I have great friends. Bill Schafer, owner, editor, CEO, and all-around publishing badass of Subterranean Press, just stepped up to offer 10 limited editions as prizes in The Love-Your-Indie-Bookstore contest. They’re putting up the following:

• 1 Limited Edition of LOCKE & KEY: WELCOME TO LOVECRAFT.

• a 2nd printing limited edition of HEART-SHAPED BOX.

• 1 Limited Edition of the Newbury Award winning THE GRAVEYARD BOOK by Neil Gaiman.

• 1 Limited Edition of DROOD by Dan Simmons

• 1 Trade Hardcover of THE OTHER IN THE MIRROR by Philip Jose Farmer

• 1 Limited Edition of SEVEN FOR A SECRET by Elizabeth Bear

• 1 ARC of WHERE EVERYTHING ENDS by Ray Bradbury

• 1 Trade Edition of MARIONETTES, INC. by Ray Bradbury

• 1 Trade Edition of VACANCY & ARIEL by Lucius Shepard

• 1 Limited Edition of GARDENS OF THE MOON by Steve Erickson

And I’m going to add 1 first printing of the HEART-SHAPED BOX limited… so now 12 people who enter the Love-Your-Indie-Bookstore contest are going to walk away with a cool, rare book. My thanks to Bill Schafer for pretty much just being himself.

Now there have been some good questions about the contest in the last 24 hours. I hope I have some good answers. Let’s go.

Q: If I use Amazon to buy a book from an indie bookseller, does that count?

A: Sure. Many indies also double as Amazon sellers; I often buy stuff that’s out-of-print from independent booksellers via Amazon. Just remember to forward a copy of your Amazon receipt on to indie@joehillfiction.com.

Q: Do comic book stores count as indie bookstores?

A: Of course. Because they sell comic… books. Most comic stores are independently operated and locally owned specialty bookstores, in the same way the Mysterious Bookshop in NYC, which only sells crime novels, is an indie bookstore.

Q: If I buy a book from a small press online, does that count?

A: Heh. I swear to God above that I made my decision on this question before Bill Schafer ever got in touch with me to offer books. And my decision is: yeah, sure, you betcha. Small presses like Subterranean and PS operate websites which are, essentially, speciality indie bookstores that exist only in the digital world. I’d add that I view supporting indie bookstores and indie publishers as all part of the same thing – they’re the nerve endings and lifeblood of the book reading world, and getting behind them is good for all of publishing. (Let me add for doubters that Bill donated the books without strings of any kind, did not ask me to point business his way, and did not know that I was counting small presses with online stores as indie bookstores – and thass the fax, jack)

Q: Exactly how do you define an indie bookstore?

A: I’ll tell you what I think they are, but I won’t tell you what I think they aren’t. I loosely see an indie bookstore as a locally owned, independently operated outfit, or a bookseller with an online face who isn’t a part of a larger corporate apparatus. That said, I am open to other definitions, and if you feel the joint you bought from counts, feel free to make your argument. However. I reserve the right to reject entries at my discretion for any reason. If I do reject your entry, I will tell you why and allow a chance for reentry, if time allows.

Q: I live outside the US. Can I play?

A: Yes. Definitely.

Q: I want to play but I don’t want you to know what book I bought.

A: Black the title of the book out when you photograph/scan the receipt. Or, if you’re forwarding me a digital receipt, ’cause you bought online, take a second and edit out the titles, leaving only the price. Honestly, I don’t want to know what smut you’re buying either.

Q: I want to play but I don’t want you to see the credit card number I used to buy my book.

A: Black out your credit card number, or edit out of the digital receipt. I’m sad you feel that way, though. Where’s the trust? I haven’t stolen a credit card number and spent it on hoors and drugs in nine months and I feel I am now completely reformed.

Q: Did you know the stripper in Total Recall had a fourth nipple?

A: No, I didn’t, thanks.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 12th, 2009 at 2:25 pm and is filed under Love Your Indie. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.