Overcoming Authors’ Reticence. Or, How to Make Bookshops Love You and Your Book
A couple of weeks ago I was deeply honoured to be asked to join a panel at the Society of Authors in Scotland to discuss ways in which authors could promote themselves and how it was nothing to be frightened of. Unlike my fellow panel members the wonderful Peggy Hughes from the Scottish Poetry Library [...]
The Great Big Book Swap – Read It, Love It, Share It
Although we have been highly critical of World Book Night, we do agree with the essence of it – that it’s about sharing great books and celebrating the joy of reading. However, bookshops were marginalised and booksales declined across the trade in the wake of this giveaway in March and whatever happens next year [...]
World Book Night 2011 – really a bit rubbish.
Way back when, several weeks before World Book Night (remember that?) I, along with many other booksellers and interested parties such as authors and publishers, raised concerns that, in the midst of the worst recession since the 1930s, it might not be in the best interests of the trade to give away a million books. [...]
World Book Night 2012 – suggestions
Imagine a project to promote reading which provided entertainment for readers; tempted non-readers to dip their toes into literary waters; emphasised the importance and joy of libraries; encouraged more people to venture into bookshops; boosted the income of publishers, authors and booksellers and made sure that books and the wonders that they hold were something [...]
World Book Night – Am I alone? Not so much…
In the last few weeks, I’ve been told quite often that I’m wrong to be worried about World Book Night and the giving away of £9 million of stock. I’ve been told that it doesn’t further devalue the book as a purchase; that it doesn’t reinforce the notion that authors should work for free; that [...]
World Book Night – misguided and misjudged?
As you know (or may not – it’s amazing the number of people who haven’t heard of this most trumpeted event), 5th March has been declared World Book Night, emanating from an idea put forward by Jamie Byng of Canongate. Even the title is hubristic – there is nothing global about the project. 20,000 ‘givers’ [...]
Sometimes the personal is the political
A common refrain I’ve heard during the current election campaign is that none of the main parties really inspire voters – we haven’t had a “Yes We Can” moment from any of the leaders in their TV debates and with public borrowing etc at the current levels, everyone seems resigned to the fact that life’s [...]
Our trip to the London Book Fair
The LBF is huge and mostly about selling rights – UK and foreign – in books; agents are there to talk to overseas publishers, publishers want to talk to the big buyers in the UK such as book clubs and the like and so on…
However, an increasing number of seminars are being run such as [...]
Post at The Fidra Blog – Patti Smith
A week or so ago, we went to Oran Mor in Glasgow to handle the booksales and signing at Patti Smith’s gig to promote her new autobiography, Just Kids. It was a brilliant night in lots of ways and we were all completely star-struck at having met such a legend…
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Self Published Authors – before you send me your book bear this in mind…
Ask any bookseller about self-published books and they will groan. Depending on how many self-published books they are asked to stock they will groan and bang their heads on the table. If they are given as many as we are they will groan, bang their heads on the table and demand a stiff drink.
It’s not [...]