"A Nora Roberts novel [drew me to indie bookselling]. No, seriously, I always knew I wanted to own my own business someday, but it wasn't until I read the Key Trilogy that I saw a model for what I wanted to do. The three women in the story opened a business together that combined books and art and a salon, and I thought, 'Oh, right, people are booksellers. I want to do that.' Four years later, I got my first bookseller job, and I've never looked back. It's the perfect mix of front-facing customer service, knowledge sharing, business inspiration, hard but rewarding work, and nerdiness that just suits me down to the bone. I understand not all booksellers feel this way, and that's okay. But for me, it's truly a calling."
--BrocheAroe Fabian, owner of River Dog Book Co. in Beaver Dam, Wis., in a q&a with Bookselling This Week.