WHERE’S MY PACKAGE!?!

Nothing sends customers into a tizzy faster than a missing package.  Once it leaves your hands, there’s only so much you can do to find one of these waylaid packages.  Tracking SHOULD tell you where it is, but if it wasn’t scanned in at a step, it can appear to vanish in transit.  Or sometimes it even shows as delivered, but your customer still doesn’t have it.  International shipments can be particularly difficult because tracking doesn’t really work very well once it crosses the border… if at all.  At that point, the customer can often the package a lot faster than you can playing phone tag.  They just need a little reassurance that it’s not gone, its just temporarily mislaid, and here’s how to get it.

Here’s some common ways to resolve common “where’s my package!?!” woes.

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Uplifting News About Independent Bookstores

I was off looking for a different article, when my path crossed this rather nice upbeat article on the state of indies. Take a gander and hopefully it will give you a spring in your step as you enter your shops. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-petrocelli/a-band-of-determined-ecce_b_1242177.html?ref=books

Mystery Writers Awards–The Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award

2012 Left Coast Crime, a convention for fans and writers of crime fiction will meet March 29–April 1st in Sacramento, CA for Mining For Murder.  As I mentioned in my post about the Lefty Award, which is bestowed during the convention, there are a couple other awards besides the Lefty that are also given out. … Read more

Mystery Writers Awards–Left Coast Crime–The Lefty

Left Coast Crime is an annual mystery convention sponsored by mystery fans, for mystery fans. It is held during the first quarter of the calendar year in Western North America, as defined by the Mountain Time Zone and all time zones westward to Hawaii. This is a fan convention that I have never attended, unfortunately. … Read more

Mystery Writers Awards–The Dilys Award

Recently, the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association voted on which books they most enjoyed selling. This award, among other mystery writers awards, truly reflects what most bookmen and probably customers find appealing, not necessarily the best written titles–although usually, the two are one. Mystery bookstore workers are passionate about their opinions, and strive to find the … Read more

On The Right Track – Railway Mystery Books

My dad loved model railroading. The HO models–not the big antique things that are so valuable today, such as Lionel etc. He built his own layout in the basement, designed a coal chute, and a bridge that crossed the bottom of the stairs that could be raised for people to enter and leave. He belonged … Read more

Stephen Colbert Vs Maurice Sendak, or Vice Versa

Once again, I tripped over an episode of mock conservative Stephen Cobert’s show, and low and behold, he’s interviewing the famous children’s writer and illustrator–Maurice Sendak. If you’ve not seen Colbert–think of a fake sincere smart aleck whose comebacks are fast and furious, and usually hilarious. I find it hard to believe in this day … Read more

Don’t Invite a Brush-Off!

Don’t Invite a Brush-Off! “Do you have that new book by So-and-So?” In my shop, the answer to that question will usually be no unless So-and-So is an outstanding northern Michigan author. New books are a small percentage of my store inventory, and about a quarter of those, fiction or nonfiction, have Michigan themes and content … Read more