Bank Holiday Bookselling.

It's a lovely Monday morning and the clouds in the sky mask the glorious sunshine being enjoyed by passengers in aeroplanes.
So far today, we've sold The Book Thief, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, The End of Mr Y, A GI Joe Graphic Novel, The Golden Notebook, A Barefoot Doctor book, a couple of walking Guides to Wood Green, and a few other choice items.
A local 'character' just walked past, poked his head aroud the door and said ' Si, how is it possible to murder someone who died a year before you were born?', stared and then strolled off.
I've completed a lovely large school order that we got a couple of weeks ago, and i'm about to embark on writing our new regular feature for the Middlesex University Magazine, and am pondering on whether to review Bill Drummond's new tome.
I've sent off a design for our soon to be introduced kids loyalty cards, which hopefully will come back a lot better than my feeble efforts.
I'm making up some posters to stick in the window telling all and sundry that we have Constance Briscoe coming in October, and that they should all be very pleased about it.
I've re alphabetasized the kid's picture books (always a treat) and they now look lovely again.
A customer has just come in and bought 2 of those gorgeous Penguin Great Ideas series, and a book by George R R Martin. That was nice of them, i'll have to order up on the Great Ideas series 'cos we've sold plenty. Especially the Books Vs Cigarettes one by George Orwell.

1.30pm Kafka on the Shore sold, and a man with hair styled in a desperate attempt to look like Russell Brand just walked past the shop. He looked more like Russell Harty.

2.30 I'm getting distracted by books (and ebay), and i'm miffed that i've sold out Stephenie Meyer's backlist. Something else to add to the list.

3.00 Miss Pettigrew, you certainly are popular today. That's the 3rd one.

3.10 Katie comes in with Freya (and some cheese and cucumber sandwiches). Both Freya and Katie look very pretty and i'm very happy.

3.40 Richard Hammond and katie Price come in and I bang their heads together and tell them to think about what they're doing. They look confused, and then it dawns on me that I just made it all up, so I make a cup of coffee.

3.50 Let a couple of people know that we can get some Out of Print books that they're looking for. Ah, the Out of Print booksearch. A thing of magic.....

4.15 Katie and Freya go to Holland and Barrett, and then home. Pie for tea tonight. Some vampire horror is purchased, as is a copy of Gods Behaving Badly.

4.25 Someone returns a copy of the power of positive thinking. It obviously worked if she doesn't want it any more.

5.10 Make a couple of posters for the Andrew Clover event, and email them so I can print them on my colour printer at home.

5.30 Look like all the other shops in Wood Green are closing, as a few 'newbie' customers come into the shop saying things like 'I didn't know you were here', and 'how long have you been here?'. They leave with amongst other things, The Freedom Writers Diary, some Louise Rennison and the humourously acceptable chick lit that is Sophie Kinsella. Shopaholics indeed...

6.00 Time to cash up and go home for pie. It was well worth opening, and it's surprising what you can get done when you put your mind to it.

Tomorrow there's lots of calls to make to publishers and customers, but until then, adieu.

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