In 1997, I acquired my used bookstore. It had a decent revenue stream, and looked like a good turnkey investment. There were two good employees, a steady flow of customers, and I had bigger fish to fry: the ultimate CD store. I would check in on the bookstore on occasion, doing the accounting and deposits. On … Read more
The significant increase in popularity of online bookstores over the last decade has had a monumental impact on offline bookstores, covering all facets of their business. Online bookstores offer a number of advantages over physical stores; these physical stores have tried to counteract these advantages by capitalising on areas in which online stores are unable … Read more
By Bill Duncan Over my nearly forty years in business, I have authored six and one-half books (one of them is still in work). The first four were non-fiction business books, and were published by traditional publishing houses like AMACOM. The other non-fiction book was self-published using Dog Ear Publishing. These days I am writing fiction, and I … Read more
“What pop-up books do you have?” a customer asked a few months into my new gig as a bookseller. “Pop-up books? You mean for kids?” I asked back. He didn’t have any kids with him; just a woman who I assumed was his wife. “For kids, for adults, just pop-ups. You should have pop-ups.” He … Read more
I walked into the shop one afternoon a few weeks after we settled into our new bookstore and Robert hurriedly handed me a letter. “You have to read this and tell me what you think.” I couldn’t tell by the look on his face if this was good news or bad. I looked at the … Read more
“Have you ready any good books lately that you can recommend?” the Customer asked… Cue the ominous music. Women and children duck into alleys. Men lower their hats over their eyes and idly drift away. A dog barks. A tumbleweed blows through the bookstore. All eyes turn to me. I nod knowingly and say:”I really … Read more
I was straightening things up at the store and looking forward to a few days of vacation before jumping into a new year when our last customer of the day walked through the door. “I want to sign up for two of your classes,” she announced as she swung her chic wrap over her shoulder … Read more
A Guest Post by Isaac Soloman, author of EMANUEL STONE AND THE PHOENIX SHADOW Book signings are a great way for authors to meet their readers. For the debut author it is daunting: you are planning a huge party for folks you do not know and are not sure they will turn up. Below are … Read more
