News

Publishers and booksellers to swap working days

20.10.11 | Lisa Campbell

Publishers and booksellers will soon be able to swap a working day in the life of each other’s businesses in a new joint initiative soon to be launched by the Booksellers Association and the Publisher Association.

The two trade bodies have been working on a forthcoming website, in which booksellers and publishers can sign up and swap details to arrange the exchange of industry experience. Following the BA’s recent calls for more support from publishers and the government to keep bookshops on the high street, the scheme is being seen as one way of encouraging greater co-operation and understanding between the two industries.

Patrick Neale, who owns Jaffe and Neale’s Bookshop in Chipping Norton, said he had already been signed up to the initiative as a bookseller. He said: "I think it is a really good idea. My view is publishers coming and spending some time in bookshops will be a valuable experience, particularly now publishers are overwhelmingly excited by digital books, it wouldn’t hurt them to come and sell physical books and see how much customers love them. It would also be really good for them to get out of London and good too of course for me to go and visit them."

Andrew Cant, owner of Simply Books in Bramhall, also gave his backing to the scheme. He said: "We have had some publishers come and work here in the past which worked quite well but it would be nice to have them coming to us instead of us going to them, I think it is a great idea." 

Both the Booksellers Association and Publishers Association declined to comment.
 

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By editor

That's so cool! I will definitely sign up.

Thu, 20/10/2011 - 10:15
By Veteran

Our micro-enterprise (government speak, not mine) frequently gets unsolicited job enquiries from a broad range of students and graduates which we cannot meet. Many applicants speak of wanting to get to know the publishing business to which I have always suggested "Go work for a period in a bookshop" - I cannot think of a better apprenticeship for anyone - editorial, marketing, or production - who plans to make their career in publishing. In fact, if I were in the position of hiring, any candidate who demonstrated this kind of commitment would propel themselves to the top of the pile.

Thu, 20/10/2011 - 14:04
By BookBat

The Bat says: Hey, publishers! Come visit us any time! We're in the fabulous North East of England. If you come through in the next couple of months you can visit The Baltic Mill at Gateshead where they're hosting the prestigious Turner Prize this year...it's fantastic! We've stolen it from The Tate!!
Or come up in the summer - Durham County have their ground here, so you can slope off to the cricket for a nice long lunch in the sunshine with a couple of beers!
And then you can tell your boss...yeah I was selling books for The Bat all day...honest :-]

Fri, 21/10/2011 - 15:51
By Sheila Dulwich Books

Great idea. Anna from the BA work with us during the summer for two days and we learnt so much from her, it worked really well. I could see the idea with publishers/bookseller swaping days also working to each other's benefit. We are up for it!

Thu, 20/10/2011 - 12:08
By scottie43

Excellent news - I can't wait for the publishers, mostly based in London and environs, who want to come up to Aberdeen to work in my bookshop for the day. Oh no, what do you mean you can't make it....? Nice idea for the London/SE England publishing world, not so good for the rest of us....

Thu, 20/10/2011 - 21:40
By Anonymoose

they can help me box up all the stock that will be left over - even after my closing down sale - and then move it to my house/garage.

then they can go back to the office and carry on supplying amazon and the supermarkets at superdooper discounts and await the next indie closing to do the same.

Thu, 20/10/2011 - 23:41
By LibraryBird

I couldn't agree more!

Mon, 24/10/2011 - 11:17
By Country Publications

What a great idea, hopefully the scheme will cover the whole of the country.

Fri, 28/10/2011 - 09:05
By P K SHEPHERD

When I was first at Transworld (many years ago) I went and worked in Heffers Children's Bookshop in Cambridge with Kate Agnew for three days. It was an amazing three days and I learned a great deal which has stood me in good stead over the years. If you get the chance - do it.

Thu, 20/10/2011 - 12:50
By Ex-Bookseller

I am an ex-bookseller of a number of years that now works in publishing and I can compete with my bosses in terms of book and trade knowledge. Booksellers know a lot because they have to serve the customers- publishers lack this as they only deal with the booksellers- you should all fill in that missing link. They also know a lot because they deal with all the publishers!

Thu, 20/10/2011 - 13:28
By Inspiraleyes

Great idea, As a bookseller looking to move into publishing this is an exciting prospect !

Thu, 20/10/2011 - 15:58
By Carole Blake, Blake Friedmann Literary Agency Ltd

A great idea. I once spent a day in the splendid Red Lion Books in Colchester (and they made me put together a fiendishly complicated children's book display) but we never did get around to having Peter in the agency for a day. Why not involve agents as well? We can all benefit from seeing the world from other people's viewpoints.

Thu, 20/10/2011 - 16:21
By A publisher

Amazon and supermarkets are booksellers, maybe we will work there for the day.....

Fri, 21/10/2011 - 07:46
By Ruth

Any chance of this being extended to libraries? After all, we buy an awful lot of books from the publishers! Also, it would be fabby to see the world of booksellers and for both to see the world of libraries!

What a great idea, now can we come and play too???

Fri, 21/10/2011 - 14:21
By editor

That's so cool! I will definitely sign up.

Thu, 20/10/2011 - 10:15
By Sheila Dulwich Books

Great idea. Anna from the BA work with us during the summer for two days and we learnt so much from her, it worked really well. I could see the idea with publishers/bookseller swaping days also working to each other's benefit. We are up for it!

Thu, 20/10/2011 - 12:08
By P K SHEPHERD

When I was first at Transworld (many years ago) I went and worked in Heffers Children's Bookshop in Cambridge with Kate Agnew for three days. It was an amazing three days and I learned a great deal which has stood me in good stead over the years. If you get the chance - do it.

Thu, 20/10/2011 - 12:50
By Ex-Bookseller

I am an ex-bookseller of a number of years that now works in publishing and I can compete with my bosses in terms of book and trade knowledge. Booksellers know a lot because they have to serve the customers- publishers lack this as they only deal with the booksellers- you should all fill in that missing link. They also know a lot because they deal with all the publishers!

Thu, 20/10/2011 - 13:28
By Veteran

Our micro-enterprise (government speak, not mine) frequently gets unsolicited job enquiries from a broad range of students and graduates which we cannot meet. Many applicants speak of wanting to get to know the publishing business to which I have always suggested "Go work for a period in a bookshop" - I cannot think of a better apprenticeship for anyone - editorial, marketing, or production - who plans to make their career in publishing. In fact, if I were in the position of hiring, any candidate who demonstrated this kind of commitment would propel themselves to the top of the pile.

Thu, 20/10/2011 - 14:04
By Inspiraleyes

Great idea, As a bookseller looking to move into publishing this is an exciting prospect !

Thu, 20/10/2011 - 15:58
By Carole Blake, Blake Friedmann Literary Agency Ltd

A great idea. I once spent a day in the splendid Red Lion Books in Colchester (and they made me put together a fiendishly complicated children's book display) but we never did get around to having Peter in the agency for a day. Why not involve agents as well? We can all benefit from seeing the world from other people's viewpoints.

Thu, 20/10/2011 - 16:21
By scottie43

Excellent news - I can't wait for the publishers, mostly based in London and environs, who want to come up to Aberdeen to work in my bookshop for the day. Oh no, what do you mean you can't make it....? Nice idea for the London/SE England publishing world, not so good for the rest of us....

Thu, 20/10/2011 - 21:40
By Anonymoose

they can help me box up all the stock that will be left over - even after my closing down sale - and then move it to my house/garage.

then they can go back to the office and carry on supplying amazon and the supermarkets at superdooper discounts and await the next indie closing to do the same.

Thu, 20/10/2011 - 23:41
By A publisher

Amazon and supermarkets are booksellers, maybe we will work there for the day.....

Fri, 21/10/2011 - 07:46
By Ruth

Any chance of this being extended to libraries? After all, we buy an awful lot of books from the publishers! Also, it would be fabby to see the world of booksellers and for both to see the world of libraries!

What a great idea, now can we come and play too???

Fri, 21/10/2011 - 14:21
By LibraryBird

I couldn't agree more!

Mon, 24/10/2011 - 11:17
By BookBat

The Bat says: Hey, publishers! Come visit us any time! We're in the fabulous North East of England. If you come through in the next couple of months you can visit The Baltic Mill at Gateshead where they're hosting the prestigious Turner Prize this year...it's fantastic! We've stolen it from The Tate!!
Or come up in the summer - Durham County have their ground here, so you can slope off to the cricket for a nice long lunch in the sunshine with a couple of beers!
And then you can tell your boss...yeah I was selling books for The Bat all day...honest :-]

Fri, 21/10/2011 - 15:51
By Country Publications

What a great idea, hopefully the scheme will cover the whole of the country.

Fri, 28/10/2011 - 09:05

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