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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Bookings deadline for Bookseller Industry Awards

Table and seat bookings for The Bookseller Industry Awards will close in one week’s time (Tuesday 5th May 2015 at 5pm). There are a very few tables and seats left for the event, which takes place at the Hilton Park Lane on May 11th. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Greens confirm copyright policy review

The Green Party is to review its policy on copyright following protests by authors and publishers. In a policy document released last week the party said it wanted to reduce copyright terms to a maximum of 14 years. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bookselling Roundup, Week Ending April 24, 2015

This week, U.K. chain Waterstones introduced a watch that consumers can use as a reading device; Vermont mini chain Phoenix Books announced a new store for Rutland; and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Indie Booksellers Losing Interest in Audio

Since the collapse of Borders, independent booksellers’ role in the sale of print books has increased, but that does not seem to be the case for physical audio. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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VIDEO: India's tough market for booksellers

One of India's most influential publishers tells the BBC that it's 'very hard' to make money in the Indian book industry. Continue reading at BBC World

[ BBC World | 2015-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Digital Solutions in India 2015: The 10th Annual Review

Welcome to the 10th annual coverage on the India-based digital publishing solutions industry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reviews of New and Forthcoming Spirituality and Religion Books, April 22, 2015

The sequel to 'Breakfast with Buddha' is among PW's reviews of upcoming spirituality and religion titles. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Introducing Our Reviews of Absurd Self-Published E-Books

When “Kindle Cover Disasters” debuted on Tumblr earlier this year, the Internet ROFLMFAO’d at the truly heinous designs: cheap clipart, effects reminiscent of early Print Shop, clashing pastels, Photoshopping by palsied hands, and fonts so troubling you find yourself celebrating the relative... Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2015-04-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Wimpy Kid 'Bookseller' Opens Enthusiastic CI 3

The sold-out conference featured the country's newest indie bookstore owner Jeff Kinney. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bookselling Roundup, Week Ending April 17, 2015

Independent booksellers continue to show their resilience. Jan Saley has recommitted to the bookstore she has operated for the past 38 years and is tripling its space. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Women Buy Books, Men Review Them

VIDA's annual survey of literary publications found that book reviewing and literary coverage is still dominated by men. The post Women Buy Books, Men Review Them appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bookselling Roundup, Week Ending April 10, 2015

April marks the opening of two stores with a children’s connection: one is a children’s only bookstore, the other showcases indie authors and was launched by a children's book author. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frostrup returns as host of Bookseller Industry Awards

Mariella Frostrup is returning to host The Bookseller Industry Awards for 2015 for a second consecutive year. The BBC Radio 4 "Open Book" presenter, who was hugely popular with the audience at last year’s event, will be back at the helm of this year's ceremony at the Hilton Hotel on Park Lane,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Bookseller Marketing & Publicity Conference 2015

Great campaigns aren’t made in a vacuum. They build on what has come before, a combination of innovation and collaboration that delivers something unique to each author, title or brand. With this in mind, the 2015 Marketing & Publicity Conference brings you speakers from within and outside... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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10 Children’s Bookseller Challenges—And How Stores Solved Them: Children's Institute 2015

Every day, children’s booksellers have to overcome hurdles to sell more books and increase foot traffic. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Booksellers welcome new Discworld title

UK booksellers have welcomed the news that Penguin Random House will release the final novel in Sir Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series this September, saying it will sell “amazingly well”. Danielle Culling, a bookseller at Mr B's Emporium of Reading Delights in Bath, said The Shepherd’s Crown... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Seeing Stars: Top Spirituality and Religion Book Reviews, April 2015

A lyrical consideration of finding God in everyday experiences, and a story of evolving from the 'crusader complex' to a more considered faith are among PW's spirituality and religion picks for April. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Men 'most reviewed' in literary magazines

An annual study of the gender balance in reviewers and authors in major literary magazines has found that both are skewed heavily towards men. American organisation VIDA (Women in Literary Arts), looked at publications including the Times Literary Supplement and the London Review of Books in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reviews of New and Forthcoming Spirituality and Religion Books, April 8, 2015

Inspirational romantic suspense novelist Dee Henderson returns with another tale of a kidnapping survivor; Judith Regan's new imprint offers a memoir from conservative writer Rod Dreher. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-04-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Borough Press pays six figures for Pearson sequel

The Borough Press has pre-empted a sequel to Allison Pearson's I Don't Know How She Does It in a "high six-figure" deal. Executive publisher for fiction and non-fiction Kate Elton signed UK and Commonwealth rights to the book from Caroline Michel at PFD. North American rights were signed by... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-04-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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