Memeage

[msagara]

Because I know, in general, that people often find memes to be repetitive or not entirely interesting, it's all behind the cut.


If there is any question you would like to ask me about any one of my works, then go ahead! What I meant by a particular line, why I chose that characterization, what I was listening to as I wrote, what crack I was taking and where you can get some ... anything. Anything you might like to know about how I wrote it, I shall do my best to answer.


I'll modify that to say I'm old enough that crack isn't part of the equation, although lack of sleep might be. And I'll then append:

Or if there's any question you would like to ask me about the process, the bookstore, the business in general, and I can answer it, I'll also field those happily.

Taken from terri_osborne, and kradical, but seen elsewhere as well.



ETA: Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who celebrated it late this year (ours being in the less chilly month of October <g>).

Comments

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

Do you have any good links or recommendations on informational books for a person considering opening an independent bookstore/cafe in a small (central-northern California) town which doesn't have a bookshop of any kind at the moment? Is that a totally insane idea? Do indie bookshops ever even break even, let alone make money?

(No, I'm not considering a career change, but someone I know is.)

[coffeeandink.livejournal.com]

It may not be as useful, but a friend of mine opened an indie used bookstore in Greensboro three or four years ago, and it's still surviving, if you want to put your friend in touch with her.

[msagara.livejournal.com]

Do you have any good links or recommendations on informational books for a person considering opening an independent bookstore/cafe in a small (central-northern California) town which doesn't have a bookshop of any kind at the moment? Is that a totally insane idea? Do indie bookshops ever even break even, let alone make money?

Ugh. I don't. I'm not sure there are any good links for that :/. I don't think it's a totally insane idea, but it would depend on a number of things, one being population base (is it near a University or a College?). I think independent bookstores can break even, and there are some fabulous examples out there -- there are probably more examples of stores that don't. In Toronto, among the best of the bookstores is Book City, which is a small chain, owned by one man. He started out with one store, expanded, and in constantly involved with all aspects; he's a big of a character.

One of the ways in which the stores have made money is by his excellent pursuit of interesting remainders, because the mark-ups on those are much higher. But this involves a lot of driving; it's a huge time-sink.

The up front capital is high, as well, because you have to stock books, and you have to keep the inventory at a certain level. Without having any idea of what the level of sales are like, it's hard to figure out what the base inventory should be; some stores will start with 200K, if they're large and general, and some with as little as 80K. That, shelving, leases -- we'll assume that salaries aren't as much of an issue if they're starting very small -- mean the up front cost can be high.

Publishers want, in theory, net 30 days payment, which means 30 days from the date of the invoice.

When you open an account, there's usually a minimum order that has to be placed, and it has to be paid for up front. The amount of inventory you can subsequently order will be dependent on the credit limit set for the account by the distributor/publisher, and with new accounts, that limit can be as low as 500.00 (very low) to 2,000.00 (low).

Yes, you can break even, but as in any business, I think the first year (or two) are expected to run at a net loss.

[oyceter]

As a bit of a corollary to this (heh, thinking of opening one myself some time down the line), do you think working your way up in a big chain bookstore would be a helpful experience for someone who wanted their own small genre bookstore?

[msagara.livejournal.com]

As a bit of a corollary to this (heh, thinking of opening one myself some time down the line), do you think working your way up in a big chain bookstore would be a helpful experience for someone who wanted their own small genre bookstore?

Yes, I think it would be helpful in many ways. 1. The experience with shelving, stocking, and ordering (if you're allowed to order; some chains don't allow it). 2. The familiarity with the process of receiving and returns. 3. The whole cash/display/etc., which is part and parcel of retail experience anywhere.

I think it is less helpful, however, in other ways. Much of the ordering that is done is done by a regional buyer, rather than the manager, and if you were a manager, you probably wouldn't be doing your own orders, regardless. Your job has a lot to do with scheduling (smaller stores are often less formal about this) and employee issues (and again, for the independents I'm more familiar with, employees tend to be fixtures); the corporate culture allows for some distance that the independent culture doesn't.

Also, things like paying bills, managing accounts, dealing with possible taxes, etc., etc., would be done on high, and they're part of the snarly bits that can be a real pain.

I wouldn't suggest starting a business without a clear business plan, and without some sort of course or ten about the financial ins and outs of a small business; I'd make sure I had a lawyer, and I'd try to make sure I understood how business taxes and real estate issues (leases, etc.,) work in your area. All of these things are taken care of by a nebulous Head Office in a big chain, but if it's your store, it's your headache, and it can be a headache.

[oyceter]

Ooo thanks. I got a bit of experience with shelving, displays and section managing in the used bookstore, but from your posts, I suspect the mechanics of a used bookstore and a new bookstore are very, very different.