tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post7819038433539763169..comments2024-03-25T09:56:16.164+00:00Comments on An Awfully Big Blog Adventure: Once was booksellerUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-68986735173565014962011-10-27T14:37:59.646+01:002011-10-27T14:37:59.646+01:00A beautifully written, evocative and well-informed...A beautifully written, evocative and well-informed post, Leila. It's sad that there's no independent book shops in Birmingham. I hope someone opens one and gives you a job - but only part-time so you still have time to write.Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11716058361689251073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-46013458562040858362011-10-24T19:42:49.882+01:002011-10-24T19:42:49.882+01:00I remember when I was in Brussels at your shop abo...I remember when I was in Brussels at your shop about seven or eight years ago? Not sure what I was doing exactly but I remember clear as crystal your telling me that you longed to be a writer, too. <br /><br />Now you are! And a brilliant one! So more power to your pen, and may you achieve your heart's desire!Caroline Lawrencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07249424644829463560noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-29522713660190644942011-10-24T09:19:57.846+01:002011-10-24T09:19:57.846+01:00How lovely to hear of your experiences Leila. I wa...How lovely to hear of your experiences Leila. I was captivated. But how sad too that we are now in this position. I try to take my children to libraries and bookshops whenever I can, just so that they have the wonderful experiences and memories that I had as a child, and still enjoy now as an adult.Abi Burlinghamhttp://www.abiburlingham.talktalk.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-65086387878828597392011-10-23T22:24:40.525+01:002011-10-23T22:24:40.525+01:00If James Daunt can turn Waterstones into a slightl...If James Daunt can turn Waterstones into a slightly bigger version of Daunts then we are in for a wonderful time! Daunts certainly believes in creating a community.<br />Wonderful post Leila... not many of us experience bookshops from both perspectives and it was beautifully written.Dianne Hofmeyrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18222157214605257030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-50378309579412056732011-10-23T21:03:40.634+01:002011-10-23T21:03:40.634+01:00Lovely post, Leila! I do remember, when Waterstone...Lovely post, Leila! I do remember, when Waterstones opened in Reading, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. A cathedral of books in an old nonconformist chapel. Nowadays, I frequent our independent, as I can get books ordered and arriving within 24-48 hours or so. And Waterstones is not what it was, it has been taken over by the big-name promo. But I do hope that James Daunt can maybe restore it to what it was..Leslie Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15105465949970430998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-83599792632513793082011-10-23T18:31:54.783+01:002011-10-23T18:31:54.783+01:00What a lovely blog. And I have to say that in tiny...What a lovely blog. And I have to say that in tiny Abingdon (pop. 35,000)we have TWO independent bookshops, with devoted followings. We know which side our bread is buttered (our paper is printed?) and it isn't by Mr Amazon. So we have author events galore right on our doorstep, reading groups, children's art events and much more. It's not just a shop any more - it's a community ...Janhttp://literaryteapot.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-31068881017034064112011-10-23T18:13:46.456+01:002011-10-23T18:13:46.456+01:00How nostalgic your post makes me feel about all th...How nostalgic your post makes me feel about all the bookshops I have known and loved. But how awful that you can now talk about bookshops and nostalgia in the same breath. What a terrible and wonderful monster the internet is: I can scarcely imagine life without it but (she said talking on a blog with virtual fellow lovers of children's books ) if we want to do something about life in 3-D we're going to have to start voting with our feet rather than with our (mouse) fingers.Linda B-Ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01599899073420595717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-85082121502446832462011-10-23T17:27:16.105+01:002011-10-23T17:27:16.105+01:00I have really enjoyed this series and found this a...I have really enjoyed this series and found this an excellent and lovely post, Leila, with a nicely romantic story attached too!<br /><br />Have just had a possibly related side effect of all these bookshop changes. I am trying to organise books for an occasional author event. <br /><br />When I finally go through to my local chain to ask "Do you do books sale or return for book events?" neither of the two assistants knew if they did and had never heard of such a thing before. (In the past the shop had done this.) I need to speak to the managers.<br /><br />I also approached an independent bookseller who said he was sorry but could not (afford to?)help. The other, in the same small market town, also used to help with books stock but he has closed already. Sad times.<br /><br />Tomorrow I may call the publishers.Penny Dolanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16386668303428008498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-69014157625577132252011-10-23T17:18:11.623+01:002011-10-23T17:18:11.623+01:00Beautiful post, Leila. I bet your customers loved ...Beautiful post, Leila. I bet your customers loved you! <br /><br />I am with you, Leila and Linda, about taking bookshops deeper into the realm of pleasure, and offering an experience that cannot be replaced online or in a hypermarketing situation.<br /><br />As a packager, I used to try to design book concepts that it would be hard to rip off, mostly by introducing novelties that only the obsessional paper engineer or researcher would invest the requisite hours in perfecting. For booksellers, there has to be an experience that cannot be reproduced - one that would be valued by a wider public. <br /><br />Coffee and books work. Books and chocolates may also work. Books and flowers would be nice. I daresay interesting clothes and books, candles and books, cookware and cookbooks would also work. And then it would be wonderful for the book to be the cheaper option, the little extra treat you tuck into the bag holding the more expensive book.<br /><br />An Italian publisher told me recently that he was very impressed with an English bookseller's take on the advantage of a wonderful independent bookshop as opposed to a chain or an internet sales point. This bookseller told him that his business rested on four pillars - a lovely environment, good staff, customer loyalty and one other (wish I could remember). But the chain/internet sale point offered just one advantage: price. <br /><br />Quipped the bookseller, 'I stand more steadily on my four legs than THEY ever will on one'.michelle lovrichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01026972300195225090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-38686510858960135532011-10-23T15:18:02.780+01:002011-10-23T15:18:02.780+01:00Am horrified to hear that there is no independent ...Am horrified to hear that there is no independent in Birmingham! We also have a large population, yet are without a Waterstones since it closed last year, and our fantastic independent is about to change hands/close as well (not sure which yet). That leaves Smiths, which doesn't sell many books, and charity shops galore, which are apparently struggling to restock...<br /><br />I wonder what the bookshop of the future will look like? Maybe there will still be shelf-talkers and knowledgeable staff and author events, but no actual books - just a coffee shop and a warm fire with sofas etc, where people can browse through millions of e-books, and then go to the tills and download the titles of their choice? The challenge will be for the shop offering something more than amazon, and that will be the staff like you, Leila... so maybe not that much will change. There just won't be warehouses and all the returns... which will be better for everyone, surely?Katherine Robertshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17196712319655603442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-18041246680358690472011-10-23T13:59:36.139+01:002011-10-23T13:59:36.139+01:00Reader, I married him! :)Reader, I married him! :)Leila Rasheedhttp://www.leilarasheed.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-85793763810240583992011-10-23T13:41:20.584+01:002011-10-23T13:41:20.584+01:00Lovely interesting post.
Just so we don't get ...Lovely interesting post.<br />Just so we don't get too depressed about closing independent bookshops, I have to mention the wonderful Wenlock Books in Much Wenlock, Shropshire who will put on the kettle for its customers at any time of day. And the gorgeous BookaBooks in Oswestry, Shropshire with it own coffee shop and irresistibl home-made cakes.<br />So what did happen to the random Dane?Barbara Mitchelhillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-91367851201884070442011-10-23T12:45:26.096+01:002011-10-23T12:45:26.096+01:00Wonderful post, Leila - loved the description of t...Wonderful post, Leila - loved the description of the old building as having outgrown its crinoline. Not only beautifully written, but informed, thoughtful, passionate - <br />I'm trying to picture a 'random Danish composer'!Susan Pricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07738737493756183909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-5954052887090406862011-10-23T11:45:13.550+01:002011-10-23T11:45:13.550+01:00I agree, there is nothing like browsing in a real ...I agree, there is nothing like browsing in a real bookshop, and to some extent I think it will remain. I just think the economics of it will mean that books will have to be sold alongside other 'luxuries', as you see them doubling up with cafes, for example. And the technological developments - well, I was thinking just the other day that in fact new technology has always put people out of work, from the spinning jenny onwards! <br />Having said that, I was in Warwick the other day and I found they have an independent general bookseller: Warwick Books. It's only 30 mins on the train from Birmingham, and when I visited they seemed very busy (though who knows if it was all people browsing who would them purchase on Amazon). The link's here: http://www.warwickbooks.net/ . It still does NOT make up for Brum not having its own general independent bookseller though. Shocking. <br />Farah, I think Andromeda has gone too, but Nostalgia and Comics on Smallbrook Queensway fights on, if that was another of your sci-fi haunts! There is also a specialist sci-fi bookseller on Digbeth, if I remember rightly.Leila Rasheedhttp://www.leilarasheed.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-70864146036059879142011-10-23T10:48:44.777+01:002011-10-23T10:48:44.777+01:00Fascinating post, Leila. Uplifting and depressing!...Fascinating post, Leila. Uplifting and depressing! <br />We all seem to be waiting to discover what shape bookselling and book buying is going to take. <br />I often wonder if there is too much hype, though. In the sixties the common perception was that by now we would all be wearing shiny silver skintight suits and eating food in the shape of little pills! <br />But we are human beings, we like the feel of natural things and the experience of browsing in a bookshop is one I would hate to lose. Despite a rush toward new technology I cannot imagine that people will want to find themselves in a world with no bookshops to browse in and no enthusiastic, well informed booksellers to suggest a new book or a new author.<br />There is of course the financial consideration, very much at the forefront at the moment. Booksellers have to be able to survive so perhaps a new innovative model is needed. Something that works for booksellers, buyers and authors but also draws in the book buying public.Linda Strachanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04354324158228109351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-54948762586701672952011-10-23T10:30:15.809+01:002011-10-23T10:30:15.809+01:00I really enjoyed reading this, Leila. I was a regu...I really enjoyed reading this, Leila. I was a regular customer at Waterstones in Amsterdam when we lived there - a little slice of home. But the books were very expensive!Keren Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13121027210783177857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-33951085882468345732011-10-23T10:29:43.858+01:002011-10-23T10:29:43.858+01:00A very evocative post, which made me want to pack ...A very evocative post, which made me want to pack my suitcase straight away (book-buying finishing up with some moules et frites, not to mention those Belgian beers - who could beat it?)<br /><br />The decline in bookshops has been rapid and alarming. But trends don't always continue: and people do need to be able to look at the books and search out new authors and titles. Maybe there will be a place for the genuinely informed and passionate bookseller.Emma Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02718171070716804800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-80016084258961755762011-10-23T09:41:26.465+01:002011-10-23T09:41:26.465+01:00Very depressed re your comments re Brum. I grew up...Very depressed re your comments re Brum. I grew up there. As a kid my pocket money went to Paperbacks Plus in Kings Heath/Moseley. As a teen it was spent in Andromeda the Science Fiction bookshop near central library.Farah Mendlesohnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01951321462450109434noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-17494684200033495622011-10-23T09:29:27.554+01:002011-10-23T09:29:27.554+01:00I loved reading this beautifully written and thoug...I loved reading this beautifully written and thought-provoking post. Thank you, Leila. I only wish I could have visited you at Waterstone's Brussels, as I used to visit the city a lot. I will just have to go to your boutique bookshop in the future...?Luisa Plajahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14543215719907066195noreply@blogger.com