O.J. book sold 'Untitled' to bookstores

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The recently announced book by O.J. Simpson called If I Did It, Here's How It Happened to be published Nov. 30 by Regan Books was sold to bookstores and retailers without their knowledge of who the author was, retailers report.

Gayle Shanks, co-owner of Changing Hands, a Tempe, Ariz.-based independent bookstore, said the book was sold as "Untitled by someone whose name I would recognize when the book came out."

Shanks says had she known who the book was by, "I absolutely would not have ordered it. I think the man is despicable."

Simpson was found not guilty of the 1994 murder of his ex-wife and her friend, although the ex-football player remains the center of controversy.

"I haven't spoken to one colleague not stressed out by this O.J. thing," said Shanks, who added that most independent bookstores would not choose to have the book on the shelf.

Interviews with 10 independent booksellers by booktrade publication PublisherWeekly revealed that many didn't order the book when it was offered as a blind buy by HarperCollins sales representatives.

The bookstores said, however, they would special order it upon request, according to the report.

Shanks noted she, too, would special order it for a customer who requested it.

Hut Landon, executive director of the Northern California Independent Bookseller's Association said, "There's no question if independent booksellers had known what the book was they wouldn't have ordered it."

Landon notes, however, that book publishers have sold books as "blind buys" in the past because of a sensitivity of the subject or the publisher's publicity plans surrounding it. Landon says it usually happens every 2 or 3 years.

"One interesting side effect," said Landon "is that in the past the independent bookstores have usually trusted the publisher [on these matters]. This may make it tougher to do next time."

Landon says 30 bookstores in his region are donating proceeds to local battered women's and domestic violence shelters.

Regan Books, headed by publisher Judith Regan, is a division of HarperCollins.

Calls to HarperCollins were not immediately answered.

HarperCollins is owned by News Corporation (down $0.16 to $21.93, Charts), a media company that also competes with Bertelsmann-owned Random House, Penguin Group owned by Pearson (up $0.04 to $14.79, Charts) and CBS (up $0.00 to $29.80, Charts)-owned Simon & Schuster.

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