Stefani Kelley

June 1, 1999

Hello!

First I have to say (like everyone else here!) that I am a huge fan of your writing, and have been ever since I picked up Alan Mendelsohn back in the third grade (over 19 years ago now). I have become an avid collector of your books, eagerly snatching the new ones up as soon as I find them, since most dim-witted publishers out there seem to put them out of print faster than you can say Yobgorgle. (I think I’m only eight or so books away from a complete collection of all of your books ever published…) I am so pleased that I’ve found this forum- it’s wonderful to know that I’m not the only nutball that enjoys your wonderfully zany work!

However, being the owner of a small independent bookstore, I cringe every time you tell someone to go buy 5 Novels at Amazon.com. Yes, they only charge $8.76, but with shipping it comes to $12.71 for a $10.95 book! Please please, I beg you, do mention that there are thousands of other bookstores out there that, if they don’t have it on hand, will gladly order it in for you in the same amount of time and won’t charge you any extra for the shipping. And if you get really friendly with the staff, you might even be able to convince them to call you every time a new Pinkwater book is published. I know I would!

Please keep on writing. The world needs your books! And I can’t wait for the next novel compilation; I’ve still never even laid eyes on The Worms of Kukumlima, which I’ve heard high praise for.

May the Chicken Man be with you-

 If someone is lucky enough to live near a real honest-to-goodness old fashioned bookshop, then I hardly need to tell that person to patronize it. There's nothing nicer than a genuine friendly bookstore. But they're practically extinct, and were so before amazon.com. The awful big cube stores killed so many of them. The ones that survive are in perfect locations, and are run by people smart enough, and nice enough, to keep a clientele. 
The online store is a big improvement on the mall giant. Amazon.com _will_ tell you when a new book by a favorite author comes out, and even ship it automatically. They have smart editors who study and review new books, and will recommend books based on what you've already purchased. 
But...they can't duplicate being in the actual presence of books, being able to browse for real, handle them, and smell them, and they can't provide a big leather chair in which one can sit and read. You have one of those?