Borders is not Waldenbooks

Did you know that Borders and Waldenbooks are the same company, share the same headquarters? It's in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and I sent my book there in January to have it read and approved to be put in their system.

The turn-around time was really quick, and I got a letter in mid February telling me that My Lost Summer "has been reviewed by our Buyers and it will be listed so that they may make a purchase to be distributed at some level in the chain(s)."

Rather than waiting for the "Buyers" to make the move, I got on line and looked up the phone numbers for the Waldenbooks stores in Ohio and adjacent states so that I could call and request that those stores order copies. I found that managers of stores in Pennsylvania and Indiana were really receptive to ordering and considered me a local author. Michigan and Kentucky managers were less excited to hear directly from an author. Overall, my calls to Waldenbooks stores were successful, most stores ordering two or three copies to display on their shelves.

Since I had such success with Waldenbooks, I decided to try Borders. From the Internet I recorded the phone numbers of the Borders and Borders Express stores in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia--Ohio and its bordering states. However, the managers of the Borders stores were a bit tougher to sway. Some ordered readily, some collected my information and said they'd consider ordering, and some said that ordering is against the rules! The rules from the headquarters that approved my book. But I've only just started calling; I've made it through Indiana and parts of northern Ohio. Maybe I'll have better luck with Kentuckky and Michigan this go round.

Wish me luck.