Costco has stopped selling books in Hawaii and Alaska, Honolulu Civil Beat reports. The company told publishers that shipping costs were the a reason to stop selling outside of the contiguous US, but that doesn’t account for sales or returns from local distributors and publishers, who benefitted from the discoverability of the warehouse’s book sections for both residents and tourists. “We knew Costco had the ability to reach a broader market and as a result we’d print a wider selection of books and high print runs,” said Buddy Bess, publisher of Hawaiian publisher Bess Press. “Without that widespread distribution, it […]