True, we independent bookstores are not satisfied with Booksense’s penetration of the online market nor with its brand compared to Amazon’s. But we are not Booksense, which is an ABA program. We are each independent. The point of the article was that we independents want to discourage authors from actively steering business to our competition. That should not be so hard to understand. Amazon is stealing it from us, and we are working to steal it back. :)

Incidentally, it certainly is an ethical choice, where you choose to buy books and other items. Have you not heard of “shop local” movements? It isn’t just your food. Buying local keeps more money in the community–about 3 times as much, according to most studies. And here’s something Amazon won’t do for anyone–collect sales taxes to support local schools, donate gift certificates to your daughter’s dance troupe, host fundraisers for your PTO, and, yes, have author events, so people can meet the writers they admire. But I will be doggoned if I will spend money to throw a party for someone who is taking bread off my table.

Now do you get it?

Where do I actually buy? If it’s for someone out of state, I’ll buy through Amazon. If it’s for me, I try to shop locally. BUT not every indie bookstore is exactly keen on promoting romance. If you notice that Booksense “picks” section contains only one for-certain romance. The support between indie bookstores and romance is not necessarily reciprocal, and it seems like poor business sense for them to alienate an entire group of readers AND now their authors.