[Northkeep] Books not published in US

[Jennifer Carlson]

Susan wrote:

>I just recently found that books not published by a US publisher, can't be
>sold here.  I had come across this in the past with Usborne books,
>published in the US through EDC here in Tulsa, but it hadn't really sunk in
>till I needed a copy of one of the two books on Havanese and it had no US
>Publisher.  I found that I could order it through the AmazonUK site and
>made my first order tonight.


There are numerous confusions where international trade in books is
concerned.  For starters, beaucoups of foreign-published and foreign-printed
books are readily available in the US.  Where the trip-ups come is related
to distribution systems and companies with multiple corporations in
different countries.

Some countries do not have trade agreements which allow them to import books
to the US, but can import them into Britain, from whence we can purchase
them via Amazon and other venues.

Many books are not available in the US simply because the US is so
mind-bogglingly Anglo-centric.  Try buying a book on the middles ages in
Italian, for instance.  There's plenty out there, but because we Americans
(as a group, not individuals) want everything in our own language, it's not
profitable for Italian publishers to try to offer their wares here, and
producing translations is expensive.  That's why  there are so few novels by
non-English-speaking authors available in English.

There is no law banning foreign-printed books from being sold here.  It's a
money thing, not a legal thing.  I spent over seven years working in the
rare book and library business (and Dairmaid's still in it), and ordered a
lot of books, both new and used.

If you want to buy something from a foreign publisher and cannot find it
carried by a US distributor, Amazon.UK is great.  And by using your
Mastercard, you usually get a better exchange rate than if you go to the
bank and get an international money order (if you can find one in this town
that will sell the blinking things).

Usborne is one of those companies which can be difficult to deal with, as
they are fanatical about their distribution channels - such was my
experience a few years ago when I tried to order direct from them.  Usborne
does now sell through Borders (shameless plug for my employer), so if
there's an Usborne title you want, I can try to get it for you.

In servicio,

Talana
Honest, last Saturday we bought a bookcase for the *bathroom*!



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