LETTER TO THE EDITOR – Mixed messages from Christian bookstore

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/04/2021 (1480 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I’m responding to the “Author Cries Foul” article in last week’s edition, as I had a similar experience with Hull’s.

When my book, How Do I Turn on My Oven? A Journey Through My Mother’s Dementia (featured in The Carillon, June 27, 2019) was first published, the manager of the Steinbach Hull’s, after perusing the book, said she would be happy to accept it on consignment. Hull’s owner, Bruce Careless, enthusiastically took even more for the Winnipeg store, saying they liked to support local authors. He also suggested I should sign books at their annual autumn event. No mention, claims, or questions were ever raised as to whether religion or faith were featured in my book.

When I tried contacting Bruce that fall to ask about the book signing, he did not respond. In January, when I noticed my book was no longer even listed on their website, I once again reached out to Bruce. Co-owner Sheila Careless responded. She said they sold the 16 copies they had but wouldn’t be taking more since a regular customer was disappointed that, even though it was a good book, it wasn’t faith-based.

Perusing Hull’s website, I find other books that are not faith-based, but I guess it’s their right to deprive some customers to appease others.