Debbie Bennett: In Praise of Independent Bookshops

Have a look at this on the internet. It’s a map of independent bookshops across the country (world?). I have no idea where the data comes from but it does show the vast swathes of Britain with no independent bookshop. Where I live (mid-Cheshire), there are no bookshops at all – not even any chain stores. I’m discounting our local branch of WH Smith which doesn’t really have much more choice than the media aisle at the supermarket. And there is also The Works, but that is mostly remaindered stock bundled as 3 for £5 (good value if they have what you like on the shelves). I do have author friends whose books are actively bought by The Works, so maybe they are branching out more? 

Anyway, our nearest independent bookshop is in Nantwich. Nantwich Bookshop & Coffee Lounge. As it says on the tin, it’s a book shop and it’s a coffee lounge – not just coffee either. They do a lovely all-day breakfast too and other sandwichy and lunch things. Food and books – how much better can it get? And all hosted in a medieval building with panelled rooms, sloping walls and ceilings and an attic accessible up a tiny, twisted ladder staircase that you can go and explore on your own! How cool is that? 

So I was there a couple of months ago having lunch with a friend and she convinced (bullied) me to ask if they would consider stocking my books. Like a lot of independent authors, I’m curiously reticent when it comes to putting myself front and centre stage. And so many bookshops aren’t interested or welcoming to independent authors – many of us aren’t available via Gardners and a lot of bookshops can’t or won’t order from anywhere else. I’ve thought of maybe doing a print set-up via Ingramspark to make this kind of thing possible, but I just don’t have the time nor inclination to delve into dealing with margins and returns for the minimal income I suspect it would generate. I print via KDP and buy author copies for my own use. 

I’m happy to report that Nantwich Bookshop & Coffee Lounge are absolutely open and welcoming to independent authors. They’ll happily sell on a consignment basis which works well for me. So I popped in last week with some stock and a pile of promotional postcards (I sneakily stuck a postcard in each book as well). And when they scanned the barcode on the first book, its actually in the system! This surprised me as it’s an Amazon ISBN on a KDP-printed paperback. Yes, I wish I’d bought my own ISBNS, but Hamelin’s Child was published back in 2011 and I didn’t know any different then. I’ve since discovered that the first three books scanned successfully, but the second three didn’t. Odd, but not an insurmountable problem and the only disadvantage is that those books won’t appear on the bookshop’s website. The website is something I wasn’t expecting anyway, so I’m grateful that the first three books will be there.

All in all, a pleasant experience all round. The shop seemed genuinely interested and welcoming - nothing was too much trouble. If we had more shops locally, I'd try them too!