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 ]
News tagged with: #book shop #shaun bythell #tender age #book trade #bookseller

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Wisconsin Booksellers Win 'PW's Star Watch Award

Gretchen Treu and Wes Lukes, co-owners of A Room of One’s Own in Madison, Wis., were named the 2021 Superstars at last night’s virtual celebration of PW Star Watch, a program that honors up-and-coming creatives in the book business. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
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‘It is surreal’: the five-second book reviews going viral on TikTok

With 26bn views – and the ability to influence global sales – the social media app’s reading corner #BookTok is not as niche as it seemsFifteen seconds is all you need. Point your phone camera to a shelf and hold up your favourite book, or three. Add a trending soundtrack, a caption, a couple of... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-11-16 16:30:13 UTC ]
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iOS 15.1 review: Apple tries sharing

After iOS 14 shook up the iPhone’s interface with stackable widgets and an app library, iOS 15 at launch didn’t seem so dramatic. Given that several major features, like SharePlay, were delayed, little seemed different from the public beta. But now, with iOS 15.1, everything seems to be in full... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2021-11-12 15:00:30 UTC ]
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Sour Grapes by Dan Rhodes review – a vengeful satire on the publishing world

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[ The Guardian | 2021-11-12 09:00:32 UTC ]
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Bookselling Spotlight: Parable

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-12 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Bookselling still not 'particularly diverse' say trade figures, as New Futures project launches

Bookselling is still “not particularly diverse” say trade figures, as a scheme launches to help entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities start bookshops. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-09 08:43:41 UTC ]
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Gary Shteyngart’s ‘Our Country Friends’ is the darkly brilliant comedy we need right now

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[ The Washington Post | 2021-11-02 14:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-10-26 13:00:12 UTC ]
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‘We Begin Today the Publication of a Supplement Which Contains Reviews of the New Books’

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[ The New York Times | 2021-10-22 11:33:55 UTC ]
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[ The New York Times | 2021-10-22 04:28:52 UTC ]
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[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-10-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The New York Times | 2021-10-21 15:24:11 UTC ]
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[ The New York Times | 2021-10-21 15:21:29 UTC ]
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[ The New York Times | 2021-10-21 15:21:11 UTC ]
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[ The New York Times | 2021-10-21 15:11:48 UTC ]
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[ The New York Times | 2021-10-21 14:55:16 UTC ]
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[ The New York Times | 2021-10-21 14:55:14 UTC ]
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The First New York Times Book Review Best-Seller List

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[ The New York Times | 2021-10-21 14:55:10 UTC ]
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