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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As the Covid-19 pandemic enters its second month, these images capture booksellers continuing to adapt to a shifting retailing landscape. Some states are relaxing restrictions on business, while others remain locked down. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-05-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The Bookseller will begin this week to republish its May and June previews showcasing titles that have been rescheduled, as a result of the lockdown, as well as those that are still being published during those months. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-04 16:17:03 UTC ]
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The Bookseller and writer development charity Spread the Word have launched a survey of small independent presses to assess the financial pressures they are under as a result of the coronavirus lockdown. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-04 09:12:42 UTC ]
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The future of the Bertrams wholesaling business is at risk following the sale of its online bookshop The Wordery and the temporary closure of its book supply business as a result of the coronavirus lockdown. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-02 22:55:42 UTC ]
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As states relax their provisions to cope with the spread of Covid-19, bookstores will begin to reopen—and the logistical and practical issues bookstores will face as they prepare to do so are numerous. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-05-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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When beloved bookstore and cafe The Wild Detectives had to close alongside most Dallas businesses due to Covid-19 quarantine measures, it faced the daunting challenge of shifting its business to being online-only. So the shop owners turned to agency partner Dieste, which has created several... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2020-04-30 19:09:51 UTC ]
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As coronavirus-related economic aid is released in Italy, publishers, libraries, and booksellers are asking for a cultural-spending incentive for families. The post Coronavirus: Italian Publishers Join Libraries and Booksellers in Appeal appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-04-29 13:42:24 UTC ]
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With sales at some bookstores down by as much as 80% since the outbreak of the coronavirus, the U.K. Booksellers Association has written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer outlining steps the government can take to support the industry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
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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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The marketing and publicity director of Simon & Schuster UK has advised industry workers to "be patient and realistic, because it's going to be tough in September". Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-21 03:04:00 UTC ]
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As small businesses around the country await funds from the landmark “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act,” indie publishers and booksellers are having mixed experiences trying to secure this financial lifeline. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Searching this cookbook mega-index is the best way to find out what's for dinner. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2020-04-18 13:00:00 UTC ]
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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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It’s not a particularly hopeful time for literally anyone right now (unless maybe you’re getting a $1.7 million tax break?) but that doesn’t mean we should stop trying to help people whenever we can. I’m getting pretty tired of washing my clothes in the bathtub and have been sorely tempted to... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-17 15:09:39 UTC ]
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The Bookseller's Library of the Year Award is returning for a third year, celebrating the vital contribution libraries make to their communities—despite the temporary closure forced on public library buildings during the coronavirus lockdown. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-16 03:38:23 UTC ]
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The Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association and Midwest Independent Booksellers Association are both stepping up efforts to keep members in their far-flung regions connected with weekly Zoom conference calls. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Walker and Candlewick are to publish Will You Be My Friend?, a sequel to the bestselling children's book Guess How Much I Love You. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-07 14:27:02 UTC ]
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At once subversive and searching, the debut novel focuses on two sisters on the run whose roots lie in an unnamed country “from beyond the ocean.” Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-04-06 20:54:23 UTC ]
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#WeLoveBookstores, a slate of virtual literary events to support Bay Area independent bookstores during the Covid-19 crisis, will kick off April 8. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-06 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A crowdfunder in aid of booksellers affected by the Covid-19 crisis has exceeded its fundraising target of £50,000. Penguin Random House pledged it would match donations, meaning over £100,000 will now be made available for hardship grants. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-05 21:08:28 UTC ]
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