Bookselling: An Informative Guide

In a few hours, some of the sweetest authors I know are going to be giving up their Saturday to be guest booksellers for Small Business Saturday and the Indies First movement, hanging out at InfoSmith while doling out recommendations. Kristopher Jansma (The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards) and Morris Collins (Horse Latitudes) will be here from 12-2pm, and Jessica Keener (Women in Bed) and Maryanne O'Hara (Cascade) will be here from 2-4pm.  They're excited to work at a bookstore on one of the busiest Saturdays of the year, and I salute them.

LIST OF FUN BOOKSMITH FACTS FOR OUR GUEST AUTHORS AS THEY HANG OUT AT INFOSMITH
1. We do not have a public restroom.
2. Search engines are beautiful, and Google is your friend.
3. We like wordplay and ridiculous jokes.  Just sayin'.
4. Kismet is alive and well, and you'll find yourself in the middle of a busy aisle gushing over the same book with a customer. You'll feel like you've found your reading soul mate.
5. The calendars are right behind you.
6. Still don't have a public restroom.
7. The line at the register may seem long, but we typically get you in and out of there in less than 10 minutes.
8. Gift wrapping is downstairs, and yes, it is free.
9. People read everything and are looking for all sorts of things.  This is the best part of the job, and you end up learning the most random things.
10. Busy days are the most fun, and you will definitely need to sit down once this is all over!

Stop by our store, chat with our authors, and thank you for shopping with us on Small Business Saturday.  From all of us, booksellers, giftsellers, and guest authors included--thank you for keeping us here.

Wasn't It Just September?

The holidays have already started here.  Try as we might, Christmas items are creeping up everywhere.  I just realized I accidentally put on red and green today, which makes me want to cry a bit.  Thanksgiving hasn't been ignored--we valiantly have an inflatable turkey up front along with other Thanksgiving items (have you seen the turkey mask?)--but Christmas is still elbowing its way forward. I'm trying to stop it like that person who likes standing in the middle of doorways, but am infinitely less successful.

Before I go on my Thanksgiving leave, here are some shout outs.  To the people who were in Trader Joe's this afternoon, aren't you glad we survived the line and have all these bottles of wine? I sure am.  To the customer who just called to ask if we are participating in Small Business Saturday, we are, and thank you for being so enthusiastic on the phone.  To the hot guy in fiction, thank you for being handsome and yes, you may have my phone number.  To the woman who loved Natasha's recommendation of Jeffrey Eugenides, thank you for being so fun. To you, blog reader, thanks for taking the time to read this.  You're a sweetheart. 

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone, and wish me luck with the turkey.