Booksellers Association

I have just read the 1999 edition of this book. It is a useful step-by-step guide to opening a bookshop, though the edition I've read has to be viewed carefully given that it is thirteen years old. The book trade has changed a lot in that time, and is continuing to change, making the decision to open a general bookshop far more fraught with difficulty. To begin with, most towns of any size in the UK now have a branch of Waterstones' or a similar chain bookshop; this will influence very much where you decide a new bookshop is a viable proposal. The book doesn't mention the presence of the remainder chains at all; whilst they aren't really within the purview of the Booksellers' Association, they should be considered as a part of the general book market that will influence your business decisions. And the mentions of IT and (in particular) the internet are charming and quaint viewed from this remove in time; and almost completely useless if you take this book at its word as a picture of the book trade today.

But the general business advice is sound and this is a book you should refer to often if this is your chosen route to a living. (All being well.) You should try to find as recent an edition as you can.… (més)