Hurrah for Independent Bookshops by Wendy H. Jones As I write this, it is Independent Bookshop Week, an important event in the bookshop calendar. This year it is even more crucial, given the pandemic and the fact that all bookshops had to close during the lockdowns. Even now the effects are being felt as social distancing limits the numbers in store at one time and event numbers are limited. This has repercussions not only for the industry but for the reader. During lockdown, while libraries and bookshops were closed, readers could still buy books in supermarkets. Now, this is not a political post, and I am glad there were still options, but, again, this has also had implications for the readers. The first and most obvious implication is choice was limited as the supermarkets cannot carry the same volume of books. Their key purpose is to sell groceries. The books are a feel-good factor so that customers are happier and more likely to spend more on groceries. However, I still applaud them for selling books and encouraging people to read. So why support and use bookshops, independent or otherwise? The answer is simple, bookshops provide services way beyond merely selling books. Booksellers are passionate about books and reading and know their stock intimately. If you pop in and can’t quite find the book you want, they can always help. If you’re not sure what you want to read, they can ask questions and advise you. If you don’t know quite what book you should buy for Uncle Joe’s birthday, again, they can ask a few questions about your dear old uncle, and you’ll leave clutching the perfect book. The same goes for any age group because they know everything there is to know about books.
I know my local bookshops and their owners and managers well and have built up a relationship with them. When I go in, they will advise me of new books that have been released and which of them will appeal to me. I have even gone to the till to buy a book and they have told me I already bought it. When, as an author, I release a new book, they hold launch events for me. I’ve done book signings and afternoon teas and children’s events. Booksellers know exactly the type of event that would appeal to their customers and will work with me to put it on.
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