Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
In the current state of American literature, to be a ‘critically acclaimed’ author often leads to a dark corner in a national chain bookstore. This certainly was the experience of ‘critically acclaimed’ author Lisa See, who joined a panel of writers Sunday to extol the virtues of independent bookstores, and in particular Village Books. Wrapping up a three-month book tour, See related the story of her latest novel, ‘The Secret of My Flower,’ and its chilly reception at Barnes and Noble and Borders, which reluctantly ordered 500 and 1,000 copies, respectively’representing about one or two books a store. ‘Independents completely changed my life,’ said See, a Brentwood resident. ‘Independents made my book a ‘Booksense’ pick [independent bookstores’ bestseller list] and I started getting e-mails from independents all over the country who said they wanted to sell it to their customers.’ See was in good company Sunday as about 70 local residents and certified Village Books devotees attended a fundraiser for Palisades Village Book Friends (PVBF), a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization formed a year ago to help continue the tradition of author readings at Village Books on Swarthmore.   The panel of guest authors included L.A. Times movie critic and author Kenneth Turan; local historian Randy Young; fiction writer Maile Maloy, author of ‘Both Ways Is the Only Way I Wanted,’ and Denise Hamilton, author of the Eve Diamond novels. Each author characterized the independent bookstore in relational terms. These stores and their owners play a key role not only in selling their books but also in opening the shelves for men, women and children to experience new adventures, broadened horizons, and imaginative and stunning prose and poetry. See expanded on an old Chinese proverb, ‘Art is the heartbeat of the artist,’ adding ‘Independent booksellers take my words and put them into all of your hands.’ Turan, who is also director of the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes, indulges his love for bookstores wherever he travels. ‘Bookstores are my favorite places to go in the whole world,’ he said, for ‘they offer a glimpse into other people’s lives and their culture. I go into bookstores even if I don’t know the language. I’ve seen Isaac Bashevis Singer in Czech and Raymond Chandler in Japanese.’ Young aimed his laser beam on the limited diet offered by chain stores, distinguishing between a bookseller who knows books and chain store clerks who only know marketing. ‘You can’t do local history books and sell them through chains,’ he said, adding that Village Books has sold 1,000 copies of the book he produced on Santa Monica Canyon book and 2,000 copies of his Pacific Palisades book (both written by his mother, Betty Lou)’more than any other book at Village Books. Picking up on the local bookseller’s thorough knowledge of books, inventory and reviews, Maloy recounted her mother-in-law’s search for a book she had heard reviewed on NPR while driving across country. She could not remember the name of the author, nor the name of the book, only the description. ‘I took it to Katie and she found the book in about 40 minutes,’ Maloy reported, referring to Village Books owner Katie O’Laughlin. Hamilton complained about the McDonaldization of the book world and the custom of certain authors who pay for the extravagant displays of their books in chain stores, whereas independent bookstores are magic cabinets of wonder offering a plethora of fiction and nonfiction. ‘What I love about independent bookstores is that you can go in and get a recommendation for a book you didn’t even know you wanted,’ she said. While lamenting the disappearance of so many small bookstores and used bookstores in the wake of Amazon.com and electronic book devices, the authors heralded the value of Village Books under O’Laughlin’s tenacious and imaginative leadership and expert staff. Attorney Susan Nash, who founded PVBF with the assistance of Palisadian Michael Doyen (a colleague at Munger, Tolles and Olsen) and Kelly Anderson, reported that the nonprofit had reached its goal of providing Village Books $5,000 a month through the summer, thanks to Sunday’s event (which raised $23,000). Nash, admitting to ‘no shame,’ pressed her drive for more support for Village Books by requesting two pledges from the audience. ‘First, just say ‘No’ to Amazon Books,’ she said. ‘Order at Villagebooks.com and you’ll receive your book within two to five business days.’ Nash also asked for Palisadians to make a monthly pledge of any amount to PVBF, beginning in August. O’Laughlin, who abandoned a law career to open her store on July 4, 1997, thanked the assembled group, the authors and her staff. ‘I am overwhelmed with gratitude,’ she said, recalling that her incentive to open Village Books was spurred by the closing of Crown Books, the town’s only bookstore. ‘I didn’t want to live in a town without a bookstore.’ She continued, ‘The bookstore has become my community. My staff is family; authors and customers are my friends. I love it when I hear a kid out in front tell his parents, ‘Let’s go in the bookstore,’ because I know we’re creating a life-long love of books. And I love the spontaneous chat in the bookstore, where customers give one another recommendations and become friends’actually sending each other Christmas cards. ‘There must be magic in the walls at Village Books,’ O’Laughlin said.
