The Northern California Independent Booksellers Association emailed its members Friday to suggest, should members have any qualms about selling OJ Simpson's book, that they donate their profits from the book to battered women's or domestic violence charities.

"It's a form of protest," says NCIBA spokesperson Hut Landon, "but it's a more positive thing than saying we're not going to sell the book period."

How is that exactly? Still be shills for the publisher— just don't profit from your time and energy and investment. After all, independent bookstores are making scads of money all the time anyway, from every dollar they spend and every hour they work. It's not for them to do anything like curating.

Hut Landon has his head up his ass.

Borders will carry it, but they say they're giving profits to charity, too. This is very dignified, and I'm sure they probably thought of this first. Don't doubt Borders' accountants will calculate all their attendant labor costs, etc.

Barnes & Noble is selling it and keeping the money, thank you very much. That is, they're not saying anything ridiculous about giving any money away. Barnes & Noble says they'll carry it just as they "do every book in print," which is a fucking fantasy, in case you haven't noticed.

I probably won't be able to restock any new poetry titles in the coming weeks, as I'll be busy assuaging anxieties and calling agencies, employing Hut's delicate plan. It would be wrong of us, not "positive" enough, to simply not stock it.

I'm fuming, forgive me.

UPDATE: THE PEOPLE COUNT FOR SOMETHING
The book and tv interview have been canceled.