Is this real?

There's an interesting email exchange here on the Seattle Mystery Bookstore blog between an author who wanted to arrange a signing and the store owner.

The author is published by Amazon. The store owner said "no dice."

In reply the author said Amazon is actively promoting indie store events.  Quoting now "The results have been spectacular. Hundreds have been showing up at these events. It is a tremendous show of support for the independents."

This is in the past tense. As in this has happened.

My question is this: has it?


I'm very VERY interested to hear from bookstore owners, authors, or event attenders who have been part of any reading at all (not just crime fiction) held at an indie store that was promoted by Amazon.


I'm skeptical simply because I don't think the crime imprint at Amazon, Thomas and Mercer, has actually printed a book yet. Their website refers to the books as "coming soon."


But I don't want to start jumping up and down screaming "fowl" (yes that's intended as a joke; an oblique reference to Mr. Little and the velocity of the sky) without doing some research.


So, is this real?