The Politics of Bookselling
With the advent of the chains and the consequent threat to independent booksellers, we came to realize that maintaining a strong and viable independent bookstore was in many ways the most politically effective thing we could do. We also observed that small and independent presses were fighting similar battles, and that their survival is essential to our survival-fully a quarter of the titles on our year 2000 bestseller list are from small presses.
In recognition of this interdependence, and to celebrate the achievement of small presses, we have developed our "Indie Press of the Month" series. Every month, we spotlight a different small press with window and table displays, parties, and sales on their titles. We try to maintain a balance between larger, more established presses, and small literary and poetry presses with only a dozen or so titles. Happily, we rely on enough small presses to keep our events calendar filled for years to come.
Our politics also shape the organization of our business. Modern Times has operated as a collective since the very start. All important management decisions are discussed collectively, and staff members are eligible to become worker-owners after a commitment of three years. Modern Times has recently become a member of NoBAWC, the Northern California Alliance of Worker Collectives. We're happy to be a part of a larger network of independent businesses working together to create worker friendly, conscientious, alternative models of business. And it's Modern Times' collective management structure that allows people to give so much of themselves, and pour so much of their creativity into a store that truly reflects the personalities of everybody who works here.
