On Monday I went back into the bookstore to start the slow process of getting us ready for an eventual reopening - one that has started with curbside pickup and will grow from there. Diary of a Bookseller #16 After six weeks unable to work on the floor due to a knee injury followed immediately… Continue reading Slow and Steady Wins the Race
What happens when you take a whole bunch of booksellers and tell them that they have to read all the upcoming releases for fall, the biggest book season of the year, digitally? Diary of a Bookseller #15 One of the best parts of my job as an indie bookstore manager is all the advance reader… Continue reading Going Digital
Diary of a Bookseller #14 Today I went into the bookstore for the first time in a few weeks. At the start of the lockdown, I was going in once a week to process and ship orders that had come in before we closed, sending gift cards out, picking up picture books for virtual story… Continue reading Checking in With My Work Family
Lucky number thirteen today, the day that marks the start of my fourth week in self-isolation, and what an interesting time the last three weeks have been. Diary of a Bookseller #13 As a person with asthma, I've been self-isolating since before our Pennsylvania governor first encouraged non-essential businesses to close on March 13 (it… Continue reading Bookselling in Self-Isolation
Diary of a Bookseller #12 On Monday, per the guidance of our Pennsylvania governor and health department, we closed the doors of the bookstore to the public. While many stores are remaining open limited hours so that staff can receive books and fulfill web orders, our store is presently closed to customers and employees -… Continue reading How to Support Your Local Indie Bookstore When Everyone’s Stuck at Home
Diary of a Bookseller #11 The Tournament of Books sounds just so much cooler in French. Though its roots are in American basketball, I prefer to refer to it by it's French title, it just sounds more elegant. If I call it le tournoi des livres the books might start jousting or something equally medieval.… Continue reading Le Tournoi des Livres
Diary of a Bookseller #9 In the last few days, we've had a number of local, self-published authors come into the store and ask us to carry their books. We have a whole procedure for doing so, but one of the first is assessing who their publisher is. Often, the authors themselves don't know and… Continue reading The Publishers, and Their Imprints
Diary of a Bookseller #8 Every year I set out to make normal New Year's resolutions, like eating better, working out more regularly, the usual stuff most basic middle class white girls vow to do every January. But this year, I realized I really want to make some book related resolutions, so here goes! Some… Continue reading New Year, New Bookish Resolutions
One of my new favorite traditions, both personally and at the store, is Jólabókaflóð - the Icelandic tradition of giving books to your family on Christmas Eve and curling up with warm socks and hot chocolate and spending the evening reading together. Below are my suggestions for your own personal Jólabókaflóð, and are also on… Continue reading Jólabókaflóð
Every year at the bookstore I work at, I have everyone choose a few books from the year to highlight as their top gift choices, as well as a selection of backpack backlist titles for our annual Jolabokaflod display (Jolabokaflod post will be next week). Below are my eight choices for the holidays with their… Continue reading Holiday Gift Picks
