The Every by Dave Eggers Will Not Be on Amazon
I guess this is kinda old news — this clip is from the June 16 NYT — but Dave Eggers has a new novel coming out this autumn. It’s called The Every, and the hardcover will only be released in independent bookstores. Six weeks after the hardcover release (Oct. 5), you *can* buy the ebook and paperback anywhere, but if you want a hardcover (published by McSweeney’s and boasting 32 different cover designs)…it’s not gonna be available via Amazon.
Eggers has “taken on” Amazon before when, in 2002, he distributed You Shall Know Our Velocity directly to indies. According to Amanda Uhle, publisher of McSweeney’s: “We’re not going to break the whole system here, we’re not trying to do that. But if we have opened a door for someone to walk outside and into the shop around the corner from them, and discover what’s there, that’s a win.”
(For me, this rings so true because I honestly get NO JOY from “browsing” on Amazon for books. I’m not saying I don’t use Amazon sometimes, but it’s usually because I know *exactly* what book I need. And I need it pronto. I don’t think I’ve ever had the algorithm show me something where I’m like, “Yes, that. That looks so compelling. Show me more.” Actual bookstores on the other hand…see ya $$$ later. Am I alone in that?)
originally published on instagram