Bridge Burned?

If I haven’t already, I’m sure this post will finish the job.

Back in February, I contacted a local bookstore that I have been to several times. It’s an adorable space and I love having an independent bookstore so close to home. I strongly believe in supporting local whenever possible and am keen on the idea of collaborating with local business owners.

I’d used the contact on their website to inquire about any collaboration that might be possible. They eventually got back to me and said that I could do a book signing on a Saturday in April and gave a list of dates that were available. I requested the date that was the farthest into the month to give myself plenty of time after returning from AdeptiCon to prepare and promote.

I got no response. So, a week later I sent a follow up email and was told that the date had been taken, which left April 4 as the only option that I could do. I should have asked if there were dates in May, but I didn’t want to push my luck.

I sent emails throughout the next two months to check in but never got a response. When I returned from AdeptiCon I sent an email to confirm we were still set for Saturday and to ask if it was okay to use their logo and/or add them as a collaborator on social media. I got no response and time was ticking with only four days to advertise prior to the event. Eventually, I just posted what I wanted to post, adding them as a collaborator (which they never accepted).

On Wednesday, I was talking to Sage about the situation and how frustrating it was. She told me, “You have full permission to back out.” Backing out had never even crossed my mind even though I wasn’t even sure if they remembered I was coming. There was nothing on their website, nothing on their social media, and no responses to any of my attempts to connect. I decided to wait until the next day for a response before making a decision.

Thursday morning, I still hadn’t heard anything. I sent an email to them saying that I was taking their lack of communication as an indication that we were not a good fit and I would not be coming on Saturday. I posted and emailed that the event was cancelled. I debated on blurring the name of the store, out of respect for them, but realized they had no respect for me based on their behavior.

I really hated to cancel. I wanted to establish a working relationship with them. But Sage pointed out that I was the only one working. And while they had said on their contact page that authors were not guaranteed promotion from them, it was more than that. I understand that they are busy, but if you’ve booked someone to come to your store, replying to them is the least you can do. Ultimately, I decided that the arrangement was not mutually beneficial. They were getting all of the benefit while I was doing all of the work.

Perhaps that bridge is burned, but I don’t think I’ll be asking them again anyway. They may have turned me off of working with indie bookstores altogether.