Bluestockings, an independent bookstore in New York, doesn’t accept co-op money, said its manager, Jeffrey Lewis. If the store displays a book prominently, Lewis said, he will not contact the publishing company.

“We have a particularly warm relationship with Bluestockings and often do author readings with them, so the prominent placement of our books is usually arranged in a more informal manner, to our mutual benefit,” wrote Lars Reilly of Seven Stories Press by e-mail. The company does more co-op agreements with chain stores than independents, which don’t buy as many books.

Contant makes few co-op agreements for St. Mark’s. “They know where the pyramid of books is going to go, what particular titles are going to be featured, what they’re going to discount,” he said about chain stores. “It’s all pre-planned. You go into one store and it’s no different from other stores.”

Anne Roman, a Borders spokeswoman, said she could not provide details about the public company’s collaboration with publishers for competitive reasons. Barnes and Noble spokesperson Lenore Feder said she couldn’t comment on “proprietary” information.

But Kania disagreed. She said a Chelsea store will be different from an Upper East Side store. The composition of the store's neighborhood -- students, artists or families -- has an effect on the book display.

The front of the store, however, is not the only prime section. Kania said some people walk into the store with a specific destination, like the parenting section, in mind.

1 | 2 | 3