The CEO of the largest independent bookstore in Texas oversees a four-story, 40,000-square-foot space in Austin and the 100 employees who staff it. BookPeople CEO Charley Rejsek said she has time to read about 30 books a year — but doesn’t have the time to read and rate the thousands of books she might sell to a school, nor does she have the money to pay someone else to. But a new Texas law might require her to.
In a letter written to members of the Texas Senate Committee on Education in May, Conn agreed that inappropriate content has no place in children’s hands. But he recommended the bill be amended to establish one rating entity, which would prevent conflicting ratings and take the liability off of vendors’ shoulders. The idea didn’t gain traction. Patterson said he believes “capitalism is the path forward here” and that financially, vendors “have an incentive to figure this out.