Something to Fear…as a B&N Bookseller
I sniffed the wind this week and felt a cold presence. A shift in the force that gave me existential dread. It wasn't the fact that America is slowly falling in on itself or that I now had a strange, new attraction to Melissa McCarthy....
Self Publishing 103
My apologies. I promised that Self Publishing 103 would be full of promotional goodies but I've just been inspired by a Facebook group I belong to (thank you, Clarisse!) to talk about what happens after you get the Golden Ticket: a forum at Barnes &...
It’s My Harry Potter Yule Ball and I’ll Cry if I Want To
If you're a bookworm and have been under a rock for the past month, it might be news to you that Barnes & Noble bookstores are hosting Harry Potter Yule Balls, tonight. As a former B&N manager, my heart stops when I think about it...
A Juicy Bit of Bookish Intrigue: B&N Kicks Ron Boire to the Curb and I Give My Two Cents
It was a beautiful morning in the middle of the week and Len Riggio stepped out of his backdoor and gazed at his sculpture garden. The birds were singing. A dragonfly flew here and there. He wandered around the grass without shoes and sipped a...
Self Publishing 102
Otherwise called, "why isn't the bookstore carrying my self published book?" One of the biggest obstacles as a self published writer (I am one!) is getting your printed book into the bookstores, especially the bookstore chains. I've found that many independent bookstores are more open to...
50% Off Books – How to Behave in a Closing Bookstore
I didn't do anything today that I'll regret later. Just bought a few history and true crime titles. I didn't hurt anyone. If you're in the Cincinnati area, you need to get to Lebanon, Ohio, immediately. Chapter Pre-Loved Books is sadly closing its doors and all...
The Naughty Bookstore Manager
Barnes & Noble Manager meetings in Florida used to be one hell of a time. Then the recession hit and the meetings had to go. Before that, they used to pull out all of the stops. Shawn Colvin once played a concert for us but no...
1976 Barnes & Noble Flashback
I'm dying to know the story behind the "of course, of course". It's not very catchy. It doesn't roll off of the tongue. It doesn't have anything to do with books. Was it an inside joke between the Riggio brothers? Only they could answer our...
Old Bookstore Goes Up in Flames
Early this morning, Tipp City, Ohio bookstore, Browse Awhile Books, went up in flames. Sadly, it was a complete loss and caused between $400,000 to $600,000 in damage. The building (built in 1871) is listed in National Park Services's National Register of Historic Places. Faulty wiring is...
Party Like It’s 1999 at Barnes & Noble
I had an interview at a B. Dalton Bookstore* in 1999 and I wore this awful, polyester pencil skirt that was too tight and the woman who interviewed me kept watching me tug at it. I like to think I won her over with my...
Eulogy for an Independent Bookstore
A small, independent bookstore near my house just announced that it is closing and as the only bookstore within twenty miles, this either says something about our times or my town. After having closed four bookstores myself, I am devastated for the booksellers and I'm...
Muhammad Ali and the Most Expensive Book
One of the questions many new booksellers have as they are learning the ins and outs at a bookstore, is, "what is the most expensive book you've ever seen?" All of the seasoned employees take a stab, usually naming overpriced coffee table books that get...
2014 Barnes & Noble Flashback
VIDEO ONLY AVAILABLE ON LIVING DAYTON WEBSITE Aw. I miss you, Vanessa! Man, I loved going on The Living Dayton Show every month. I remember that before we filmed this segment, everyone on set was freaking out because they thought I had brought real wine. Apparently,...
The Rag Man – Barnes & Noble Creeps
Loooong ago in 2001, I was working in my first large bookstore (after a stint at B. Dalton) when I started to notice one regular. Now, I was new so I wasn't familiar with this seemingly nice man who would sit in the comfy chairs...
Adios, Living Dayton
VIDEO ONLY AVAILABLE ON LIVING DAYTON WEBSITE My last Living Dayton Show at Barnes and Noble and only two weeks left in the store. I was sad on the inside but cheesing so much on the outside, only because I had already drank an entire cup...
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