Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Bookselling Is Harder than It Looks

My former director just posted this article from Fresh Eyes Now, the Shelf Awareness Newsletter. As a former bookseller, it made me smile. It's like a private joke that only those who have been there, who share the same pain (and laughter) will understand.


All over the world, booksellers greet them courteously, ask how they are. Perhaps no one has asked them that question all day, not even their families. They say "fine" in the language of the land because, quite suddenly, at this moment and in these special places, they are fine. There are empty chairs in quiet corners. Maybe they will just sit and read for a little while... in paradise.

Ten minutes later, they glance up from their reading to watch booksellers shelve a few novels. It's a beautiful, universal and almost ceremonial tableau. They think about the jobs they must return to when this break is over, the bosses who are mad at them for no reason, co-workers who are driving them crazy and the mountains of work piling up incessantly.

They can't help but consider an alternative: How pleasant it must be to just work in a bookstore.

You know the truth. It is pleasant most of the time--you can't imagine doing anything else--but it's also complicated. It's bookselling.

Full article here.

7 comments:

Unknown said...

Out of all my jobs, being in the book trade was the most fun time.

darkorpheus said...

That fun didn't pay well though. In the end we have to go out to get adult pay.

Unknown said...

Haha, yeah. I could never survive on a bookseller's pay. All that passion ain't gonna fund my pradas.

darkorpheus said...

I still feel poor these days though.

Unknown said...

The more we earn, the more we spend.

Courtney said...

very cool! I loved my years working in a bookstore but I imagine it's quite different now...I heard b&n employees have to overly promote the Nook - that would have driven me crazy!

darkorpheus said...

@Courtney - The situation looks bleak for brick-and-mortar bookstores these days though. Borders just closed down their #1 store in Ann Arbor.