One of the things I was a little disappointed about was how the two big book chains, Borders and Barnes & Noble, were considering our book to be "local." Borders took a while just to order the book (the company's having problems, so we're told), and now that they have it, they actually classify it as "local" and it's pretty much going only to their New England stores. As for B&N, they ordered the book quickly and do not officially classify it as local, but it has only been going to their New England stores (including Fairfield County--woohoo!). There was one other B&N that carried it initially--the one in Union Station, in Washington, DC. After being excited to see that, it hit me when I looked at the store's address: "Massachusetts Avenue." They'd sent the book out to every store with one of the New England states' names in its address, accidentally including that one....

But wait! Today, B&N placed a big order with our distributor--after all, we are #14,667 or something on their website's sales rank, not bad for "local." So I started typing in zip codes (anyone can do this at both Borders and B&N's websites; just go to the Dirty Water page and type in a zip code) again, starting with the DC area. There was that DC store again, but, also Bel Air, Maryland! That's no mistake! I kept searching: Falls River, Virginia had it! So did Sarasota, Florida!

Whether they're doing some selective distribution, or whether those individual store owners took note of our book and special-ordered it, this is good news. You'd think this book wouldn't be "local" anyway--my mom and co-author is an internationally-published author ten times over, and the Red Sox have rabid fans across the globe. But I guess having a small publisher means it takes people a little longer to realize its awesomeness. Thanks to all the bloggers who gave us reviews, and you, my readers, for buying it, showing those chains that you demand DW!

Of course, the key is that B&N and Borders (and Amazon) sell the book online. So wherever you are, you can get it without leaving your house. But it's nice to know the physical book is starting to make appearances outside New England, at least in the chain stores. It's always been available at independent bookstores across the country, and we hope you'll shop the little guy/girl first.

Anyway, the celebration of the birth of Eckersley (Ecks-mas) is almost here, as is the celebration of my friend Chan (Chan-nukah), so place your order now!

Dirty Water: A Red Sox Mystery on Amazon / Borders / Barnes & Noble / (book blog)