RAINCOAST BOOKS president Mark Stanton ...doesn’t believe in sub- sidies. ALCOHOL « DRUG » CO-DEPENDENCY PROBLEM? AN a INTENSIVE OUTPATIENT PROGRAM * Professional Substance Abuse Counsellors and Therapists * Strictly confidential Phone N. Shore 980-8499 Vancouver 731-7737 Surrey 589-7080 RESTAURANT & SUPPER CLUB Live Jazz, Pop, Blues. Thursday, Friday & Saturday Presents BIG BAND BASH VI March 28, 8p.m.-11p.m., $13 cover with surprise quest. * KENNY COLMAN Mar. 23 & 24, 2 nights only %* ELENOR COLLINS Mar. 30 & 31 April6 & 7 vem ae 808 W. Hastings (at Howe) RESV. 684-1511 21 - Sunday, March 25, 1990 ~ North Shore News INFLUENCE Stanton on publishing, costs & the GST n the favorite part of his job: ‘The involve- ment (with the creation of books), the judgment calls and the challenge — that's the thing that interests me the most.”” Is the book business becoming more competitive?: ‘What's tending to happen is that the business is becoming very sophisticated, and it’s getting harder for one-book publishers.The sophistication of the market place is going to leave these people behind. Another thing is, at one time, publishing companies used to hire people who would just read manuscripts, and these people don’t exist anymore. | remember a story about a publisher who turned down a book called The Incredible Journey because he thought, ‘Who the hell cares about a cat and a dog?’ it's getting tougher and tougher simply to get through the system. And why, tor examypia, should a company bear the cost — say, $100,000 a year — just to have two people in the office sit- ting around reading manuscripts? There’s no way they can do it.” How will the GST affect Rain- coast? “It will be an additional bother in terms of paperwork, and it will affect our cash flow. We have to compete against American wholesalers, who are very hig. Therefore, it will be more awkward for the bookstores who buy from Canadian publishers, because to bring books in, they'll have to pay a tax. At the moment, they can bring books in without a blink.” On the most difficult part of his job: “lt suppose one of the frustrating parts about it is that books are returnable — so that we can send them out, and stores can send them back. You can do everything you can, spend all the money and all the rest of it, and they can still be returned. What ry we try to do is create in the bookstores’ minds the fact that we're treating a work as an impor- tant beok. But it’s a gamble, very much so. But that’s part of the business that’s intriguing.”’ One major reason he decided not to become a publisher: “‘I’ve seen what happens when you try to get on the gravy train, when the department of communications, for example, pays for a book to be written, pays to tour the author and gives subsidies, subsidies and more subsidies. You start focusing on all that, and you have (publishing) houses that are in serious financial trouble because there’s no viability in what they’re doing. They're just doing it to get the subsidies. | don’t want to go that way. Unless what we're doing is eco- nomically viable, plus the fact that we're helping a young artist, there can’t be the focus on ‘well, let’s publish this and we'll get a grant.’ MERCEDES-BENZ “Ss” CLASS Excellent selection of Mercedes-Benz ‘‘S’’ Class sedans — attractively priced and available for immediate delivery. All vehicles complete with books and service histories. Stock #5526A '89 Mercedes-Benz: 300 SEL Blue-Green/Cream leather. 10,000 kms. local. 2. $65 ,800 Stock #5448A °88 Mercedes-Benz 420 SEL Pearl Grey/Burgundy leather 32,000 kms. - $73,800 local. 6.2.0... Stock #506098 "86 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEL Smoked Silver/Black leather. 86,000 kms $59,800 tocal. ..... Stack #56024 °89 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEL Pearl Grey/Grey leather. 28,000 kms. Locat ..... $83,800 Stok *S4QA *87 Mercedes-Benz 420 SEL Diamond Blue/Blue leather. 52.000 kms. Local oe es... 859,800 Sauk “MOGA °86 Mercedes-Benz 420 SEL Nautical Blue/Grey leather. 58.000 kms $53,800 local Stock #5235R *88 Mercedes-Benz 420 SEL Smoked Silver/Burgundy leather. 48,800 kms. local. 0.2 $73,800 Such 254874 *B7 Mercedes-Benz 420 SEL Taupe/Palomino leather. 28,000 tales local. ........ ....859,800 Steck #50678 °85 Mercedes-Benz 500 SEL Champagne/Cream leather. 116,000 kins. $48,800 local Mercedes-Benz 1375 MARINE DRIVE, NORTH VANCOUVER = 984-9351