I recently started working in a bookstore and I love it! I'm well read in terms of modern literature, but what other books should I be aware of, or read in their entirety?
Edit: this is a used bookstore in a college town, so most people don't come in necessarily expecting to find something specific.
by despicablyeternal
8 Comments
pragmatically, i would get a sense of which popular books (eg best selling romantasy books, graphic novels, etc) are appropriate for young teens vs adults since i imagine that comes up a lot.
My first cynical thought was “Check what’s trending on TikTok”
Keep up with prize longlists like the Booker!
I think having some niche recs in your back pocket could be useful. And I don’t necessarily mean like “lesser known classics” because even those there are gonna be a million lists online about. I’m thinking the stuff that’s not on the most popular lists / knowing what’s considered a really good book in a niche category. Some good lesbian fiction that’s not YA, good horror, essay collections, wilderness survival nonfiction, i don’t even know haha. Just being able to speak about good quality books that are a little nicher in subject matter could be a really useful knowledge base for a bookseller I think
Love this for you! You’re living my bookish dream! I would just be ready with your favorites!
Something from each genre that you can throw a quick pitch about why you loved it, so when someone comes in saying they like historical fiction, etc. you can just tell them something you personally liked a why!
I would join Goodreads. It’s not a great website in terms of a lot of their functionality (they could learn a lot from Letterboxd!), but they do have regular lists of new releases, popular books, and ranked lists of what people are into currently. It should help give you a sense of the landscape.
As a former book store owner, I say the most useful broad knowledge I had was about the fantasy/sci-fi sections. There’s so many series, pseudonyms, and themes that people will constantly need help connecting!
Btw you don’t need to read things you don’t want to read. Just get familiar with genres and maybe descriptions on book jackets. The overall knowledge will come to you rapidly, dont worry!
You just need to be well read. My local second hand bookshop owner is familiar with all the popular (and obscure) mystery, fantasy, science fiction, war, etc etc.
Not often I can stump him, and I have been reading a book a day or more for decades.
Don’t fret too much, you can’t know everything, you’ll learn as you go.