I love days like today! Not the weather, that's for sure. But the anticipation of getting a look at what's new in mysteries for the late winter season.
As part of my "mini-bookseller" role, I'm meeting with a sales rep and we'll be going through catalogues. It's an exciting part of the business, getting to see what will soon be hot off the press and determining who to stock and how many. That's the tricky part of the bookselling business. Each store caters to such a different mix of customers and that determines, to a large extent, the stock that's carried.
Of course, personal preferences do play a role, too.
When I had Prime Crime Books, there was a strong core of regulars. I knew their reading tastes; I knew how far I could lure them into other offerings. It worked out well. Now at the Prime Crime Bookshelf in Britton's, there's a mixture of my former customers along with the regulars who've been frequenting Britton's for newspapers and magazines...oh, and let's not forget those cigars...for many, many years. They're often intrigued by the display of mysteries; often open to suggestions because readers of newspapers and magazines are just that...readers.
It's been a real learning experience for me. So, starting with the authors I knew were crowd-pleasers, I'm now looking forward to approaching the new lists with a bit more of an adventuresome eye. What might please both groups of readers?
Stay tuned because some of your favourite authors might be on those lists! And that's fun for everyone.
Linda Wiken/Erika Chase
A KILLER READ
Berkley Prime Crime, now available
READ and BURIED, coming Dec., 2012, available for pre-order
www.erikachase.com
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