Yipes! Suggestions?

[IamSam]

Thanks to a Dr. appointment with a specialist up there, I found myself aimlessly driving arond the greater Durango metropolitan area, seeking an escape route and wondering how the damn place had practicaly turned itserlf into Denver over-night. Just in time, I spied a little Tibetan Buddhist/Gift rip-off store. I'm sure the Dali Llama would be amazed to see what ridiculous profits American store owners are amassing for trinkets from his war torn little country. I wandered into the shop to see how tourist prices are getting along these days, and the answer is very nicely. Namaste. I selected the cheapest prayer flags they had and some dragon incense to burn for Cicero. I think I am the sole practicing (sort of) Buddhist in Cortez, and I love tacking up my prayer flags outside to send wafts of lovingkindness chants and the Heart Sutra over the rooftops of my bewilldered neighbors.

ANYHOW... The next store I went into is one of my most favorite bookstores in the world, as well as being the only shop in at least a hundred miles that carries nothing but new books - and an excellent selection of them, too. Plus, guess what? They had a sign in the window annoucing that they were looking for an additional bookseller to add to their staff! Wow! I should buy prayer flags more often!

The bad news is that they've already had 90 applicants for just that one job. Doesn't surprise me, the unemployment here being as high as it is. The girl at the counter didn't want to hand out anymore apps, even when I gave a quick run down of all my qualifications. "There's lots of qualified peope in this town," was her glum reply. Still, I managed to get her to hand over the final application they're ever going to consider in the next 20 years and promised to return it first thing.

Driving home, I considered the the sorts of people who make up the typical clientele of the place. 1) Tourists, naturally - good for buying massive coffee table books filled whith photo-shopped scenary of the surroudring area. Guide books to local birds-mammals-butterflies-flowers-mushrooms-turquoise colored lizards. Lotsa maps. 2) Faculty and students from the local college, of course. The Englist lit group has a substanial number of works from their latest publications on the shelves. Also, tons of poetry from more or less the same college gang. Fat bound bodice rippers for bored Moms who'd much rather be in Vegas than flitting at mosquitoes on some trout stream that fishing writer, Ed Engle proclaims as the latest stretch of fly-fishing heaven, etc., etc.

The one big gap in my literary knowledge is where I'm hoping you can give me suggestions. I am pretty out of touch with the 30 and under crowd. I get a kick out of the "kids," usually. But it's been 20 years or more since I last paid attention to their reading tastes (such as they were. From one little I can tell, they seem to like poorly written vampire books (where is Anne Rice when you need her?), authors like Nora fucking Roberts; and maybe anime' and other comix styled as novels?

Also, who is writing good fantasy stuff these days? I am ashamed to admit that the last thing I've read that comes even near that genre is The Stand, by Steven King.

So milleniums, I'll be pulling an all nighter and I need your help. Much as I'd like to see you all read the complete Edward Abby, I have a feeling he may be considered somewhat passe'. So, who's REALLY good out there today?

Thanks and I'll let you know how it goes.

[Aliantha]

I think you've pretty much nailed it with what you 'think' the 20 somethings are reading. I think a lot of creative non fiction too. I think there's a bit of a trend back to the old classics. Also, thanks to the movies, comic books are super hot these days in some circles.

[DanaC]

Zombies are the new vampires.

[infinite monkey]

Two words: Amish Romance. Probably not so popular in your parts.

[glatt]

Did you look at the books they had on their shelves? That would have given you a really good sense of their clients without having to guess much.

[monster]

I misread....

Originally Posted by infinite monkey

Two words: Amish Romance. Probably not so popular in your pants.

[Undertoad]

There have been five different models of Kindles. The original, which goes for about $25 on the bay; Kindle Keyboard, which added (as you guess) a keyboard; "Paperwhite" which had a higher res display but still only B&W; the Kindle Fire, the first color Kindle and first to be a real tablet computer; and the latest, Kindle Fire HD, which features a full 1920x1200 display with almost 9 inches diagonal.

There have been four different models of Nooks. The original was close to the original Kindle but is discontinued. The three models offered now are the Nook Simple Touch, a B&W model; the Nook HD, which competes with the Kindle HD; and the Nook HD+, which competes with the Kindle Fire HD with 1920x1280 resolution.

But people are also finding that they can use their regular tablet computers for books. You can download the Kindle App for iPad or Kindle App for Android (or, surprisingly, Kindle App for Nook - yes you read that correctly!) and merely read on your preferred tablet. With the iPad's super-crisp "retina" display, at a higher resolution than even the Kindle Fire HD, typography is great -- and the letters appear in more high-definition than they are on paper.

AND THAT IS ALL YOU REALLY NEED TO KNOW TO SELL BOOKS TODAY.

[Pete Zicato]

Unfortunately, UT is right. Brick and mortar bookstores are going to become increasingly rare.

That said, call the local library. Ask to talk to the Young Adult librarian. They will have all the info you need.

[footfootfoot]

Ask to talk to the Young Adult librarian. They will have all the info you need...

Uhh, my parole stipulates that I may not do exactly that.

[BigV]

yeah yeah yeah, but.


Except she's preparing to work in a bricks and mortar store that sells NEW paper books, not that newfangled crap.

Sam, just play your strengths. Use what you have, eloquence, friendliness, local knowledge, etc. These are valuable, they're not artificial, they're not hoped-for-paths through minefields of I-hope-they-don't-ask-me-about-BOOM! You unquestionably have what it takes to be a bookseller in your local area. I mean, duh! If someone asks you for a suggestion for an under-30 suggestion, guess what? They don't know what they want either, so just don't worry about it.

No boss is looking for someone who is an expert in every area, even if they found such a person, they'd be A suspicious and B worried they couldn't afford/keep such a person. They just want their books sold and their store looked after. That you can do.

[Pete Zicato]

Originally Posted by BigV

yeah yeah yeah, but.


Except she's preparing to work in a bricks and mortar store that sells NEW paper books, not that newfangled crap.

I think you might have missed the point UT and I were making. Maybe Sam doesn't care, but local bookstores are not a good long-term investment.

But maybe she is just looking for a filler job. So that's why I pointed her to a YA librarian. I don't think it would hurt to know who the hot YA authors are.

[BigV]

Yep. missed that point. but there's no money in selling kindle books for Sam. While I finessed her request for help about authors that appeal to younger readers I did offer her what I had, and that is a reinforcement of what *she has*--an opportunity and ability to competently staff the bookstore that is looking to hire someone. I hope she gets the job, as I'm sure you and UT also hope.

Long term? I think she's looking for a job, and this qualifies.

[Sundae]

Not being a YBR (Young Book Reader) I can't offer much help.
When I was working I traded countless books with a colleague my age, who shared them with her teenage son. The Hunger Games trilogy, the Twilight series (although I never finished it), Japanese translations - esp horror. I mean very good Japanese books. Like Out by Natsuo Kirino.

ETA - checked it out on Amazon and discovered that the author is female. Gosh - didn't know that. Makes no difference to the book, but if you do reference an author make sure of the gender!

Neither my niece or nephew are readers - Abs read what she had to for English Lit and moaned about how boring the books were. And she got an A star?! Me, I read the books, read around the subject, read everything else by the author that I could legally lay my hands on.

Like V says - these are the people you will be in contact with when you get the job. Just be yourself. Be passionate. Oh and read and then mention Kate Atkinson and Esther Freud. I found them in my early twenties. They're foreign as far as Americans are concerned and they write bloody well. KA has a new book out too. Check the "new" section of any and all local papers, or online. It will mean you sound current even if you can't afford to buy.

Good luck.

[xoxoxoBruce]

In Colorado they still buy books, so if they get snowed in and the power's out, they've got something to read then contribute to the fire.

[Sundae]

I couldn't sleep last night.
Thought of some lovelies for you, if'n you want to expand your reading.
Won't get you the job, but well worth it on their own merits.

Neil Gaiman.
Novels, short stories, novellas and comics. Don't flip put over the comics bit - buy a second hand graphic novel and be converted. The man is mired in all flavours of mythology and I know you'll be captivated by his recurring characters. American Gods is a good novel. He also wrote Coraline. Many more, I'm just trying to make him easy to access.

Terry Pratchett
Of Alzheimers fame - sadly.
He co-authored with Gaiman on Good Omens.
Created the Discworld series of books. If you only read one, start at the beginning and read The Colour of Magic or The Light Fantastic. The world is developed book by book, but these are easy to slip into, old (equals cheap second-hand) and show his knockabout humour and sly wit. Seriously funny - I almost hesitate to call it Fantasy because it is so well observed and rooted in the real world of people's lives.

Iain M Banks
Of cancer fame, sadly.
His sci-fi is really sci-fantasy. Immediately accessible due to his observations on people's motivations and subsequent actions.
Against A Dark Background is a stand-alone which I rated highly.
Consider Phlebas kicked it all off. Morally ambiguous was something I remember from reviews at the time. It features The Culture, who become the basis of future books. When I read the next novel and The Culture were (pretty much) the goodies, I was gutted. Banks sold me on the other side, mostly. I did come to love the next two though - they'd be on my desert island list.