Book Distribution Issues

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Two of my books were published this spring. I knew there was a situation with the workers at SPD, and coming up on decisions about the distribution, I asked both presses + presses of my previous books + presses of friends what their stance was in February. I forwarded major communications about SPD to both presses since February including the fact that Yes Yes Books came out with a statement about their moving of all their books to Ingram for distribution. Noemi put out a statement (found here) on March 3rd. The spreadsheet keeping track of the presses states their statement is "outdated" as of June 1st 2021. Noemi had not received any notice about this boycott before I forwarded the spreadsheet to them, nor do they have the same resources or people to do what Yes Yes Books did.

I have urged people since 2010 not to buy from SPD when I learned what their cut of a book is, not to mention their pay to play highlighting of certain titles. Since 2010, I'd also not bought books (and subsequently other items) from Amazon when I also learned what their cut of a book is, not to mention the ways they pay their employees and work them excessively.

I stand with workers who do not feel safe, who are invisible or outright erased or traumatized at SPD, as well as at Ingram (are they better?), Amazon, or Consortium, and all the people at small presses who do book work as labor on top of other responsibilities and jobs, especially the ones who work and distribute from the small press side of things for no pay. 

In conversation with a union steward about the situation back in February, he said the most direct action was for the workers to strike. I can find no explanation about why that is not happening, and when I kept bringing up the presses moving their titles, the steward insisted this was a worker issue, and not a press issue. Nevertheless, I encourage readers to buy books straight from the publishers, to pressure Small Press Distribution as a reader and buyer of books to be transparent in their "clean up" of toxic habits, and for presses to push for new, alternate means of distribution. 

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Updated letter from SPD Staff 062121, here.




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