I wrote earlier that Borders is stocking the Mayor, but this may not have been an entirely accurate statement. I was in a Borders over the weekend, and according to their computer kiosk, the book is “not available in stores,” only online.
I chose to go with a small publisher on this one so I could get it done right (in terms of design and production), and I understood from the start that that decision would bring with it a particular set of challenges. Still, you’d think an author/artist who has been profiled in both the New York Times and the Washington Post within the space of two weeks wouldn’t have quite so much trouble getting his first children’s book stocked in the major chain bookstores.
Fortunately we have the internets. You can buy the Mayor at Amazon, where the overwhelmingly positive reviews should reassure you that it’s not some polemic screed aimed at browbeating your young children into ideological submission. (It is also available — online — at Barnes & Noble and Borders.) At the risk of repeating myself, you’ll be supporting independent publishing, independent cartooning, and independent thought in young minds, for less than the price of a burger and a beer.
Update: as mentioned below, I am also eager to hear of independent brick-and-mortar stores which have the Mayor in stock. So far my only confirmed sightings are at Powell’s in Portland, Oregon, and Moe’s in Berkeley. Will post more if/when I hear about them.
… one more: City Lights in San Francisco …