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| Sarah Ramsey | |
Sarah Ramsey, manager of Another Story Bookshop in Toronto, fielded five questions from BookNet Canada, which is speaking with "the people on the ground, selling books to Canadians each and every day." Among our favorite exchanges:
[W]hat attracted you to bookselling?
Books. Words. Ideas. And a staff discount.
Do you have a favorite bookselling war story?
I was working at a desk at Book City in Bloor West Village recently and a little girl, likely no older than five, was sitting behind me with a BIG stack of books on her lap. She started loudly squealing, and, at first, I was irritated by it. But then I listened to what she was saying, and she was proclaiming "These books are so beautiful!" and "This store is so beautiful!" and gosh, tears were welling in my eyes. She left with that stack of books. And that is why I do what I do.
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing bookselling today?
There are many issues facing bookselling: the lack of diversity in publishing (reflected in the lack of diversity in the industry and in the books that are being published); the continued commodification of books and the need, since the economic downturn, to buy books at the lowest price without respect for their real value; and the change in how people buy their books, and how bookstores persist in being showrooms for online retailers.