New books not good.

A local author came plying his wares this morning. Two books published by print-on-demand publishers. He would like to see them in the local shops - it gives him a warm cosy feeling! No doubt. But the truth is that it isn't worth my while stocking them at his discount because they will very soon be sold on Amazon for less than I have paid. I took two of the titles that most please me, beating him down to an acceptable price, explaining as gently as possible. He took it well, better than a woman who had written about her life as a district nurse to the Eskimos; an exciting and unusual life, getting to houses by canoe to deliver babies, replace bandages; set broken limbs etc.. However the title was already listed new on Amazon for far less than the price she was asking me to pay her, and when I explained that she was outraged. As the messenger of this bad news I was shot down in angry flames. She had paid to have it published and was trying to recoup her expenses. I would have felt sorry for her but she was rather aggressive. Difficult. In her case she wasn't even local so I wasn't going to buy her book, however interesting.