. . . he ought to be able to place it in the section of his choice at book stores, AMERICAN FICTION argues. It takes a lot of effort to be an author. When a volume is longer than 100 pages, the scribe runs the risk of incurring the dread condition of "writer's cramp." Then, when a written draft is complete, it's very difficult to keep a ready supply of typewriter ribbons, correction tape, one or two reams of paper and file folders for each chapter. Furthermore, not every manuscript is accepted upon first submission. Even experienced writers have been known to collect as many as half a dozen rejection slips before finally receiving the check for their "advance." Therefore, it's totally demeaning for semi-literate store clerks to relegate someone's book to an obscure and inaccurate pigeon hole. After 96 years, when copyrights expire, Mr. Monk and other contemporary writers can be lumped in with deceased book people such as Shakespeare and Vonnegut. Until then, however, basic common sense and decency requires stores to let authors do their own product placement.