Confessions of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell review – a brilliant sequel

A heart-warming love letter to books and bookshops, by an amenable fellow turned antisocial old misanthrope“I was in here two years ago and you had a book by Roger Penrose. Do you know what happened to it?” Shaun Bythell – owner of the Book Shop in Wigtown, Galloway – has 100,000 books in stock, sells 20,000 a year, and has handled nearly 1m second-hand books since he bought the shop in 2001. Unsurprisingly, the Roger Penrose volume had not stuck in his mind.Before he entered the book trade at the tender age of 31, he was “amenable and friendly”. Now, after many years of fielding bizarre questions, constant haggling over prices (why is it “acceptable to try to screw the profit out of struggling small businesses” but not supermarkets?), and struggling to survive despite Amazon’s “icy grip” on bookselling, he has been forced to embrace the stereotype of the “impatient, intolerant, antisocial proprietor”. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2019-08-24 10:58:38 UTC ]

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Blackwell’s staff have lost our shops - but we leave with heads held high

On the 1st of June, the day thousands of pupils returned to school as part of the government’s plan to end lockdown, I received a call from my manager. As a bookseller with Blackwell’s, I had been glad when we shut our doors in March to protect the health of our staff and customers. I imagined... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-04 02:42:56 UTC ]
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In Mexico, One Bookstore per 120,000 Inhabitants, by Elena Poniatowska

Cultural Cross Sections Elena Poniatowska In this column that originally appeared in La Jornada, Elena Poniatowska considers the role of editors and talks with Diego Rabasa, founder of publisher Sexto Piso. Already precarious, the pandemic lockdown has... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2020-06-03 21:05:48 UTC ]
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In Mexico, One Bookstore per 120,000 Inhabitants, by Elena Poniatowska

Pandemic Dispatches Elena Poniatowska In this column that originally appeared in La Jornada, Elena Poniatowska considers the role of editors and talks with Diego Rabasa, founder of publisher Sexto Piso. Already precarious, the pandemic lockdown has made... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2020-06-03 21:05:48 UTC ]
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Hachette donates £20k as trade supports Black Lives Matter

The book trade has been showing its support of the Black Lives Matter movement, speaking out across social media and making donations to relevant organisations, following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man killed by police in the US. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-01 06:44:29 UTC ]
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The Book Industry Charitable Foundation Has Never Been Busier Helping Bookstores

Last August, I wrote about the Book Industry Charitable Foundation, or “Binc,” a Michigan-based non-profit created to support booksellers who have fallen on hard times. If a bookseller winds up in the hospital or a bookstore has a flood, Binc can step in and pay their bills, no questions asked... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-05-29 08:48:18 UTC ]
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Trade 'baffled' by exclusion from Cultural Renewal Taskforce

The government has announced a Cultural Renewal Taskforce to help the creative sector bounce back from the coronavirus crisis—but book trade leaders have said they are "baffled" that no current representative of the industry has been appointed. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-21 02:08:11 UTC ]
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Andrew Sharp launches publishing consultancy

Andrew Sharp, former rights director at Hachette Children’s Group, is launching a new publishing consultancy, drawing on his 24 years' experience in the book trade. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-18 22:23:52 UTC ]
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Coronavirus has left small publishers desperately fighting for survival

A survey of indie presses shows that 60% fear they could be out of business by the autumn, writes Galley Beggar Press cofounder Sam JordisonOver the past few years, the success of independent publishers such as Fitzcarraldo, And Other Stories, Bluemooose and Influx Press has been something to... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-05-15 06:00:32 UTC ]
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Majority of small publishers fear closure in wake of coronavirus

Survey shows 60% expect the impact of the pandemic may put them out of business, prompting calls for concerted helpMore than half of the UK’s small publishers fear they could be out of business by the autumn as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, according to research by the Bookseller, which... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-05-07 15:02:20 UTC ]
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The Bookseller to highlight books impacted by Covid-19

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[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-04 16:17:03 UTC ]
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The Bookseller and Spread the Word launch survey for small presses

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[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-04 09:12:42 UTC ]
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IPA calls on global government stimulus to help book trade

The International Publishers Association (IPA) has called on world governments to help the global book trade using economic stimulus packages during the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-23 11:28:36 UTC ]
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Amazon revealed as £250k donor to bookseller coronavirus fund

Amazon has been revealed as the mystery donor which pledged £250,000 to a fundraising drive to help booksellers impacted by the coronavirus crisis. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-23 04:37:57 UTC ]
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British Book Award chats kick off with Rónán Hession

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[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-22 18:15:25 UTC ]
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This indie bookseller will send you personalized recommendations from her stock of used books.

An hour’s drive away from my sleepy college town, there is a magical place. It is the place my friends and I would run away to whenever we were having a rough go of it, or quite frankly, whenever we just didn’t feel like going to class. (If any of my professors are reading this… […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-17 19:16:30 UTC ]
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Powell's Rehires Some Employees to Handle Online Orders

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-30 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Coronavirus Live Updates: Book trade staffers tell of anxiety over coronavirus outbreak

Anxiety about health and finances, stress at juggling childcare and uncertainty for the future are frequent reactions among book trade staffers to working through the current coronavirus crisis, according to the nearly 150 respondents to The Bookseller's survey, launched yesterday Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-25 20:14:36 UTC ]
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EIBF appeals to governments to support booksellers during crisis

The European & International Booksellers Federation (EIBF) has highlighted the enforced closure of brick and mortar bookshops amid the coronavirus crisis is putting the book trade in a precarious position. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-24 12:56:22 UTC ]
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The Bookseller survey: staff experiences of working through the coronavirus challenge

At the coronavirus outbreak reshapes our industry, The Bookseller is inviting staff members from across the book trade to share their experiences of working during the coronavirus outbreak. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-24 12:47:26 UTC ]
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