Cheap thrills overlooked

Because Chapters has emulated the "independent bookstore experience" (café lattè to go with its coffee-table books), it is perhaps not as watered down as it might be. But the new Paragraphe, in emulating the chain megastore, is a bit more rich and frothy than it needs to be. Philip Preville's article ["The sky isn't falling after all," Jan. 15] finds it worth celebrating that Richard King spared no expense in spiffing up Paragraphe and removing anything that didn't match the decor. The problem which Preville overlooks is that local chapbooks, 'zines and comix are among the undesirable eyesores for King.

For small-budget publishers of new writers, or those writers publishing themselves, it's hard to find a friendly bookstore, (The Word on Milton being one reliable exception). Nemo on St-Laurent has recently decided to stop taking books on consignment--which means that local small publishers have lost their best showcase. Why would Paragraphe and Nemo refuse local books that lots of local people come looking for? Chapbooks and 'zines are often staple-bound, without spines, so they disappear on shelves unless they are face-out (which takes more space). Small publishers generally don't use distributors (so the record-keeping doesn't fit as nicely in the computer). Most importantly, even when their commission is 40 per cent, the bookstore won't pocket much money if the book costs $3 instead of $18.95. All of which are truly spine-less objections. Not every book worth reading comes shrink-wrapped in a box from Toronto.

In fact, Chapters itself has been more friendly toward small publishing than Paragraphe has, and to its own benefit: when Chapters agreed to stock the local 'zine Fish Piss, for example, it ended up selling more copies than any other magazine in the store--more than Time, Maclean's or Cosmo. Preville's article pointed out that Paragraphe spent extra money to build boxes for the weeklies. We hope Montreal's English-language bookstores realize that making a little extra effort for small publishers is also a part of that "independent bookstore experience"--and worth their while.

-Corey Frost, Ga Press Andy Brown, Conundrum Press

We are the world?

During the aftermath of the ice storm, families with no heat in their homes went to shelters so they could get warm and take a shower. I listened to the radio broadcasters--like thousands of other Montrealers--and heard a radio host say "this crisis will force people to live together." Well, we delivered clothes to shelters for families so when they took their showers they could change into clean clothes. At the shelter where people were staying, groups of blacks were in one corner, groups of Latinos were in another corner and whites were everywhere else. How can we live together in a crisis when we cannot live together in harmony when there is no crisis?

-Bob White

There are jobs: you're just not looking

A big lemon to the Mirror for the propaganda that gives sensible readers the impression that the job market is a farce ["Oh, screw the job market," Dec. 11]. A well-documented fact is that only about 15 per cent of all employment opportunities are advertised publicly. Therefore, we can confirm that the other 85 per cent is hidden, but still available. In my industry, my clients always say it's the media who gave the impression that the jobs are hard to find. I think the Mirror should get the real facts straight before painting a picture that we accept as fact.

-Harris Black, president of Employment 2000

>>>

As one who has visited Montreal frequently since 1969, it really is a much nicer town than it was back then. There were no good old days. While I find French, English and American nationalists almost as repulsive as Irish nationalists, you should be proud of your city. Those English who were "chased out" were not the type who added much to the province anyway. Your street crime is way down and people do not look as ratty as they used to; there is a lot more prosperity, regardless of what the doomsayers preach to win larger budgets for their constituencies.

I am also a little baffled why there is so little cross-border trade between Montreal and Vermont in the way of musicians, artists and small entrepreneurs. I have been at it since 1981--I represent a Calgary gas turbine repair operation in the USA--and believe me, this is a cherry market for Quebec anglophone small biz types.

-Walt O'Brien