nuance
notes
a world of words
Episode Two
In conversation with Julia Wieler Jill Prewett interviews Orell Füssli’s English Bookshop Marketing Manager Can you start by describing your job? I’m Marketing Manager. I’m responsible for the four print catalogues we produce each year, for contact with publishers in Britain and America and for the window displays. [For non-Zürich readers: The bookshop windows stretch around one of the busiest corners of Zürich – always attention-grabbing and intriguing.] The whole management team decide on what themes or books we like and brief the decorators. We sometimes sell window space to publishers we meet at the London or Frankfurt Book Fairs, but we keep the big windows because we like to be free to do what we like in there. I do our online marketing; the newsletter to 7,000 readers and updating our Facebook page with news, competitions where you can win signed books and gadgets. How do you decide which books to buy? The book fair, and our distributor here is OLF, based in Fribourg, which is where we order most of our stock. Their sales rep visits and presents all the forthcoming titles. UK publishing reps also visit and we meet those from the US at the fairs. We’re eager to discover debut authors, which is why we have a special window spot – our Pick of the Month – we sell those at a discount because people are taking a risk. We’ve discovered a lot of brilliant books this way. >
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The publishing world is undergoing some major changes at the moment. Which elements makes you optimistic, and which make you depressed? Hmm, the optimistic part is hard. I read so much that depresses me. Amazon is a big threat to bookshops and also to publishers. If authors decide to publish with Amazon, these books will never be available through regular bookshops. That’s sad. Not everyone orders online and people will miss out on great books. What’s exciting is the concept of e-books. Although they’re a rival to the regular book, I love the idea of carrying 3000 books in your pocket. Technology is now advancing and we could sell these e-books at the shop, advising readers who come in with their device, who can buy it there and then. That way, you still need staff who’ve read the book and have opinions. We have to evolve with the times rather than being scared of new developments. Do you ever stock self-published books? We do. We get approached by a lot of authors, but there’s rarely a book that excites me. The covers, very often, are just not appealing, no sparkle, no reason to buy it. It’s always difficult for me to say no because I know there’s a lot of work involved, even if it’s not good. And after all, it’s a question of taste. It’s not my
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place to tell the writer if it has mistakes, if the language is horrible, but I can’t stock it. What we sell reflects on us as a bookshop. But I do have a soft spot for these writers, so I sometimes take a consignment for three months. We don’t guarantee it’s always on display, but it’s available to buy. After that, I contact the author and say I need more, or, I’m sorry, they’re not selling. Some understand, others get angry because they feel we haven’t pushed it enough. I get upset when people don’t realise that we have a small shop, thousands of titles but give someone a chance who’s only sold two copies in three months.
Currently, Tasneem Ahmad’s Indian-Pakistani Cuisine Made Easy is selling well. In fact, she’s doing an event here tonight. What kind of books do you read for pleasure? I think I have male tastes. I love books by Lee Child, Vince Flynn, John le Carré, Daniel Silva, whenever it's a spy story or the hero has the touch of the lonesome cowboy the books appeal to me. For me, reading their books is like watching a movie. Look out for Orell Füssli events through the newsletter, or check out the Facebook page.
Back to business... Dates to note Endgame by Samuel Beckett is playing at the Schauspielhaus - in German. http://www.schauspielhaus.ch/spielplan/monatsspielpl an/211-endspiel Faber (UK) are running a self-publishers' course. http://www.faberacademy.co.uk/Public/CourseInstanc eDetails.aspx?CourseInstanceID=68 Creative Commons – Towards collaborative innovation December 1st, 19.00 at The Hub Zürich. “Copyright, patents, trademarks… Sometimes it seems that entrepreneurship is all about protecting your ideas so that no one else can copy them, expressed in the ubiquitous 'all rights reserved'. But what is the alternative? No rights at all?”
An event just as pertinent for writers as for any other business. Sign up here: http://www.hubzurich.org/wp/2011/11/20/eventcreative-commons-%E2%80%93-towardscollaborative-innovation
Chatter Zurich Writers’ Workshop success story: http://www.jskesliencharles.com/2011/11/interviewwith-renee-daoust
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Books The Art of Immersion, by Frank Rose (Norton) An interesting take on how the digital generation is changing the way we tell stories.
Bookshop adventures Liz can offer a hearty recommendation for Bücher Brocky, hidden in a basement near Bahnhof Enge. There is always both classical music and dust in the air and a coffee machine if you choose to stay for a spell. Oodles of second hand books in German, English, French (and other languages) can be found at modest prices. They take book donations and also have old maps. A perfect stop for a chilly afternoon. http://www.buecher-brocky.ch
Mini Lit-Quiz Which epic novel begins with Cotter Martin getting his hands on a baseball? Last month's answer: Richieri
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Distractions
Articulations
Everyone should know this exists: http://longreads.com
How Google translate works: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgetsand-tech/features/how-google-translate-works2353594.html
Ngrams, a Google tool that lets you search the frequency of words over 200 years of publishing, like the use of 'the press' vs. 'the media'... Play with it! http://books.google.com/ngrams/ The Limits of Language “The limits of my language are the limits of my mind. All I know is what I have words for.”
Etymologically speaking... word of the day http://www.etymonline.com The changing use and meaning of specific words, narrated by profs: http://www.wordsoftheworld.co.uk/index.html
– Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations, 1953 http://deliberateink.com/the-limits-of-language/ Stuck for inspiration? Fill in the backstory for some of these... http://www.textsfromlastnight.com/Texts-From-BestNights-Today.html
Competitions Pens Inc writing competition http://www.pens-inc.co.uk/writingcompetition.php 15th December
Murakami on music and writing... http://www.youmightfindyourself.com/post/54229593 9/haruki-murakami-jazz-messenger Unnecessary journalism phrases, a news editor's after school sport: http://unnecessaryjournalismphrases.tumblr.com
Flash 500 http://www.flash500.com/ 31st December Griffin Poetry Prizes http://www.griffinpoetryprize.com
Contributions always welcomed!
Libby, Liz & Jill
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