Frustration

The two biggest Christian bookstore chains in the St. Louis area will not carry my book. Invasion of the Togakura is a work of Christian fiction that, overall, took me ten years to write. It is my testimony to God . . . A mixture of the many inspirations that the Lord used to mold me. Some opposition to me doing what I feel is God�s will is to be expected. I would never, however, have expected the two biggest potholes in my path to be Lifeway and One Way Christian Bookstores.

I was told by a rather unpolite young woman at Lifeway that they will only consider even looking at my book if my publisher is Christian Booksellers Association (CBA) Approved." They will not judge my book on its own merits. Since my publisher distributes through Spring Arbor, which provides books for most Christian bookstores, they don�t see a need to become approved by this association. I even checked to see if they had individual memberships in the CBA, but the $155 annual fee was a bit much for a new author who is on a strict budget.

I had hoped that One Way would prove more fruitful. While Lifeway is a nation-wide chain, One Way is a St. Louis-based chain with its main office located in my birthplace of St. Charles. I called this location to find out how to get my book into their stores. The gentleman who spoke with me was very friendly and volunteered to send me a packet of information.

Imagine my surprise when I received, instead of a "packet," a letter thanking me for allowing them to "review" my book, but telling me that they "aren�t accepting unsolicited [material] at this time." Included was a list of distributors that they recommend for getting my book to "the widest possible market." Spring Arbor and Baker and Taylor, both of whom my publisher uses, were listed. I e-mailed the address on the rejection letter to remind them that they never "reviewed" my book and that it is available through those two distributors. This was two weeks ago and they haven�t honored me with a response.

On the positive side, my book can be ordered through Back to Basics, a family-owned, independent Christian bookstore in O�Fallon, MO. It can also be ordered through Amazon.com, BAMM.com and BN.com. As for brick and mortar stores, most independents can order it, as well Borders and Barnes and Noble. At the time of this writing, Waldenbooks still can�t order it, despite the fact that they are owned by Borders.

If anyone would like to help with the Lifeway and One Way situation, I�d be thrilled. Mr. Jody Holmes, the associate buyer for Lifeway, can be reached at (615) 251-5068, which is a Tennessee number. The central office for One Way is (636) 896-8100 and their e-mail address is [email protected]. You will need the following information:

Jeffrey A. Davis

ISBN 1592865615

Publish America, LLC

In closing, I�m not expecting stores to carry my book on their shelves until I can prove that they will sell. But I can�t show demand in a particular store if it can�t even be ordered through that store.