Bookshop employee sacked for blogging

Like many bloggers, I was sad to read about Joe Gordon's firing from the Waterstones (a major UK bookstore chain) Edinburgh branch for having a blog (you can read about it at the botton of the Gaiman post I linked to in the previous post). It's always a bit scary and sad to hear about people's blogs being used against them in "real life."


After reading Charles Stross and Ken Macleod writing about it, I'm even sadder. As an editor who sometimes goes to shops to talk about the new SF and Fantasy books that have been published in my series, I'm always delighted to meet knowledgeable bookselles. In Israel, booksellers who know and like SF&F are few and far between, and whenever I meet one, I always know "my" books are in good hands. SF&F-savvy booksellers are a boon to bookshops and costumers and publishers alike. It's a niche market, with a loyal readership, who much prefer shopping where the booksellers know what they're talking about, and care about the books they care about.

Reading the story as detailed by Stross, it would seem some people don't think so. That, on top of the free speech issues and everything else (mostly Joe's own misfortune, of course), makes this an even sadder story for me.