About that distribution quandary

I was asked today by a friend on Facebook “What did you end up deciding on the book distribution quandary?”

Here’s the answer, in short form:

I said no to the national book distributor that wanted to sign my title. I said no to the inefficient, carbon spewing 3-truck-trips-before-the-consumer-gets-it model. My books have taken one trip (to the Bay Area storage facility) or to Amazon’s fulfillment center (PA). From there, they’ll take just one more when ordered. I’ve decided to do entrepreneurial distribution, revenue-sharing with student groups when I speak on campuses and other creative approaches. But, I certainly am not funding the multi-level, monopolistic, corporate book distribution status quo where everyone collects percentages, ridiculous processes go unquestioned and trucks spew unnecessarily to move books back and forth between warehouses.

In other words, I have made the difficult (but environmentally right) choice. In doing so, have become a bit more like those courageous environmental entrepreneurs I so admire that I wrote about in this book. And I am counting on my friends to ask their local librarians to buy a couple copies of the book. Here’s a special flyer for libraries I made for that purpose! Please distribute a copy to your local library ASAP. Thanks for your support!