In a world in which we’ve seen boycotts and outrage towards almost every major corporation, it’s always fascinated me that Barnes & Noble has been seemingly left untouched. Sure, the occasional online grumble will work its way through Threads or TikTok or Instagram or whatever, yet the only time I can remember an actual mobilization was against their in-house Starbucks-owned cafes.
It’s shocked me the number of people I meet who have given up shopping at Amazon and Target, but still love B&N. Whenever I ask, they can never quite articulate why they give B&N a pass. It’s usually a combination of nostalgia or convenience or selection or exclusive offerings.
And when it comes to “bad” corporations, Barnes & Noble really isn’t at the top of that list. They disclosed no lobbying in the 2024 election. Their CEO, James Daunt, isn’t a borderline-insane human being. Some, not me, might even argue that he’s had an overtly positive impact on the bookselling and publishing industry for decades.
Yet, when we look at B&N’s actual policies and, more importantly, their impact, there’s nothing of substance. They have no public-facing statement on DEI or on book banning–they did join Penguin in opposition of Texas HB900 in 2023, but have been eerily quiet ever since–and while they claim to donate to “pre-K-12 schools and not-for-profit arts, literacy, humane and community service organizations”, they don’t appear to actively advocate for any cause.
Nearly every interaction they have with any sort of cultural or political movement comes with capitalistic intent. Their website and socials boast about ‘Pride Month Reads’ and ‘Books to Read on Juneteenth’, a performance only brought out when it’s trendy or when it benefits their image. Yet, when it comes to actually supporting marginalized authors, they fail to show up.
Take Danica Nava, a romance author and member of the Chickasaw Nation, for example. Her first book The Truth According to Ember was the first traditionally published romance by an Indigenous author. It received rave reviews from readers, was a USA Today bestseller, and a Goodreads Choice Nominee. In May, Nava posted on threads that her newest book Love is a War Song (7/22) had not recieved any retailer placements, meaning no big-box stores had placed a chain-wide order–this includes B&N.
While she went on to confirm that a few B&N employees had reached out letting her know that they had ordered a few copies with their discretionary store budgets, there is no widespread guarantee that the book will be available or prominently promoted on release day.
Nava wrote, “Stores have and will continue to prioritize white romance, especially in (the cowboy) genre that has contributed to the erasure of my people and perpetuated harmful stereotypes for decades. My fun, hilarious romcom isn’t the right cowboy.”
Pair this with the release of Oathbound (Legendborn 3) by Tracy Deonn, which was somehow still overshadowed by Onyx Storm in stores, despite being released almost 2 months later. Readers complained that stores were severely understocked, had no promotional materials or displays, and claimed that staff were almost completely uninformed about the highly-anticipated release.
Additionally, just this week Publisher’s Weekly published an article about the challenges Indie Publishers have faced since Daunt took over the chain. They state that his decisions to remove “‘boring’ and ‘tedious’ books” from Barnes & Noble’s shelves disproportionately affected them vs. big 5 publishing houses. One publisher even commented that Amazon ordered 25x as many copies of a recent hardcover release than B&N’s NYC-based buyers.
“Nearly every one of the dozen well-established independent publishing leaders interviewed by PW said that their business with B&N has dropped significantly since Daunt took over. Some indies said that the bookseller is no longer even their second-largest account”.
And this lack of impact and support extends past authors and publishers and into the communities in which their stores operate. They’re a favorite amongst larger publishers for event stops, often beating out smaller local indies in the event request process, due to their market leverage. Yet, these events are riddled with inconsistencies in their planning, marketing, and overall experiences.
Even their beloved Onyx Storm suffered from B&N’s lack of community-centricity. Many attendees of their January midnight releases complained publicly about the chain’s lack of planning, saying that they were left to wander around the store for 2 hours without food, drinks, or promised activities. B&N’s booksellers stated that corporate offices gave them no direction on these events and left them to plan and execute entirely on their own.
More recently, S.A. Cosby visited B&N’s Cumberland, GA location on his King of Ashes tour. According to attendees, this event sold well over 100 tickets, but crammed attendees into a small space with only 12-13 chairs, provided no microphone to Cosby, and did not bring in a conversation partner. The latter point alone is a gross misstep in planning, especially from the perspective of an indie bookstore owner who is paying for the travel expenses for moderators and venue rentals for 4 debut author events happening at our store over the next 3 months. Details like this aren’t just nice-to-haves, they’re requirements for engaging and meaningful reader-author interactions.
James Daunt has made it clear that he plans on running B&N with an emphasis on profitability and sales, which is not unlike any Fortune500 CEO, so why do readers keep turning to them with expectations beyond the transactional? Why does the industry consider them a third space or a champion for readers and authors?
Are they just a study in staying quiet and flying under the radar? Or are we just unwilling to view their complacency as harm?
So, sure, continue to kill time in their stores or even buy books from them if you want, but don’t expect more from them than you expect from Amazon, Walmart, or Target. Stop giving them opportunities you don’t give libraries, non-profits, and community-run bookstores, and, more importantly, start holding them accountable for the ones they do get.
