Date: Sat, 28 Nov 1998 11:15:37 EST
Subject: Re:  let's play monopoly


please forward to everyone you know who reads:



Fellow Writers and Readers:

For those of you who've missed the front page news this past week, Barnes and
Nobel, and biggest bookseller in the country, as just bought Ingram, the
biggest book distributor in the country.  The Washington Post likened the deal
to King Kong buying Godzilla.  To say that it will change the publishing
industry forever, or that independent booksellers, authors, and publishers are
unhappy about it, is a gross understatement.

The following message from Tom Purdom, a member of Science Fiction Writers of
America (SFWA) is being forward to writers' organizations all over the country
with the request that it be forwarded to anyone and everyone who ever buys a
book.  I'll be sending my letters, per Tom's letter, and I hope all of you
will consider doing the same.

Mary

[BEGIN TOM'S MESSAGE]

Last night I received a message from Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of
America asking me to write the Attorney General and the Federal Trade
Commission.  I've written both of them, and it occurs to me this issue should
interest anyone who reads.

On Friday, Barnes and Noble announced it is buying Ingram Books-- the major
national wholesaler in the book business.  Ingram is the primary supplier for
the independent bookstores and chains in the United States.  If this deal goes
through, the largest retail bookstore in the country will control the major
wholesaler.  Ingram is also the major supplier for Barnes and Noble's chief
online competitor--amazon.com.

For the last twenty years, writers have been dealing with a corporate
consolidation that has changed the nature of the publishing industry.  The
overall result has been a reduction in the choices offered readers.

The American Booksellers Association is asking its members to write the
Attorney General and the FTC.  SFWA is joining in this effort.  Other writers
organizations are probably jumping on the bandwagon.  The founder of SFWA,
Damon Knight, has urged all SFWA members to send letters.  Another SFWA past
president, Jane Yollen, has called the takeover "the final nail in a number of
coffins."

To quote the ABA statement:
"This acquisition, should it be allowed to take place, is just one more
example of the large scale corporate consolidation that has infiltrated every
corner of our culture......Consumers are left with an environment in which
fewer and fewer people are deciding which books get published, and ultimately,
which books Americans can read and buy....This deal would make independent
bookstores virtually dependent upon their largest competitor....While there
are some smaller, unaffiliated book wholesalers that provide independent
booksellers with excellent service, Ingram Book
Company is a primary distribution source for the vast majority of ABA member
stores...."

The relevant addresses are: 
 Attorney General Janet Reno
 Department of Justice
 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
 Washington, DC 20530

 Robert Pitofsky
 Chairman
 Federal Trade Commission
 Pennsylvania Avenue &  6th Street, NW
 Washington, DC 20580

The ABA would like to receive courtesy copies of all letters to Reno or
Pitofsky.  Their  fax number is 1-914-591-2720.  Their mailing address is:

 American Booksellers Association
 828 South Broadway
 Tarrytown, NY 10591

Two years ago, Senator Hatch made two attempts to slip significant changes in
the copyright law through Congress.  The American Society of Journalists and
Authors mailed everyone on its list, we responded with faxes and emails, and
Senator Hatch retreated.  In the past, writers and readers have been an
invisible community.  By the time we learned about developments like the
Barnes and Noble deal, it was usually too late to do much.  Now, thanks to
online communications, we can join campaigns like this knowing thousands of
other writers and readers are mounting an immediate response.

The ABA is asking for letters, not emails or faxes.  If you don't have time to
write a couple of paragraphs, two sentences will do.  Just tell the AG and the
FTC you support the ABA position on Barnes and Noble's attempt to buy Ingram
and hope the Justice Department will initiate anti-trust action.

Please feel free to forward this.

For more information on this subject, you can consult the ABA Bookweb site at
http:www.bookweb.org



bob


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