Thread by @doctorow

2020 was a big year for me as a writer: I had four new books come out! It was also a weird year for me as a writer: I couldn't tour with any of them. It was a big, weird year for me as a writer.

1/

But I have a secret weapon: @darkdel, a great specialist indie bookstore just a few minutes' walk from my front door, where they are only too glad to get orders for signed copies of my books - I drop by and personalize 'em and they ship 'em out.

darkdel.com/store/c3/BOOKS…

2/

They got a shipment of 25 copies of the new paperback edition of HOW TO DESTROY SURVEILLANCE CAPITALISM in last week and they sold like crazy; yesterday I dropped by to sign the last in-stock copies (don't worry, more are on the way).

3/

Sue, one of the owners, said, "By the way, we can't ship to the UK anymore. Since Brexit there's a new requirement that we register to collect VAT and file quarterly paperwork with the British authorities. It's just not worth it to us, sorry."

4/

I asked Sue for more details, and yup, there it is:

Consignments valued at £135 or less: The seller must charge and account for VAT at the point of sale

Which involves determining the VAT category, registering for VAT, and filing a return.

gov.uk/guidance/vat-a…

5/

That is to say, to ship this $14 paperback, they need to do something like £100 worth of paperwork.

Brexit was supposed to be a way to "take Britain back" from the burdens of European paperwork.

To my British readers, I'm heartily sorry about this, but I can't blame Sue.

6/

She's running a small business. After the crisis is over and I can come home to London to see my family, I'll be sure to sign all the bookstore stock I can get my hands on and I'll let you know where to order it from - but until then, I'm afraid the border is closed.

eof/

ETA - If you'd like an unrolled version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog: pluralistic.net/2021/02/24/gwb…