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| Books Never-Ending, just south of Chattanooga, is struggling to survive. (706-861-0774) |
Ten Myths about Bookselling made me chuckle (especially the first item), so I want to share them with you. Thanks to Chrisbookarama, who brought this list to my attention.
MYTH 1: Booksellers spend all day reading
Did you know I used to own a bookstore? Yes, my friend Donna and I opened a store in 2004, and I never did get to sit around all day reading, not once.MYTH 2: Booksellers make lots of money, otherwise books wouldn’t cost so much
Q: How do you make a small fortune in bookselling?MYTH 3: Bookselling isn’t a career (i.e. so when are you getting a real job?)
A: Start out with a large fortune.
Define "real job" for me, please. Surprisingly, running a bookstore was the most physically tiring job I ever had. Imagine lifting boxes of books every day.MYTH 4: Bookselling is a low-stress job
I tried to make our store a low-stress place, but that takes a lot of work. We opened our space to community groups like the Plum Crazy Red Hat Mamas and book clubs.MYTH 5: Booksellers know everything about every book ever published since Gutenberg invented the printing press
Well, maybe not all of them, but it was almost as good as book blogging for learning about what people are reading, as well as what's hot and what's not.MYTH 6: Booksellers are literature snobs
Booksellers are individuals and have individual likes and dislikes, just as other book buyers do. Donna was in line to buy the 2005 Harry Potter book at midnight at another bookstore because ours didn't go on sale until our regular opening time. (I still have a strong HP box like these — great for hauling books around.)
Oh? I thought that was book bloggers, though we do talk about other aspects of our lives. For instance, I plan to be at the downtown library this evening for a meeting of the Chattanooga Writers Guild. Oh, wait, that's book-related, isn't it?MYTH 8: Booksellers just want to sell you something
In my case, I enjoyed talking about books as much as selling them, which probably explains the demise of my bookstore. If you don't buy a few books, your favorite indie bookstore will go out of business, you know.MYTH 9: Bookselling is dead (or dying)
Those e-books may be great, especially for trips where you don't want to carry tons of books, but I know too many readers who love the feel of a solid book in hand. I think books are simply evolving.MYTH 10: That cute bookseller you've been flirting with won't date you
I can't relate to this myth, one way or the other. That's not what's on my mind when I'm shopping for books — or selling them.So what's your take on any of these myths? Read the original article from the United Kingdom here. And if you'd like to help keep an independent bookstore in business, take a look at the web page of Books Never-Ending and buy a book or two from them, especially if you live in the Chattanooga area. They're on Cloud Springs Road, just south of East Ridge. Call 706-861-0774, and tell 'em Bonnie sent you.
2 comments:
Love this list. I miss having my own personal book sellers (at least I thought so) to visit, but sadly I too was there for the book groups, red hat mamas, and conversations about books BUT I did actually buy book there sometimes too. I am glad I still have access to one of my favorite book sellers via this blog. I also have been seen visiting them at their home, so I guess I still have access to them, just not the books. Well maybe not as many as in the past, as I have seen a few books there too.
But Emily, you should know that anytime you're at our house and want a book, Kiki would give it to you if I didn't. Right?
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