While visiting Barnes & Noble, I pointed a stranger to buy Dr Paul's new book

My experience: I go to the local book store, after looking for what felt like forever, I am ask if I needed assistance, I ask if they carry Ron Paul's book The Revolution, A Manifesto, after looking me up and down in a very cynical way, they say, "I've never heard of it, I don't think we have it, hey Larry, have you ever heard of...?" Larry: "No, we would be happy to order it for you, what is your name and address?" Me: "Um, nevermind, I can get it somewhere else, I, uh, um, needed to buy it for someone's birthday, it's not for me, their party is this weekend, thanks, bye!" Run!

I went to Borders today to check out the display of best sellers, etc. and buy a copy of REVOLUTON. It was no where to be found. I asked at the assistance desk...he walked me upstairs to the back of the store and on the bottom shelf I found 6 copies. I thanked the clerk and asked why an Amazon #1 best seller would be up here and he laughed. You've got to be kidding he said. I took all the books with me. Bought two and placed the rest on the shelf with the Tolle book (Oprah's book club best seller) right at the front of the store! :-)

Be the Miracle!

When I went to my Barnes & Noble, the same pile of copies I saw there last week were still sitting there. It didn't look like they'd sold a single one. I went early in the day, though, maybe they sold later on. I'll check back on it soon.

I walked into my local B&N store and at first glance the new releases captured my eye. After browsing for a few minutes I noticed the book was not there. I was a little but worried about the book not being in yet, it was sunday. So finally when the rep asks me how he can be of assistance I mentioned the Ron Paul Revolution and he just took off. He went straight to the back and as I followed I felt like there was some sort of urgency, as he handed me the book I made a comment along the lines "you knew exactly where that book was huh buddy." his response was "your the second person that asked for it this hour". How about that!

I'm from New Jersey, btw.

I'm still befuddled as to why the campaign store at www.ronpaul2008.com isn't selling this. They could bring in a big boost of cash just by doing that alone. I mean, they're still selling "A Foreign Policy of Freedom" after all.

A cup of coffee for on the way.. $1.65
A copy of the Ron Paul Revolution: A manifesto... $21.00
The knowledge to obtain Freedom... Priceless.

Or something like that :)

Still need to buy your copy of "The Revolution: A Manifesto" by Ron Paul? Don't just quietly lift the tome from the shelf and shuffle off to the register! Read this first!

Already got your copy? Great -- now read this anyway!

Here's the plan:

You can do this on your own, but would be even more powerful were you to set this up as a strategy within your Meetup group. Each RP supporter (that would be YOU) calls or walks into a B&N or Borders, etc. -- make it one specific store (i.e., "the B&N on Main Street in Springfield").

Ask at the information desk for The Revolution: A Manifesto. Even if it's on the display table at the front of the store, make a point of going to the information desk and asking the clerk to locate the book for you. This will help let shopkeepers know that there is demand for the book. I did this...even though the book was on the display table literally right in front of the info desk. :) Funny thing is, it still took the clerk over ten minutes to locate it himself, the both of us traipsing throughout the store in search of the title. Bet he'll remember where it is now!

If your local bookstore doesn't have the book in stock? Walk up to the info desk, request the book, then when they tell you they don't have it, tell them you'd like them to order it for you. You may not even have to pay for that up front, by the way, and my local B&N says there is no obligation for you to come back and buy it once the order arrives (though it would reward the store if you did follow through with your order, and also solidifies the veracity of your request). If you were to order some obscure, hard-to-find title, however, they might hold you to the purchase, but I've never encountered that myself.

Now don't do this as a group. Don't have one person from your Meetup order twelve copies. That will be interpreted as one compartmentalized group interested in the book. Each person (again, that means YOU) go in individually (and not several people at the same time!) and request that the book be ordered. This sends the message that several people in town (rather than "one group") are interested in getting the book.

Finally, if you already own a copy of the book, pass the freshly purchased book along to a person unfamiliar with RP (which is something we hope to accomplish anyway, right?), and ask them that they, upon completion of their reading, also go place an order for the title at the same bookstore and "pay it forward". :D They may or may not do this, but they definitely won't if you don't ask them to.

At the end of the day, the store's cash register receipts will show X number of sales for the book no matter what (raw data), but the clerks -- and the manager -- will know there has been a lot of demand from people not only purchasing the book, but asking specifically for it and even placing orders for it (informed data).

Oh, and in your downtime, when you're ready to curl up with your own personal copy of the book? Don't do this nestled up in your easy chair at home! Get your body into a more public location -- either that same B&N or a Starbucks or some other gathering place where people hang out. Let people see you reading the book. Hold the book in such a way that people can see what it is you're reading. Yes! You get to read your book and you get to be a live advertisement for the title!! Be sure to have some RP lit handy with you when you do this. :) And now, I'm imagining customers milling through the coffee shop area of the bookstore, and noticing individuals here and there, each reading the same book...and what message that might send...

Help create an awareness of the demand for this title! Each supporter do this! And pass this message along to your Meetup and other Meetups you belong to (because of course, you belong to more than one Meetup).

Quick Review:
1. Pass this message on to your own and other Meetup boards/RP sites
2. Go to your local bookstore
3. Ask for the book, even if it's in the store and you know exactly where it is
4. If it's in the store, buy it (for yourself, or pass it along to someone who needs to get informed!)
5. If it's not in the store, order it
6. Relax over a caramel mocha (mmmmmm) and read the book in public
7. Pay it forward!

Total cost: the price of one book, a coffee (optional), and not much your time, most of which will be your own time to relax, anyway.

Benefits: you get a book, a coffee (still optional), and the chance to DRUM UP AWARENESS and ADVERTISE Ron Paul's book FOR FREE while enjoying reading it yourself.

Create the BUZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!