MoveOn Rallies Bookstore Allies

A Hawaiian publisher is collaborating with a grassroots political organization to set up an unconventional national bookstore tour this spring. As it begins to take on a life of its own, this bookstore tour has evolved into a cultural phenomenon and political call to action.

Inner Ocean Publishing, located on the island of Maui, has just released MoveOn's 50 Ways to Love Your Country: How to Find Your Political Voice and Become a Catalyst for Change ($10.95, 1-930722-29-X), a collection of 50 essays by MoveOn.org members about average citizens finding and using their political voice to effect social change. The essays are introduced by Al Gore, California congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, author Gail Sheehy, PR executive David Fenton and others. Arianna Huffington called the book "both nuts-and-bolts practical and deeply personal, this book is political Viagra for anyone tired of feeling hopeless, helpless, and impotent in the face of our Big Money/Big Media-controlled political system."

A few months ago, Inner Ocean Publishing contacted bookstores all over the country, asking each to take the unusual step of holding open a date of the bookstore's choosing in April or May for an unspecified event inspired by "50 Ways to Love Your Country."

"The bookstores were incredibly supportive," said Inner Ocean's publisher, Karen Bouris. "They did not even know what the event would be, they just knew it was MoveOn.org. I couldn't believe it; I've never worked on a book that has elicited such an excited response. Talk about leaps of faith all around."

At about the same time, in keeping with the nature of the organization, MoveOn.org leaders contacted 44,000 of its 1.6 million U.S. members, looking for volunteers to make these bookstore events happen. The general plan was, and still is, that the bookstore and local MoveOn.org members would decide the format of the event. Both publisher and organization proposed that local volunteers facilitate readings and/or lead town-hall—style discussions on issues of concern to each community.

The response to MoveOn.org's call for volunteers has been overwhelming. As of this writing, more than 2,000 MoveOn.org members have offered to take an active role in arranging events scheduled at their local bookstores. At Midnight Special in Santa Monica, Calif., more than 100 patrons have offered to help with the store's April 18 event.

Kimberley Burns, an independent literary event coordinator and former events coordinator with A Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books in San Francisco, compiled a list of bookstores to contact by comparing PGW's list of top independent bookstores with McSweeney's top 100 list of bookstores. "I initially contacted 50 bookstores with our proposal," Burns told PW. "Some booksellers were MoveOn.org members and said yes right away. Others were hesitant, but agreed to go for it because they knew their communities. Only three booksellers turned me down."

More Than 50 Events

More than 50 bookstores across the country have already agreed to sponsor events surrounding the publication of MoveOn's 50 Ways to Love Your Country. The tour kicks off on April 7 with an event at Odyssey Books in South Hadley, Mass., and winds up at the Walnut Creek, Calif., Barnes & Noble on May 4. For a detailed schedule of bookstore events, go to www.innerocean.com or moveon.org/book.

The list of participating bookstores reads like a who's who of independents (and a handful of Barnes & Noble stores). Well-known literary icons such as Prairie Lights, Elliott Bay, Powell's, Politics & Prose and Tattered Cover join smaller bookstores like Garcia Street Books in Santa Fe, N.Mex., Iconoclast Books in Ketchum, Idaho, and Grass Roots Books in Corvallis, Ore.

Some booksellers are going above and beyond the original plan suggested by the publisher. On April 15, Fact & Fiction in Missoula, Mont., is sponsoring "MoveOn Day," focusing on the Constitution and citizens' voting rights. Co-sponsoring groups include Montana PRIDE, the League of Women Voters, the University of Montana's Law School and the Montana ACLU.

"When they called to discuss scheduling an event, it was a busy time for us, and we responded with, 'Huh, what do you want to do?' " recalled Fact & Fiction owner Barbara Theroux. "But I thought it was a great idea at the time, and I think it's a better and better idea as time passes. This event makes our bookstore a better community builder, as people can come together here and discuss the issues important to them. This community is so receptive to doing this sort of thing."

Left Bank Books in St. Louis is piggybacking its April 22 event onto radio journalist and Democracy Now host Amy Goodman's book tour promoting The Exception to the Rulers: Exposing Oily Politicians, War Profiteers, and the Media That Love Them (Hyperion). The event also will be a fundraiser for a local grassroots community radio station, KDHX. It has been moved offsite to the 800-seat Sheldon Concert Hall to accommodate the expected crowd. The evening will begin with a reception, followed by presentations by a local MoveOn.org volunteer and by Goodman. The evening will include a short film and a book-signing by Goodman.

"This is the type of organic community-based event I like to do best," said Left Bank Books co-owner Kris Kleindienst, who is also a member of MoveOn.org. "We'll be selling books, yes, but we're also calling attention to MoveOn. I think what MoveOn is doing is so important. I like that they understand that independent bookstores fit their democratic model. I'm thrilled to be part of this. This is what we're here for; this is what we should be doing as independent bookstores in a democracy."

Katie McMillan, Inner Ocean's publicity manager, thinks that the bookstore tour is coming together even better than anyone involved in its planning stages thought it would, especially considering the logistics and numbers of people involved. "There's definitely faith and trust involved. We were concerned at one point that no one would respond. But we've got more than 50 bookstores participating and 2,000 people wanting to host events. We're not worried anymore. I want to go to some of these events myself, they sound great."