An American Were-Book in London

[mrkgnao]

I've recently been on a book-shopping-spree in London (list on the Recently Purchased-thread), and I had a list with me when I arrived, but I was forced to abandon it rather quickly:

Are there no American books to be bought in the UK? There were quite a few werewolf novels I was looking for, but also authors like e.g. Poppy Z Brite. Turns out, the SciFi-bookstore in Gothenburg is better stocked than Forbidden Planet. Who'd have thunk?

Where do Brits buy American books? Is there an American bookstore we missed? Or does Amazon pick up all the slack? Or do you cut your losses and read All British All The Time (and vice versa across the ocean)?

*mkrgnao?...*

 

[Stewart]

What "American books"?

 

[mrkgnao]

Well, basically, books published by American publishers... I'm going to go through my list again, to see if maybe books are out of print - but on the whole, only one or three London bookstores had any American publishers at all, let alone the books I was looking for... It was the same with the wholesalers we met with at London Book Fair: American or British, never both

*mrkgnao*

 

[Breaca]

I'm from the UK and most of my personal library consists of books by american authors bought at the usual big book stores (Borders/Waterstones etc) plus WHSmiths and smaller high street book stores. I've never used Amazon although I have scoured their website for reviews.

 

[Stewart]

I would imagine that by "American publishers" he means those smaller imprints that are not available at international levels. Publishers, perhaps, like Cemetery Dance.

 

[novella]

Well, basically, books published by American publishers... I'm going to go through my list again, to see if maybe books are out of print - but on the whole, only one or three London bookstores had any American publishers at all, let alone the books I was looking for... It was the same with the wholesalers we met with at London Book Fair: American or British, never both

*mrkgnao*

The smaller American publishers and many larger ones often sell the UK publishing rights as subsidiary rights to UK publishers. Same applied to markets in other countries. The book may then be retitled and have a different cover.

Also, if these books are only just coming out in the US, it might take a while for them to appear in the UK market. If they were books at a book fair, chances are the publishers were there to sell the sub rights, so they are not yet published in England for that reason.

 

[novella]

double posted, sorry.

 

[mrkgnao]

Looking through my list, I realize it was mostly Fantasy/Horror titles I didn't find - and then Forbidden Planet was tinier than I remembered, and Murder One had thrown out their fantasy books... (e.g.: older titles by Poppy Z Brite, The Gumshoe, the Witch, and the Virtual Corpse by Keith Hartman, Lord John and the Hellfire Club by Diana Gabaldon (a short story but supposed to have been published on its own), The Ukiah Oregon novels by Wen Spencer, Murcheston by David Holland, The tattooed wolf by Bannerman, and others...) Then again, maybe it's an age thing, not a country thing? I have found lots of American "general" fiction in London before. I'll keep searching.

*mrkgnao*

 

[Stewart]

That's a shame. I just sold my copies of Lost Souls and Drawing Blood by Poppy Brite this week. Now, if only someone would buy all the King and Laymon books.