Just like many of the consumers who support them, Wind City Books makes a concerted effort to stock books by independent book publishers. “We are independent, and we want to support the independents,” Vicki said. In fact, their biggest seller this year—Life and Spectrum—is not only an independent book, but it’s also written by Casper author C.G. Meloy and illustrated by Zachary Pullen.
Life and Spectrum is a revealing look at high-functioning autism, a niche topic that’s not really on the radar for large publishers, and that’s where independent book publishers come in. They’re popular among authors who want more control over their books, or for topics that aren’t mainstream. “It’s one of the most important books about Aspergers ever written,” Vicki said. “It’s raw and it’s real, written by a man who has lived with Aspergers for 50 years.” To illustrate her point, Vicki shared a story about a local businessman who came into the store and purchased two copies of the book. He had previously purchased a copy for himself, read it, and now wanted to give these copies to his employees. “One of his employees has autism, and he wanted his other employees to better understand the disorder, and what it’s like living with it,” Vicki said. “He wanted them to know why this person does the things they do.”
