of press notice, but not exactly the sort I had in mind. It set off a huge controversy about what’s fair play in the publishing industry. What’s fair? You decide.
Seeing the torrent of hostile Obama books, most notably the shameless and dishonest hatchet job by Jerome Corsi, my publisher decided to get Obama's Challenge out as fast as possible, in time for the Democratic National Convention. She is Margo Baldwin, president of the highly innovative independent publishing house, Chelsea Green Publishers. CGP began 24 years ago as a publisher specializing in environmental titles, and lately has had two original paperback general bestsellers, by George Lakoff and by Naomi Wolf. We’re hoping Obama’s Challenge will be a third.
Margo negotiated a highly creative deal with Amazon, to offer readers the benefits of its new print-on-demand service. You order it, they print, and you get it two days from the time of your order. An Amazon discount coupon will also be in the packets of DNC delegates, alternates, and media. In the meantime, Chelsea Green is rushing out its regular print edition, which will be in bookstores after Labor Day. Or maybe it won't.
When the Amazon agreement was announced, Amazon's retail competitors pushed back big time. Amazon is of course the 800 pound gorilla of bookselling. What was an independent publisher doing in bed with it?
Barnes and Noble canceled its initial order and has decided not to stock the book in any of its stores, making it available only on B&N.com and by special order. Only one independent bookseller did likewise. In an open letter to the bookseller community, Margo appealed for perspective, and argued that the Amazon launch strategy was designed to build interest in the book initially, creating the demand that would result in strong sales in all retail outlets. With an expanded pie, there would be more book sales for everyone. And the market would hardly be exhausted in two weeks.
As the author, I am hardly a neutral party. I'd like to see this book have real influence, as well as some nice sales. Whether Obama is a transformative president or another cautious incrementalist will determine whether we return to an economy of shared prosperity. And as a transforming figure who promises real improvement in the economy, he is more likely to get elected in the first place.
However, as an economic journalist who has written about publishing industry, I am intrigued by this controversy and its implications.
