Python Books & improving PyAwareness - How to ?

[Doug Stanfield]

[Jason Cunliffe said:] 
> Sad to say there is a very low profile of python books there. Only a
couple of
> copies at best in most stores...compared to shelf-fulls of the other P and
J 
> lanaguage books. Even worse [but perhaps significant] is that in most
stores
> the Python books were extremely oddly placed - sometimes a volume or two
in 
> the multimedia section, sometimes a tome in Internet, somtimes a copy wher
you
> would expect it a thte end of the Perl shelf. In no store did I find all
the
> current published Python books together. 
> 
> I noted that ther was no Python books in Linux sections - which I think is
> rather surprisin and dissappointing, especially given the enthusiasm now
> for Linux sections in these stores.

[to which jblaine said:]
> Why would you expect to find Python books in the Linux sections?  It's
> a programming language available for a pile of operating  systems.

Despite what we know, thats the only place I've found them prior to the
appearance
of 'Python Essential Reference' at Border's.  Apparently all the O'Reilly
books
are about Unix. <wink>

[Jason]
> I doubt that anyone here can directly affect much of this - but I still
> think it is worth some consideration:

I tried a little guerrilla marketing, moving the 'Learning Python' book from
the
Linux section into the programming, 'P's (not where Perl or Java are, BTW,
they
get their own shelves loosely grouped under "Internet"), next to 'Python
Essential
Reference'.  It appeared to work since that copy, having been on the shelves
for
about two months, disappeared within two days, presumably having been sold.
Just as traffic increases at Burger King when they build a McDonald's next
door,
possibly someone compared the two and decided to start with 'LP'.

> Q1: How to improve the bookstore/publisher handling of Python book
> placement?

Don't all the big chains have 'subject matter experts' that make the buying
decisions?  The number of Python references recently in the magazines might
trigger
some interest by them.  I'm always seeing interest area broadsheets floating
around
these stores also.  If 'the other P' books could get some mention in these
it may
affect those in the franchise stores that stock the shelves.  One theory
would hold
that someone on this list is no more than two people removed from
influencing the
right person in some way.

My 1<<1

-Doug-