Melville House Books

In Albuquerque, New Mexico, on “the lower level of the Westside’s Cottonwood Mall, in a small storefront next to J.C. Penney, an enterprising band of writers and publishers is opening its own cooperative” after meeting during a New Mexican book convention and realizing that “one of the biigest problems” they all shared was “the difficulty in getting New Mexican books with New Mexican themes into New Mexican bookstores.” As Steve Robert Allen reports in a story for The Alibi (scroll down), “New Mexico Books & More is the brainchild of Barbe Awalt and Paul Rhetts, the owners of LPD Press, a small, independent New Mexico publisher.” About 120 people from the local publishing scene have signed on to “a simple arrangement that would practically guarantee financial success,” as Rhetts describes it. “Everyone who wants to participate, pays a small fee to cover costs. They also agree to volunteer at the store.” The coop, “an overwhelming success” so far, according to Rhetts, will run for six weeks during the holiday season, and will feature 90 book signings and events, including an official ribbon cutting at which it is rumored Governor Bill Richardson will show up. Says Rhetts, “It just goes to show you that the book business in New Mexico is very strong, and the people involved are more than willing to partner with each other to make it even stronger.”

Dennis Johnson is the founder of MobyLives, and the co-founder and co-publisher of Melville House.