Indie bookstores lay off hundreds; relief efforts organized
As the novel coronavirus continues to spread, its rapidly escalating toll on civil life has begun to extend to the book business. On the retail end, the news spread rapidly… Read more »
Waterstones’ 6.2% pay rise still means many booksellers do not earn a living wage
Last year we wrote about booksellers petitioning Waterstones, the UK’s biggest book chain, to pay them a living wage. It has just be announced that as of April 1, 2020, Waterstones… Read more »
James Patterson creates award to celebrate young booksellers
Bestselling author James Patterson is creating an award to celebrate young booksellers new to the book selling field. According to Heloise Wood of The Bookseller, Paterson is working with the… Read more »
Florida bookstore makes lemonade out of wet books (not literally)
Well, this is depressing. But also potentially the plot to a rather zany novel? The Tallahassee Democrat’s CD Davidson-Hiers reported last week that Midtown Reader, an independent bookstore in downtown Tallahassee… Read more »
The Great British Plea to Booksellers and Publishers
Last week, the Booksellers Association of the UK and Ireland (a professional organization comparable the American Booksellers Association) held their annual conference in Birmingham. Rosamund de la Hey, owner of Scotland’s Main Street Trading… Read more »
How a new bookstore can come out of anywhere and become anything: an interview with the staff of the Booksmith (and the Bindery)
Christin Evans bought the historic San Francisco bookstore The Booksmith in 2007. In the ensuing decade, both the demise and the triumph of the indie bookstore scene have been frequently touted. And… Read more »
Do you know a bookseller? Great! Now nominate them for this sweet Patterson $$$
Attention, booksellers (and their friends)! Do you remember a few years ago when mega-bestselling author James Patterson donated a million dollars to indie bookstores? Or last year when he gave holiday bonuses to these booksellers… Read more »
A Q&A with Dave Lucey, co-owner of North Carolina’s Page 158 Books, on moving a bookstore
Dave and Sue Lucey are members of that dedicated and time-honored lineage known as bookstore owners. Their current shop, Page 158 Books, is in downtown Wake Forest, North Carolina, beside… Read more »
Consult your lawyer before you sell that signed Neil Gaiman: a California collectibles law update
Last week, we wrote about California booksellers concerned that a new state law regulating the sale of signed memorabilia could inadvertently affect their businesses. In a series of blog posts,… Read more »
Publication of book critical of Chinese president halted in response to bookseller disappearances
In a depressing but expected development, following the disappearances of five Hong Kong booksellers whose company published titles critical of China’s ruling Communist party, a chilling effect has spread across… Read more »