Honesty would be a better policy

Forgive me, I don't want to get hung up on this celebrity auto/biography topic, as it honestly is not something I am interested in.  But having just posted about it, I was struck by an email I have just received from Waterstones.com.

The email starts out: "Dear Maxine, Our mission this week has been to discover the hidden gems that hit the bookshelves at Christmas, but sometimes get lost under the celebrity titles and the books with the biggest PR budgets. We've managed to find plenty to tempt us, and hopefully plenty to give you some inspiration for that extra special gift."

"Ah", I thought to myself, "how true! I shall read on and see what little potentially overlookable nugget they recommend". I did not have to read on very far, as the answer is in the next sentence:

"Mandela, the authorised portrait", which according to the blurb in the email is not a "book" as I know it but a collection of bits and pieces about him by lots of people, stuck together.

and

"The Dirty Bits -- for Girls" by India Knight, about which I have no wish to know more. (I do know that India K is a journalist who writes a humorous column and books about topics such as romance and shopping, so this latest of her offerings will not be languishing under a shelf at the back of the shop.)

These books may be very good. Of course, Mandela is the towering figure of our age, not a "celebrity". But I just think it is lying to say that these two books are examples of "hidden gems" that one might miss when going into your local Waterstones between now and Christmas.

Comments

[Clare]

Honestly, it's enough to turn you into a bit of a cynic, really, isn't it? Too late for me I'm afraid - I'm there already.

[Susan Balée]

I had a very annoying experience in a Waterstone's branch this summer. They're the Brit bookstore with the 3 for 2 offers, right? I had three books I wanted: One by Ian Rankin and two by Alexander McCall Smith. One of the latter two didn't count in the threesome -- it wasn't in the discount category. I was quite annoyed: Why not? One book by AMS is fair game and the other is not? The clerk was very unhelpful: She stared at me balefully (what do they make per hour, 5 pounds or less?) and said, "Do you want it or not?"

Irritation, thy name is Chain Bookstore.....

[crimeficreader]

But Knight's "The Dirty Bits..." was languishing on the bottom shelf in WHS in Paddington yesterday. Presumably only those with dangerous shoe laces to tie will have noticed. (My excuse is that I tend to look where I'm stepping as I'm not fond of slipping.)

[Maxine]

Maybe WHS were selling it before its official publication date? Or maybe it has failed to sell and her publisher paid to have it on Waterstone's email shot (Clare has got nothing on me in the cynicism stakes).
Susan, your 3 for 2 story (which has happened to me many a time, though my variant is usually casting around for a 3rd book in the offer after finding 2 irresistible ones. And that 3rd book is the one that is likely to languish unread) reminds me of these "buy 2 get one free" offers that supermarkets do. What if you don't want two of the darn thing? It is really annoying to buy one of something if you know you could get another one free but don't have room in your freezer or whatever. I do know people who have forced supermarkets to sell them "one at half price" but these people are more tenacious and have more energy than me -- I admire them but am not of them.