They wanted to see our list because they thought there'd be books on it that wouldn't be on any other lists. We're interested in getting as many of those books on the list as possible. The Chronicle's Book Review Section, which reviews books from independents as well as corporate publishers, does help stir demand that independent booksellers fill, he said. The San Francisco area has also garnered a near permanent stop on the author tour route due to its reputation as a book-buying Mecca. Tours by authors of independent press books are especially worthwhile, as this group of booksellers is well known for promoting books from mid-size and small publishing companies.
Independent booksellers support independent presses by their handselling efforts.
Booksellers benefit by satisfying their customers' needs with mid-list books, many of which are not deeply discounted but sell for full price. We hand-sell more of the books we like, and that includes many titles from independent publishers. If these matchmakers promote a book in their stores, and readers respond favorably to their literary blind date, Sofman speculated that it might be a good book worthy of nationwide attention. We wanted to expand that and make it more of a regional model to augment The New York Times list. We send our list weekly to 90 members and they post it in their stores.