November

Robin Agnew

For me, November is the blah month of bookselling, usually until after Thanksgiving.  The weather takes a turn for the worse - the days are grey and it gets dark early - and this year, the economy is so stinky not too many people are shopping.  If they are they tend to ask how much they can get for the book they are buying when they bring it back for store credit.  This November is no different.

Because I'm not anticipating big Christmas sales this year (is anybody?) I did things on Thursday like respond to an e-mail from a publisher asking what the heck we were doing to stay afloat.  This e-mail wasn't addressed just to me, but to the slew of bookstores our particular rep for that particular publisher covers.

I also talked to a guy who wanted to rent 100 square feet of our space for $500 a month.  It sounded somewhat attractive though we're a bit squeezed for space as it is, but then I found out he had tried the same thing with another store and then backed out of it.  In this present economy, though, the Dr. Zhivago scenario of splitting up everyone's space, living and business wise, doesn't seem so far fetched.

I also took some of those old books I talked about last week that have sensational covers (I don't think cover art is as great as it used to be, and definitely not as deliciously colorful) but were falling apart and made greeting cards out of them.  Using a color xerox machine I'll have an endless supply and so far people seem to like them.  They are simple & fairly cheap to make.

Today it's raining, there's a football game (would YOU want to sit out in the rain for 3 hours?  Not me), and I don't have high hopes.  I do think our used books will carry us through this present economic downturn, as will being proactive in every way possible.   The thing that keeps me going are the terrific books I get to read.  It's a grey rainy day, as I mentioned - perfect for reading a good book!