Entertainment Weekly's gaff

A couple of weeks ago, I got a call from a guy at Entertainment Weekly - a magazine, I must admit, I've never looked at, but then I don't look at many. He wanted to have a bestseller list from us to use in an issue that would be going to press soon. This was the last week of August so I offered to work up a list of top 5 hardcovers and paperback sellers for the month. He said fine, I did the report and e-mailed it to him and he told me when it would be on sale.

I figured, what the hell, it would be a bit of free publicity and, who knows, we might even get some orders out of it. I really didn't expect to get any reactions to it, but all it took me was 15 minutes at the computer, so...

It slipped my mind that the list was 'on the newstand' until we got a congratulatory e-mail from Alafair Burke saying she saw the list and she was happy to see her Dad's book on the list. Fran found a few copies near the end of the week and brought them in and, to our surprise and dismay, saw that they'd make a mistake.

Entertainment Weekly had substituted an author we had never heard of but who had a similarly titled book for our actual entry: Scot on the Rocks by Brenda Janowitz in place of Scots on the Rocks by Mary Daheim. I'm not sure how they accomplished this as they had my list. When I brought the mistake to their attention, they agreed to run a correction, which is only fair. Mary got the sales and got the position on our bestseller list and she and her publisher should be able to bask in the spotlight.

To make it worse, there is now 'poor Brenda' movement on the web, as if she was robbed of her spot on the list instead of Mary. EW, I'm sure, will be apologizing to both authors. It was Mary who was besmudged by this mistake, but I have no reason to believe it wasn't an honest, simple mistake and these things do happen - somehow. Right?

But it is odd how Janowitz's supporters would believe that her book could show up on our list. After all, it isn't a mystery, it was published in April, and it is a trade paperback original - so nothing about it makes sense to be on our August bestselling hardcover list. (We've looked at her website and there is nothing on it to direct readers or fans to an independent bookseller, so she doesn't appear to be cultivating the support of independents and their customers. As we all know, support equals sales.)

So, for the record, #4 on our August list of bestselling hardcovers was and is, and forever will be, Mary Daheim's Scots on the Rocks.

- JB

Comments

[Alafair Burke]

JB,
I don't believe in coincidences, but this is a really bizarre one. Brenda Janowitz is an alumna of Hofstra Law School, where I'm on the faculty. Yesterday I just approved a program brochure for a joint signing we're supposed to have (along with a current student/author) next month. How's that for odd?

Best, Alafair

[Alafair Burke]

JB,
I don't believe in coincidences, but this is a really bizarre one. Brenda Janowitz is an alumna of Hofstra Law School, where I'm on the faculty. Yesterday I just approved a program brochure for a joint signing we're supposed to have (along with a current student/author) next month. How's that for odd?

Best, Alafair