Here's a video of the recent Tweetup we had in the Bookshop. The tweetup was arranged by Scott Pack (@meandmybigmouth) and the video was taken and edited by Richard McKeever (@BowesandBounds).
It's all rather lovely, so if you have 6 minutes and 26 seconds spare, please take a look. I have since had my hair cut.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
New Reading Group, Storytelling Fun & Bookshop on Tour
On Fridays at 11.00am Tim and I do storytelling and songs at the bookshop for the under 5's. This started off about 8 months ago as something that 2 or 3 toddlers came to. They seemed to enjoy it and we have persevered in the hope that more people would get to hear about it and come along. Especially when they hear about the tea, coffee and flapjack that is on offer each week.
This has slowly happened and we're now getting between 6 and 10 parents coming along each week with their little ones.
It's great fun and I think that Tim and I aren't too bad at the old storytelling and songs stuff.
Last Friday was the first Friday of the Easter holidays and we wondered if this would mean more or less people would come along.
This has slowly happened and we're now getting between 6 and 10 parents coming along each week with their little ones.
It's great fun and I think that Tim and I aren't too bad at the old storytelling and songs stuff.
Last Friday was the first Friday of the Easter holidays and we wondered if this would mean more or less people would come along.
LOOK!!
Tim is the one with the unacceptable shirt on, playing the guitar.
It was amazing and half the shop was taken over by this fun packed hour.
If you're in the area on Fridays and fancy a break from the chaos of Wood Green High Road, you know where to come. We'll (i'll) be singing and storytelling this Bank Holiday Friday, so come and help me with the high notes.
After it was suggested by some of our customers we are starting two new reading groups.
Firstly we are reintroducing our Children's Reading Group.
We had one after we opened, which worked really well..until some of the kids that came to it got too old and the gap between the youngest and the oldest was too big.
Well, we're going to ty again.
The Group will be ideally aimed at those kids with a reading age of 8-11, but of course there is some flexibility here. Obviously you'll enjoy reading and are happy talking to other people about the books you like.
We'll be meeting on the second Saturday of every month at 10.30am at the bookshop.
The first meeting will be Saturday May 14th, and at this meeting we'll introduce ourselves and talk about how we want the group to work. We'll then each choose a book that we want people to read. The book chosen from this list will be the book that we will read over the next month to talk about on the meeting on Saturday June 11th.
I hope this makes sense.
So, if you know someone who likes reading, is around 8-11 years old and might enjoy meeting and chatting with other 8-11 year old who also like reading, then let them know about our new reading group.
Please.
Ace.
OK, the next thing is a bit crazy, but stick with it.
We love how the Portable Bookshop in Crouch End seems to be working, so we thought, hey, maybe there are other places in London that could do with a bit of Big Green Bookshop frolics and fiddledeedees.
The hope is that over June/July each day we'll set up a portable bookshop in a cafe, restaurant, pub, supermarket, club, church, optician, school, office. Wherever you think it would be good to have a bookshop basically. Ideally, we want to go to places where there isn't an Indie Bookshop already (we don't want to start any turf wars), and is somewhere where you think a pop up bookshop might be a positive thing.
The places where the Portable Bookshop currently visits are really pleased as it's bringing in more people to their premises and this is a good thing.
If you know a place or own a place that might be interested in hosting a pop up Big Green Bookshop over the summer let me know. We'll be very noisy about it, I promise.
020 8881 6767
or email here
This could be amazing.
After it was suggested by some of our customers we are starting two new reading groups.
Firstly we are reintroducing our Children's Reading Group.
We had one after we opened, which worked really well..until some of the kids that came to it got too old and the gap between the youngest and the oldest was too big.
Well, we're going to ty again.
The Group will be ideally aimed at those kids with a reading age of 8-11, but of course there is some flexibility here. Obviously you'll enjoy reading and are happy talking to other people about the books you like.
We'll be meeting on the second Saturday of every month at 10.30am at the bookshop.
The first meeting will be Saturday May 14th, and at this meeting we'll introduce ourselves and talk about how we want the group to work. We'll then each choose a book that we want people to read. The book chosen from this list will be the book that we will read over the next month to talk about on the meeting on Saturday June 11th.
I hope this makes sense.
So, if you know someone who likes reading, is around 8-11 years old and might enjoy meeting and chatting with other 8-11 year old who also like reading, then let them know about our new reading group.
Please.
Ace.
OK, the next thing is a bit crazy, but stick with it.
The Big Green Bookshop is GOING ON TOUR.
We love how the Portable Bookshop in Crouch End seems to be working, so we thought, hey, maybe there are other places in London that could do with a bit of Big Green Bookshop frolics and fiddledeedees.
The hope is that over June/July each day we'll set up a portable bookshop in a cafe, restaurant, pub, supermarket, club, church, optician, school, office. Wherever you think it would be good to have a bookshop basically. Ideally, we want to go to places where there isn't an Indie Bookshop already (we don't want to start any turf wars), and is somewhere where you think a pop up bookshop might be a positive thing.
The places where the Portable Bookshop currently visits are really pleased as it's bringing in more people to their premises and this is a good thing.
If you know a place or own a place that might be interested in hosting a pop up Big Green Bookshop over the summer let me know. We'll be very noisy about it, I promise.
020 8881 6767
or email here
This could be amazing.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Bookmarks
We've had some groovy new bookmarks designed. Wanna see 'em?
Patience, patience.
First of all let me tell you how they got made.
Well, you know we have a Twitter account don't you? We are @biggreenbooks (Follow us and all your wildest dreams will come true).
One day a couple of weeks ago I tweeted a request.
"Would anyone like to design some bookmarks for us? FOR FREE?"
We're cheeky like that.
We got some great offers from lots of people who offered to help out and one in particular who asked one or two questions and said that she'd have a think and send some ideas later in the week.
Little did we know that this person, Lindsay, was co founder of a London based design consultancy called Irish Butcher , who have worked with clients such as The Guardian, V & A, RIBA and M & S.
So when two or 3 days later we got an email from her with an attachement, saying 'here are a few ideas I came up with, what do you think', we had no idea what an amzing and wonderful andf insighful designer she was.
She pitched it exactly right and we think it fits in exactly with the personality of the bookshop.
We have some stickers being made too, which obviously she has done an amazing job on, which we will be unveilling soon.
So do you want to see them then?
Are you sure you're ready?
Well OK.
But rememeber this. If you ever want a brilliant deisgner to help you out, you can't go wrong with the brilliant Irish Butcher.(check out their website).
Right, here we are then, the bookmarks.
They are rather flippin' brilliant aren't they?
Let me know what you think. We'd love to know?
Tomorrow, News of the Big Green Bookshop Tour of London.
Patience, patience.
First of all let me tell you how they got made.
Well, you know we have a Twitter account don't you? We are @biggreenbooks (Follow us and all your wildest dreams will come true).
One day a couple of weeks ago I tweeted a request.
"Would anyone like to design some bookmarks for us? FOR FREE?"
We're cheeky like that.
We got some great offers from lots of people who offered to help out and one in particular who asked one or two questions and said that she'd have a think and send some ideas later in the week.
Little did we know that this person, Lindsay, was co founder of a London based design consultancy called Irish Butcher , who have worked with clients such as The Guardian, V & A, RIBA and M & S.
So when two or 3 days later we got an email from her with an attachement, saying 'here are a few ideas I came up with, what do you think', we had no idea what an amzing and wonderful andf insighful designer she was.
She pitched it exactly right and we think it fits in exactly with the personality of the bookshop.
We have some stickers being made too, which obviously she has done an amazing job on, which we will be unveilling soon.
So do you want to see them then?
Are you sure you're ready?
Well OK.
But rememeber this. If you ever want a brilliant deisgner to help you out, you can't go wrong with the brilliant Irish Butcher.(check out their website).
Right, here we are then, the bookmarks.
Here They Are
They are rather flippin' brilliant aren't they?
Let me know what you think. We'd love to know?
Tomorrow, News of the Big Green Bookshop Tour of London.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Blogger's Book of the Month.
Book review blogs have successfully joined the ranks of traditional media as a valuable resource for readers and bookshops alike. A little over a year ago, in recognition of this almost new phenomenon, we launched our 'Blogger's Book Of The Month' inititative. We contacted several high profile book bloggers and made a very simple request: recommend us a book, once a month and we'll promote it in store and online. From this basic premise the BBOTM, as we sometimes call it, has become something we thinking rather unique and special.
Currently, our roster of Bloggers includes:
Scott Pack – Me and My Big Mouth
Jackie Bailey – Farm Lane Books Blog
Simon Thomas – Stuck in a Book
Lizzy Siddall – Lizzy’s Literary Life
Victoria Hoyle – Eve’s Alexandria
Karen Howlett – Cornflower Books
Elaine Simpson-Long – Random Jottings
Tom Cunliffe – A Common Reader
Rosy Barnes et al – Vulpes Libris (or the Book Foxes)
Liz De Jager et al – My Favourite Books
Each of them has adopted the project with the same enthusiasm and dedication they bring to their websites, offering some fresh literary discoveries along the way. For example, "God is Dead" by Ron Currie is one of those strange little books that could easily be overlooked, but has become one of our bestselling titles - thanks to a review by Victoria Hoyle. After the recommendation of Simon Thomas I was reacquainted with the short stories of Katherine Mansfield. "Naming The Bones" by Louise Welch, reviewed by Tom Cunliffe, was the best selling book on our website during March. Lastly, for now, "A Not So Perfect Crime," chosen by Lizzy Siddall broke all records for selling out almost as soon as it was unpacked.
There are, after all these months, so many more great books reviewed by our bloggers, and I encourage you to find them here on our website: Blogger's Book of the Month
So, I'd like to say a massive Thank You to all those bloggers who have given their time to our cause. I hope the will continue to do so for a long time to come. Their selections have provided much needed inspiration, answer that question "so what shall I read next?" Finally, please remember that all these bloggers provide this service for free so please follow the links above and our website, and if you enjoy what they do, then drop them a line and say so.
Currently, our roster of Bloggers includes:
Scott Pack – Me and My Big Mouth
Jackie Bailey – Farm Lane Books Blog
Simon Thomas – Stuck in a Book
Lizzy Siddall – Lizzy’s Literary Life
Victoria Hoyle – Eve’s Alexandria
Karen Howlett – Cornflower Books
Elaine Simpson-Long – Random Jottings
Tom Cunliffe – A Common Reader
Rosy Barnes et al – Vulpes Libris (or the Book Foxes)
Liz De Jager et al – My Favourite Books
Each of them has adopted the project with the same enthusiasm and dedication they bring to their websites, offering some fresh literary discoveries along the way. For example, "God is Dead" by Ron Currie is one of those strange little books that could easily be overlooked, but has become one of our bestselling titles - thanks to a review by Victoria Hoyle. After the recommendation of Simon Thomas I was reacquainted with the short stories of Katherine Mansfield. "Naming The Bones" by Louise Welch, reviewed by Tom Cunliffe, was the best selling book on our website during March. Lastly, for now, "A Not So Perfect Crime," chosen by Lizzy Siddall broke all records for selling out almost as soon as it was unpacked.
There are, after all these months, so many more great books reviewed by our bloggers, and I encourage you to find them here on our website: Blogger's Book of the Month
So, I'd like to say a massive Thank You to all those bloggers who have given their time to our cause. I hope the will continue to do so for a long time to come. Their selections have provided much needed inspiration, answer that question "so what shall I read next?" Finally, please remember that all these bloggers provide this service for free so please follow the links above and our website, and if you enjoy what they do, then drop them a line and say so.
Our Newsletter
Hello,
this is a copy of our newsletter. I thought you'd be interested in seeing what we do. We like to keep busy.
If you'd like to be put on the mailing list get in touch. (enquiries@biggreenbookshop.com)
We send it out every week (we try to anyway). There are pictures and stuff on the newsletter we send out too.
Anyway, here it is,
Here’s this week’s newsletter. There is plenty going on and we’ve added a little taster of the events we have planned for May at the bottom.
We’ve recently got in a whole new range of Children’s Non Fiction and also we’ve been expanding our general fiction range. These are areas that you told us that you wanted to see more of.
We’re also in the process of doubling the size of our London section and also we’ll be introducing a Local Authors section in the next week or so.
The Portable Bookshop in Crouch End is beginning to take shape now and we have 3 definite venues for our pop-up bookshop.
I will be meeting with the store manager of a Very Large Shop in Crouchy tomorrow, and hopefully once this has been sorted out we can really start to push what we’re doing.
We’ve had some new Big Green Bookshop bookmarks designed for us and they are being printed as we speak. I’m really looking forward to showing you them as they are fantastic.
Anyway, there’s a lot for you to get through, so I won’t delay you any longer...
Thursday April 14th at 7.00pm-8.30pm
An Evening with the Highgate Poets
Highgate Poets was founded in 1977 by Fleur Bowera. It's a workshop group, holding monthly meetings, where poems are presented for constructive criticism. Every two years The Highgate Poets produce a collection of the finest poetry from their members. To celebrate the publication of Kites 2010, members of the society will be reading from this collection. The book will be available for purchase on the night at £6.50.
This is a free event and refreshments will be served.
Friday April 15th (and every Friday) at 11.00am
Songs and Stories at the Bookshop
Come along for a little bit of a break as we tell stories and sings songs for your little ones. Ideal for the under 5's, we'll be reading and singing some of your favourite songs as well as introducing you to some fabulous new stuff too.
There's always the lure of a cup of tea and some flapjack too, and what's more, it's FREE.
So come and join us.
Friday April 15th 8.15pm-10.30pm
Ha Ha Hardbacks (still a working title)
After the huge success of last month's inaugural comedy night, The Big Green Bookshop is delighted that this is now going to be a monthly event. We’ve been advertising for comics to come and perform at our delightful little venue and we’ve been inundated with replies from some very funny people who’d love to come and entertain you.
We’re still finalising the line up, but I can confirm that the headliner will be the brilliant award winning Sarah Murray and there’ll be four or five other brilliant comedians, as well as some improv and probably lots of other stuff too. As soon as we get the line up we'll let you know
Entrance is just £3 and we suggest that you bring refreshments as ours will run out very quickly.
This is something that we hope will become a regular thing in Wood Green, so please come along and support our new venture.
Sunday April 17th 1.00pm-5.00pm
Boardgames at the Bookshop
It's NOT the last Sunday of the month, but because the following weekend it's Easter Sunday, we're moving forward board games day at the Big Green Bookshop. You'll have the chance to relive some of your childhood classics like Monopoly but also try some of the new generation of games like Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne and Labyrinth. These are fun, pacy, challenging games that don't drag on endlessly until you've lost the will to live.
Come along to the bookshop anytime throughout the afternoon, choose a game and spend a pleasant afternoon in the lovely surroundings of the bookshop trying to build your railway network, build your medieval empire or create a new civilisation.
We'll provide coffee and tea, but bring along snacks to keep your mind focussed on destroying your opponents. Come along with friends or by yourself, we'll sure that there'll be a game you can join in with. If you want to bring along your own game then that's fine (especially if it's Escape From Colditz, I haven't played that for years) or if you want us to get a particular boardgame then just let us know and we'll do our best to get it (not Twister!).
This is a FREE club and we hope you tell all your friends about it.
Wednesday April 20th 7.00pm-8.30pm
An Evening with Orange Prize Longlisted author Tessa Hadley
Tessa Hadley, novelist and senior lecturer in creative writing at BathSpaUniversity, has been longlisted for the 2011 Orange Prize for Fiction for her latest novel The London Train which waspublished by JonathanCape in January.
The London Train is Tessa Hadley's fourth novel, and she has already received significant critical acclaim for her writing: Accidents in the Home (longlisted for the Guardian First Book award); Everything Will Be All Right (shortlisted for the Encore Award); and The Master Bedroom (longlisted for the Orange prize and the Welsh Book of the Year award).
She has had many stories published in the New Yorker and other magazines, and has had two plays broadcast on Radio 4.
The Orange Prize is the UK's only annual book award for fiction written by a woman. The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall on 8 June 2011
We are delighted that she's agreed to come to the shop on Wednesday April 20th at 7.00pm to read from and to talk about her books and her writing. It's fantastic that we're able to add Tessa to the long list of wonderful authors that have visited the Big Green Bookshop.
Tickets for this event are just £3, redeemable on any of Tessa's books on the night. Tickets can be purchased here or through the bookshop
Wine and nibbles will be available.
This is an incredible opportunity to listen a highly distinguished and exhilarating author.
Thursday April 21st 7.00pm-9.00pm
The Big Green Bookshop Monthly Quiz
The Big Green Bookshop's now legendary quiz nights returns, due to popular demand. The theme of the quiz is mainly book related but we may introduce one or two rounds to test out your knowledge of other cultural joys (not the Simpsons again though).
Each team will have a MAXIMUM OF 4 people
It's £5 per team to enter. Payment in advance please.
The Quiz will start at 7.00pm prompt, so please try and get here on time.
You can buy a ticket online here which will guarantee you a table, or else you can pay over the phone or you can actually come into the bookshop. Yes the bookshop.
Refreshments will be available, but feel free to bring your own as they usually run out pretty quickly
Your questionmaster will be TheManWhoFellAsleep Greg Stekelman. He is very funny. This is his website. Look forward to seeing you there.
Please come along.
Friday April 22nd 11.00am
Children’s Stories and Songs
A welcome break from the chaotic High Road. Join us for stories and songs. Great fun for the under 5’s.
There's always the lure of a cup of tea and some flapjack too, and what's more, it's FREE
Wednesday April 27th 6.30pm- 8.30pm (and every fortnight)
A Writing Group for writers of Fiction of all genres
Do you write short stories or novels? Like SF/Fantasy/Horror? Are you interested in joining a writers group?
So many questions....
But if the answer to these is yes, or even maybe, then why not come along to this group, which meets every fortnight at the Big Green Bookshop.
Writing can be a solitary activity and sometimes getting the motivation to keep writing is hard. The idea of this group is to help keep that motivation and focus, and also with luck to encourage and nurture your creativity. We are focusing this group specifically on fiction, including all its genres (Science Fiction, Fantasy, Crime, Horror, Short Stories etc) and it doesn't matter whether you're a published author or have just decided to try and write your first story. Everyone will be treated as equals.
There are 2 Rules, which you need to adhere to.
Rule 1 - Leave your ego at the door. Nobody's work is above constructive criticism.
Rule 2 - Remember you're dealing with people's personal work, thoughts and words. Be constructive, not dismissive.
We know there are many of you out there who are really keen to write and this maybe something that'll help. You can come as little of as often as you like, but if you think it may help, then why not come along.
The cost is £3 each session, which will cover refreshments and the cost of the venue.
Sunday May 1st 1.00pm-4.00pm
Knitting Day at the Bookshop
Join us for our monthly knitting day at the shop. No experience necessary, as there are lots of lovely knitters who are happy to help you. It’s a lovely relaxing way to spend a Sunday, so come along
Tea coffee and biscuits will be available throughout the day.
Thursday May 5th - 7.00pm-8.30pm
Henry Hemming joins us to read from and discuss his new book 'Together, How Small Groups Achieve Big Things'
Together is about the extraordinary revival of small groups in Britain today.
What happens when a room full of people decide to work towards the same dream? Why is it that when we come together in small groups we are so much more than the sum of our parts?
From druids to bingo-clubbers, eco-warriors to flash-mobbers, historical re-enactors to bee-keepers, books groups and knitting circles, W.I.s, Young Farmers and the fan-owners of a football club, Together reveals the true story of modern Britain. The country we live in is in fact an extraordinary composition of small groups powered by shared interests and common ideals. Hemming reveals a different way of seeing society, one that recognizes the massive, untapped potential of these hundreds of thousands of small groups, how they work and what they enable us to do that we can’t do alone.
Witty and provocative, Together gives us an extraordinary cast of characters, a series of unlikely alliances and most importantly, a vision of what we can achieve Together.
Henry will be reading from and talking about the book, which i'm sure will strike a chord with a lot of you. Tickets for the evening are just £3 which will be redeemable against the cost of the book on the evening.
Tickets are available on our website here, or in the bookshop. Refreshments will be served and we look forward to seeing you there.
COMING SOON
A Special EASTER day of fun. (details to follow)
also...
May 4th – Elevenses Reading Group- This month we are reading Caribou Island by David Vann. We meet in the shop at 11.00am
May 8th-9th Bookshop on Tour- The Big Green Bookshop will be in the Mall Shopping Centre for a weekend. More details to follow
May 10th – Evening Reading Group- This month we will be discussing A Void by Georges Perec. We meet at 7.00pm n the bookshop
May 11th Writing Group – Fortnightly meeting (details above)
May 12th Launch party for the brilliant Perfect Architect by Jayne Joso. From 7.00pm
May 13th Ha Ha Hardbacks- Monthly Comedy Night. 8.00pm-10.00pm
May 15th Launch of issue #4 of the Zoom comic. 5.00pm
May 17th Daniel Harris reads from and talks about ‘On the Road’, his book charting his season following Manchester United anywhere but Old Trafford. 7.00pm
May 18th Courttia Newland and Alex Wheatle join us to read selections from their new books. 7.00pm
May 19th Launch party for Ellie Levenson as we celebrate the publication of her new book ‘50 Campaigns to Shout About’. 7.00pm
So, we’re quite busy then…
Hope you can make it to one or more of these.
See you soon,
Simon, Tim and Mark
this is a copy of our newsletter. I thought you'd be interested in seeing what we do. We like to keep busy.
If you'd like to be put on the mailing list get in touch. (enquiries@biggreenbookshop.com)
We send it out every week (we try to anyway). There are pictures and stuff on the newsletter we send out too.
Anyway, here it is,
Here’s this week’s newsletter. There is plenty going on and we’ve added a little taster of the events we have planned for May at the bottom.
We’ve recently got in a whole new range of Children’s Non Fiction and also we’ve been expanding our general fiction range. These are areas that you told us that you wanted to see more of.
We’re also in the process of doubling the size of our London section and also we’ll be introducing a Local Authors section in the next week or so.
The Portable Bookshop in Crouch End is beginning to take shape now and we have 3 definite venues for our pop-up bookshop.
I will be meeting with the store manager of a Very Large Shop in Crouchy tomorrow, and hopefully once this has been sorted out we can really start to push what we’re doing.
We’ve had some new Big Green Bookshop bookmarks designed for us and they are being printed as we speak. I’m really looking forward to showing you them as they are fantastic.
Anyway, there’s a lot for you to get through, so I won’t delay you any longer...
Thursday April 14th at 7.00pm-8.30pm
An Evening with the Highgate Poets
Highgate Poets was founded in 1977 by Fleur Bowera. It's a workshop group, holding monthly meetings, where poems are presented for constructive criticism. Every two years The Highgate Poets produce a collection of the finest poetry from their members. To celebrate the publication of Kites 2010, members of the society will be reading from this collection. The book will be available for purchase on the night at £6.50.
This is a free event and refreshments will be served.
Friday April 15th (and every Friday) at 11.00am
Songs and Stories at the Bookshop
Come along for a little bit of a break as we tell stories and sings songs for your little ones. Ideal for the under 5's, we'll be reading and singing some of your favourite songs as well as introducing you to some fabulous new stuff too.
There's always the lure of a cup of tea and some flapjack too, and what's more, it's FREE.
So come and join us.
Friday April 15th 8.15pm-10.30pm
Ha Ha Hardbacks (still a working title)
After the huge success of last month's inaugural comedy night, The Big Green Bookshop is delighted that this is now going to be a monthly event. We’ve been advertising for comics to come and perform at our delightful little venue and we’ve been inundated with replies from some very funny people who’d love to come and entertain you.
We’re still finalising the line up, but I can confirm that the headliner will be the brilliant award winning Sarah Murray and there’ll be four or five other brilliant comedians, as well as some improv and probably lots of other stuff too. As soon as we get the line up we'll let you know
Entrance is just £3 and we suggest that you bring refreshments as ours will run out very quickly.
This is something that we hope will become a regular thing in Wood Green, so please come along and support our new venture.
Sunday April 17th 1.00pm-5.00pm
Boardgames at the Bookshop
It's NOT the last Sunday of the month, but because the following weekend it's Easter Sunday, we're moving forward board games day at the Big Green Bookshop. You'll have the chance to relive some of your childhood classics like Monopoly but also try some of the new generation of games like Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne and Labyrinth. These are fun, pacy, challenging games that don't drag on endlessly until you've lost the will to live.
Come along to the bookshop anytime throughout the afternoon, choose a game and spend a pleasant afternoon in the lovely surroundings of the bookshop trying to build your railway network, build your medieval empire or create a new civilisation.
We'll provide coffee and tea, but bring along snacks to keep your mind focussed on destroying your opponents. Come along with friends or by yourself, we'll sure that there'll be a game you can join in with. If you want to bring along your own game then that's fine (especially if it's Escape From Colditz, I haven't played that for years) or if you want us to get a particular boardgame then just let us know and we'll do our best to get it (not Twister!).
This is a FREE club and we hope you tell all your friends about it.
Wednesday April 20th 7.00pm-8.30pm
An Evening with Orange Prize Longlisted author Tessa Hadley
Tessa Hadley, novelist and senior lecturer in creative writing at BathSpaUniversity, has been longlisted for the 2011 Orange Prize for Fiction for her latest novel The London Train which waspublished by JonathanCape in January.
The London Train is Tessa Hadley's fourth novel, and she has already received significant critical acclaim for her writing: Accidents in the Home (longlisted for the Guardian First Book award); Everything Will Be All Right (shortlisted for the Encore Award); and The Master Bedroom (longlisted for the Orange prize and the Welsh Book of the Year award).
She has had many stories published in the New Yorker and other magazines, and has had two plays broadcast on Radio 4.
The Orange Prize is the UK's only annual book award for fiction written by a woman. The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall on 8 June 2011
We are delighted that she's agreed to come to the shop on Wednesday April 20th at 7.00pm to read from and to talk about her books and her writing. It's fantastic that we're able to add Tessa to the long list of wonderful authors that have visited the Big Green Bookshop.
Tickets for this event are just £3, redeemable on any of Tessa's books on the night. Tickets can be purchased here or through the bookshop
Wine and nibbles will be available.
This is an incredible opportunity to listen a highly distinguished and exhilarating author.
Thursday April 21st 7.00pm-9.00pm
The Big Green Bookshop Monthly Quiz
The Big Green Bookshop's now legendary quiz nights returns, due to popular demand. The theme of the quiz is mainly book related but we may introduce one or two rounds to test out your knowledge of other cultural joys (not the Simpsons again though).
Each team will have a MAXIMUM OF 4 people
It's £5 per team to enter. Payment in advance please.
The Quiz will start at 7.00pm prompt, so please try and get here on time.
You can buy a ticket online here which will guarantee you a table, or else you can pay over the phone or you can actually come into the bookshop. Yes the bookshop.
Refreshments will be available, but feel free to bring your own as they usually run out pretty quickly
Your questionmaster will be TheManWhoFellAsleep Greg Stekelman. He is very funny. This is his website. Look forward to seeing you there.
Please come along.
Friday April 22nd 11.00am
Children’s Stories and Songs
A welcome break from the chaotic High Road. Join us for stories and songs. Great fun for the under 5’s.
There's always the lure of a cup of tea and some flapjack too, and what's more, it's FREE
Wednesday April 27th 6.30pm- 8.30pm (and every fortnight)
A Writing Group for writers of Fiction of all genres
Do you write short stories or novels? Like SF/Fantasy/Horror? Are you interested in joining a writers group?
So many questions....
But if the answer to these is yes, or even maybe, then why not come along to this group, which meets every fortnight at the Big Green Bookshop.
Writing can be a solitary activity and sometimes getting the motivation to keep writing is hard. The idea of this group is to help keep that motivation and focus, and also with luck to encourage and nurture your creativity. We are focusing this group specifically on fiction, including all its genres (Science Fiction, Fantasy, Crime, Horror, Short Stories etc) and it doesn't matter whether you're a published author or have just decided to try and write your first story. Everyone will be treated as equals.
There are 2 Rules, which you need to adhere to.
Rule 1 - Leave your ego at the door. Nobody's work is above constructive criticism.
Rule 2 - Remember you're dealing with people's personal work, thoughts and words. Be constructive, not dismissive.
We know there are many of you out there who are really keen to write and this maybe something that'll help. You can come as little of as often as you like, but if you think it may help, then why not come along.
The cost is £3 each session, which will cover refreshments and the cost of the venue.
Sunday May 1st 1.00pm-4.00pm
Knitting Day at the Bookshop
Join us for our monthly knitting day at the shop. No experience necessary, as there are lots of lovely knitters who are happy to help you. It’s a lovely relaxing way to spend a Sunday, so come along
Tea coffee and biscuits will be available throughout the day.
Thursday May 5th - 7.00pm-8.30pm
Henry Hemming joins us to read from and discuss his new book 'Together, How Small Groups Achieve Big Things'
Together is about the extraordinary revival of small groups in Britain today.
What happens when a room full of people decide to work towards the same dream? Why is it that when we come together in small groups we are so much more than the sum of our parts?
From druids to bingo-clubbers, eco-warriors to flash-mobbers, historical re-enactors to bee-keepers, books groups and knitting circles, W.I.s, Young Farmers and the fan-owners of a football club, Together reveals the true story of modern Britain. The country we live in is in fact an extraordinary composition of small groups powered by shared interests and common ideals. Hemming reveals a different way of seeing society, one that recognizes the massive, untapped potential of these hundreds of thousands of small groups, how they work and what they enable us to do that we can’t do alone.
Witty and provocative, Together gives us an extraordinary cast of characters, a series of unlikely alliances and most importantly, a vision of what we can achieve Together.
Henry will be reading from and talking about the book, which i'm sure will strike a chord with a lot of you. Tickets for the evening are just £3 which will be redeemable against the cost of the book on the evening.
Tickets are available on our website here, or in the bookshop. Refreshments will be served and we look forward to seeing you there.
COMING SOON
A Special EASTER day of fun. (details to follow)
also...
May 4th – Elevenses Reading Group- This month we are reading Caribou Island by David Vann. We meet in the shop at 11.00am
May 8th-9th Bookshop on Tour- The Big Green Bookshop will be in the Mall Shopping Centre for a weekend. More details to follow
May 10th – Evening Reading Group- This month we will be discussing A Void by Georges Perec. We meet at 7.00pm n the bookshop
May 11th Writing Group – Fortnightly meeting (details above)
May 12th Launch party for the brilliant Perfect Architect by Jayne Joso. From 7.00pm
May 13th Ha Ha Hardbacks- Monthly Comedy Night. 8.00pm-10.00pm
May 15th Launch of issue #4 of the Zoom comic. 5.00pm
May 17th Daniel Harris reads from and talks about ‘On the Road’, his book charting his season following Manchester United anywhere but Old Trafford. 7.00pm
May 18th Courttia Newland and Alex Wheatle join us to read selections from their new books. 7.00pm
May 19th Launch party for Ellie Levenson as we celebrate the publication of her new book ‘50 Campaigns to Shout About’. 7.00pm
So, we’re quite busy then…
Hope you can make it to one or more of these.
See you soon,
Simon, Tim and Mark
Friday, April 01, 2011
The month in review
... well actually, it's about 5 weeks, but who's counting?
Since this appeal a few weeks ago, things have been rather astonishing. I use the word astonishing carefully.
Adj. 1. astonishing
astonishing - so surprisingly impressive as to stun or overwhelm.
Obviously, we had hoped that the effect of the appeal would be positive, but I don't think anyone could have expected the kind of response we have had (and are still getting).
We have been stunned and overwhelmed.
You can look back over the last few weeks of blogposts to see the kind of things that have been happening. Indeed there was more loveliness last night, as the SYP (Society of Young Publishers) threw a benefit party for us in our own shop. They brought the booze and the food, they did a raffle and donated the money that they'd raised from this to us. They also gave us a very nice cheque. And on top of all that they all bought books.
What this little picture shows is what a huge increase in traffic we had, and also what it would show if the picture was a bit bigger was that we are now getting on average around twice as many visits as we did in February.
Coincidentally and very importantly, this is also true of the bookshop itself. We are now getting around twice as many people a day coming in through the doors. This is particulary pleasing, as these are new customers, who didn't know we existed until they heard about us through the appeal.
The hardest thing about running a shop is getting new customers, and now that we have some new ones, we want to make sure that we keep them, hence our determination to be as good as we can be.
So, in conclusion. This has been the most incredible month we've ever had in the shop. We are truly grateful to everybody who has helped in any way at all. I have cried between 20 and 30 times. Well done.
What follows will hopefully be the (new) most incredible month we've ever had in the shop. Where we build on what has happened and start to truly become the bookshop that our customers deserve.
Thank you.
Since this appeal a few weeks ago, things have been rather astonishing. I use the word astonishing carefully.
Adj. 1. astonishing
astonishing - so surprisingly impressive as to stun or overwhelm.
Obviously, we had hoped that the effect of the appeal would be positive, but I don't think anyone could have expected the kind of response we have had (and are still getting).
We have been stunned and overwhelmed.
You can look back over the last few weeks of blogposts to see the kind of things that have been happening. Indeed there was more loveliness last night, as the SYP (Society of Young Publishers) threw a benefit party for us in our own shop. They brought the booze and the food, they did a raffle and donated the money that they'd raised from this to us. They also gave us a very nice cheque. And on top of all that they all bought books.
Here they are showing off their books.
We want to thank them so much for all of this, it was great fun and it really helped us out. If you are a young publisher and are looking for a society to join I would strongly recommend The SYP
So, after the initial day of madness, we set ourselves a target. That target then became something that we followed on the Strugglometer. I know a lot of you like the old strugglometer. I like the old strugglometer too. But today will be the last time you see the old strugglometer.
And here it is.
We have reached an incredible 96% of our target of relative safety. This is staggering, considering the position we were in before the appeal.
So, we didn't reach 100%.
If you asked someone to give you £1000 and they gave you £960, you really wouldn't complain. This is how we are feeling right now. We are now in a position where we can actually spend a little money on marketing, we can keep the bookshelves fuller without worrying , we can invest a bit more in community projects and we can seriously look forward.
Because this appeal wasn't about getting us through this month. It was about helping to secure our long term future here in Wood Green. We have 9 months left of a bank loan, which we took out when we opened the shop. This is the biggest single outgoing each month and so once this has been paid off we will be 'relatively safe'(as safe as any business is). It looks like, we're now in a position to get through this next 9 months, and now you've given us this incredible opportunity, we're determined to be the best bookshop we possibly can be.
We're setting up think tanks to help us improve how we work (please forgive me for using the words think tank). Each of these think tanks will consist of a group of around half a dozen of our customers who have offered to help us out. Each of these groups will specialise in a certain aspect of the shop. For example one will be specialise in marketing, one will concentrate on finance, one on the look of shop itself and so on. We'll be meeting probabaly once a month to discuss ways of improving the bookshop and the way it runs and to agree what actions to take.
We know that there are things that we are OK at, and we are painfully aware there are things that we are really rubbish at. The hope is that these groups will help us overcome some of the things we struggle with. (if you're interested in joining one of these groups, please email the shop enquiries@biggreenbookshop.com ).
I also thought I would share a screengrab of a graph, showing the number of visitors to our website. Before the appeal and now.
Coincidentally and very importantly, this is also true of the bookshop itself. We are now getting around twice as many people a day coming in through the doors. This is particulary pleasing, as these are new customers, who didn't know we existed until they heard about us through the appeal.
The hardest thing about running a shop is getting new customers, and now that we have some new ones, we want to make sure that we keep them, hence our determination to be as good as we can be.
So, in conclusion. This has been the most incredible month we've ever had in the shop. We are truly grateful to everybody who has helped in any way at all. I have cried between 20 and 30 times. Well done.
What follows will hopefully be the (new) most incredible month we've ever had in the shop. Where we build on what has happened and start to truly become the bookshop that our customers deserve.
Thank you.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Almost.
Yes, we are almost at the end of March and with a day to go our target is still just about in reach. But first, here is a house that looks like David Bowie. 
Thank you. You're all too kind.
So, we last gave you a strugglometer update on Sunday evening. Since then we had a monster day on Monday, with some very very nice cheques and account payments being made. We also had a great sales day through the tills... but you know all this cos you read the last post.
Anyway, yesterday was the day we had invited Andy Stanton, author of the brilliant Mr Gum kids books, to entertain a theatre full of kids at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre in Tottenham. We took the books over to his flat last Friday to sign. Well, we took most of them...unfortunately there were about 90 books missing from the order we'd placed with the publisher (oh yes, this happens), so we had to quickly order some more from our distributor who can guarantee next day delivery (excellent service Bertram's). They duly arrived and we breathed a sigh of relief.
Andy furiously signing copies of his book.
After another small hiccup involving the books beng misplaced for a few hours (this also happens), we were ready for the big show. We'd organinsed for 5 schools to come along to meet Andy and the whole thing was brilliant. Tim sadly, forgot to take a camera to capture the brilliantness of the event (this happens too), but hundreds of kids left very happy, with signed copies of Mr Gums clutched in their sweaty hands.
Tuesday was also the day that the delivery company that our distributor uses to guarantee next day delivery ballsed up big time, and we were 6 boxes short on a delivery full of customer orders and books to restock the shelves from the weekend's sales.
Oh well. Here is a picture of my brother with a dalek to make us all feel better.
It was taken a few years ago, which is why the dalek looks so young.
We salvaged what we could from the delivery and carried on. There was still a ton of stuff to do yesterday. There were schools and organizations who had some money left from their yearly budget which needed spending by the end of March and they needed us to make sure that we could sort out their orders and deliveries for them. We think we managed it.
So with 2 days to go until the end of the month (I have had a day off today, so I don't know what it's been like in the shop), how close are we to our target?
In the time old tradition of playing for time there is still more to tell you. Today was the start in earnest of the Portable Bookshop in Crouch End and this is a great side project that we are very excited about. If you're anywhere near Crouch End tomorrow, please go and see Robin at the Hornsey Library. Even if you don't buy anything, we're still really interested in what you think about the idea and whether you have any suggestions. So don't be shy.
Tomorrow is also the Society of Young Publishers Birthday Benefit party for us. There will hopefully be many many people joining us at the shop to whoop it up with the SYP. Everyone is invited , whether you're a young publisher or not. I can assure you that the SYP are a wonderful bunch, and as is the way with these things, the more the merrier.
So, with two days to go.... wait there's a couple more things to mention. Just because in a couple of days the strugglometer will be no more, please don't forget about us. We have a huge line up of things happening in April. Here's just a little taster in the first two weeks.
Thank you. You're all too kind. So, we last gave you a strugglometer update on Sunday evening. Since then we had a monster day on Monday, with some very very nice cheques and account payments being made. We also had a great sales day through the tills... but you know all this cos you read the last post.
Anyway, yesterday was the day we had invited Andy Stanton, author of the brilliant Mr Gum kids books, to entertain a theatre full of kids at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre in Tottenham. We took the books over to his flat last Friday to sign. Well, we took most of them...unfortunately there were about 90 books missing from the order we'd placed with the publisher (oh yes, this happens), so we had to quickly order some more from our distributor who can guarantee next day delivery (excellent service Bertram's). They duly arrived and we breathed a sigh of relief.
Andy furiously signing copies of his book. After another small hiccup involving the books beng misplaced for a few hours (this also happens), we were ready for the big show. We'd organinsed for 5 schools to come along to meet Andy and the whole thing was brilliant. Tim sadly, forgot to take a camera to capture the brilliantness of the event (this happens too), but hundreds of kids left very happy, with signed copies of Mr Gums clutched in their sweaty hands.
Tuesday was also the day that the delivery company that our distributor uses to guarantee next day delivery ballsed up big time, and we were 6 boxes short on a delivery full of customer orders and books to restock the shelves from the weekend's sales.
Oh well. Here is a picture of my brother with a dalek to make us all feel better.
It was taken a few years ago, which is why the dalek looks so young. We salvaged what we could from the delivery and carried on. There was still a ton of stuff to do yesterday. There were schools and organizations who had some money left from their yearly budget which needed spending by the end of March and they needed us to make sure that we could sort out their orders and deliveries for them. We think we managed it.
So with 2 days to go until the end of the month (I have had a day off today, so I don't know what it's been like in the shop), how close are we to our target?
In the time old tradition of playing for time there is still more to tell you. Today was the start in earnest of the Portable Bookshop in Crouch End and this is a great side project that we are very excited about. If you're anywhere near Crouch End tomorrow, please go and see Robin at the Hornsey Library. Even if you don't buy anything, we're still really interested in what you think about the idea and whether you have any suggestions. So don't be shy.
Tomorrow is also the Society of Young Publishers Birthday Benefit party for us. There will hopefully be many many people joining us at the shop to whoop it up with the SYP. Everyone is invited , whether you're a young publisher or not. I can assure you that the SYP are a wonderful bunch, and as is the way with these things, the more the merrier.
So, with two days to go.... wait there's a couple more things to mention. Just because in a couple of days the strugglometer will be no more, please don't forget about us. We have a huge line up of things happening in April. Here's just a little taster in the first two weeks.
- Friday April 1st 11.00am Story time and Songs for the under 5's at the bookshop
- Sunday April 3rd 1.00pm-3.00pm Knitters Group at the Bookshop
- Tuesday April 5th 7.00pm Gail Renard Talks about her 8 Days with John and Yoko
- Wednesday April 6th 11.00am Morning Reading Group at the Bookshop
- Thursday April 7th 7.00pm How to Get Published. A talk with Isabel Losada
- Friday April 8th 11.00am Story time and Songs for the Under 5's at the bookshop
- Sunday April 10th 11.00am Committee Meeting (info to follow)
- Tuesday April 12th 7.00pm Evening Reading Group
- Wednesday April 13th 7.00pm Writers Group
- Thursday 14th April 7.00pm The Big Green Bookshop Quiz
- Friday April 15th 7.00pm Ha Ha ha Hardbacks. The Stand Up Comedy Night
Right, I won't keep you in suspense any longer.
88%. Yes, Monday was a mighty fine day and Tuesday (with its Mr Gum magic) also shook the very foundations of North London.
I will not be writing a blog tomorrow as I shall be swinging my pants with the Society of Young Publishers, so as tomorrow sees the last day of the official appeal, can I say how incredible you have all been. I have been truly overwhelmed by the generosity and selflessness that you have shown and whether we make it to 100% or not, we are in a considerably better position than we were in a month ago.
Thankyou
I also hope you liked the picture of my brother with a dalek.
x
Monday, March 28, 2011
Gosh and stuff
If this were a comic, there would be a huge KABLAMMMMM!!!!
right here.
Like that. Yes. Just like that.
But it's not a comic, so assume the Kablammm.
Today has been amazing. We have been truly kablammed by customers and other stuff.
We'd been waiting for a few cheques from schools and stuff for stuff we'd supplied them (which we knew would arrive, but didn't want to push), and today some of them did. Some of the good ones as well... So a small dance was initiated on Wood Green High Road as we took the cheques up to the bank. Then, an email came through letting us know that a payment for another order of books we supplied an organization was hitting our bank account. Cue another small dance. This time involving ribbons and daffodils. And then there were all the wonderful and gorgeous customers who came through the Big Green doors today. So many more than your usual Monday. I say again, flip.
An article in the Observer by Robert McCrum yesterday has caused many phone calls and emails to us . The article suggested that we had closed, which was a bit of a shock to Tim and I. WE ARE STILL OPEN in case you were worried. More surprising to us was the suggestion that opening a bookshop in West London was perhaps a better proposition than opening one in N22.
Now I understand that the article was one that was written to support our appeal, and I appreciate that it was something which encouraged people to make the 'trek' to N22 ( only 6 stops on the tube from King's Cross), but i'm not sure that comparing bookshops in W8 and N22 is of great value. It's a bit like Sports Personality of the Year, when you are choosing between Phil 'The Power' Taylor, Lewis Hamilton, Jess Ennis, some funky fast cyclist and David Beckham. All of these people are sports people and they are all very good at what they do. But some geezer throwing darts vs some geezer driving a fast car?? How can you compare. I dunno frankly. I like Slightly Foxed in Gloucester Road very much. They are brilliant, and I urge book lovers to make the trek to W8 to appreciate justy how good they are.
But we are very different bookshops, who do very different things. We appeal to our customers by doing very different things, and this is what is important. If we fail, it's not because of our location, because there are many thousands of people in Haringey who love reading books.
If we fail it is because WE have got it wrong.
Not N22.
right here.
Like that. Yes. Just like that.
But it's not a comic, so assume the Kablammm.
Today has been amazing. We have been truly kablammed by customers and other stuff.
We'd been waiting for a few cheques from schools and stuff for stuff we'd supplied them (which we knew would arrive, but didn't want to push), and today some of them did. Some of the good ones as well... So a small dance was initiated on Wood Green High Road as we took the cheques up to the bank. Then, an email came through letting us know that a payment for another order of books we supplied an organization was hitting our bank account. Cue another small dance. This time involving ribbons and daffodils. And then there were all the wonderful and gorgeous customers who came through the Big Green doors today. So many more than your usual Monday. I say again, flip.
An article in the Observer by Robert McCrum yesterday has caused many phone calls and emails to us . The article suggested that we had closed, which was a bit of a shock to Tim and I. WE ARE STILL OPEN in case you were worried. More surprising to us was the suggestion that opening a bookshop in West London was perhaps a better proposition than opening one in N22.
Now I understand that the article was one that was written to support our appeal, and I appreciate that it was something which encouraged people to make the 'trek' to N22 ( only 6 stops on the tube from King's Cross), but i'm not sure that comparing bookshops in W8 and N22 is of great value. It's a bit like Sports Personality of the Year, when you are choosing between Phil 'The Power' Taylor, Lewis Hamilton, Jess Ennis, some funky fast cyclist and David Beckham. All of these people are sports people and they are all very good at what they do. But some geezer throwing darts vs some geezer driving a fast car?? How can you compare. I dunno frankly. I like Slightly Foxed in Gloucester Road very much. They are brilliant, and I urge book lovers to make the trek to W8 to appreciate justy how good they are.
But we are very different bookshops, who do very different things. We appeal to our customers by doing very different things, and this is what is important. If we fail, it's not because of our location, because there are many thousands of people in Haringey who love reading books.
If we fail it is because WE have got it wrong.
Not N22.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Rumours of our Closure are Greatly Exagerrated
Hello. I have worked this weekend. I have also eaten a lot of dry roasted peanuts, but really that has nothing to do with anything.
We weren't expecting that much custom on Saturday, as this was the day of the March for the Alternative to Cuts Protest in London. Many, many of our regular customers took part in the march and so we expected it to be a bit quieter. However, although it was quieter than previous weeks, it was still busier than usual, and as far as i'm aware only one of our regulars was arrested.
Sunday was Board Games day, and once again we saw some new faces in the bookshop. Hello new faces.
There was aslo an article in the Observer on Sunday, written by Robert McCrum, which suggested that THE BIG GREEN BOOKSHOP HAD BEEN FORCED TO CLOSE . I would like to make it very clear that we are very much open and if you don't believe me I suggest you buy a book from the shop and see what happens. I bet you'll end up with a book.
This week is, as usual mad busy.
Monday. We are off to Lea Valley Primary School in Tottenham, with author Jonny Zucker
Tuesday. We have hired the Bernie Grant Arts Centre out and organised for 300 kids from 6 different schools to meet Mr Gum author Andy Stanton.
Wednesday. It's our Writers Group
Thursday. This is the day of the Society of Young Publishers benefit party for us.
Friday. We are Storytelling and singing songs for the under 5's.
As well as all this, we have to order, invoice and deliver 6 school orders, put together parcels to deliver to all the children in the care of Haringey Council, finalise 5 new author events that we have ready, put in the new Bloggers Books of the Month and I have a 1200 word piece to write for a magazine. Oh and run the bookshop too.
And I wouldn't want it any other way.
Strugglometer......
We've reached 80%. Amazerama. Staggerballs. Brillitastic.
With the last few days before the Strugglometer bids us farewell, it is still (just about) possible for us to reach our 'relative safety' target. I will be, as ever, doing all I can to get news of our appeal out there. But, as ever, I'm relying on you to help us out.
Thanks.
We weren't expecting that much custom on Saturday, as this was the day of the March for the Alternative to Cuts Protest in London. Many, many of our regular customers took part in the march and so we expected it to be a bit quieter. However, although it was quieter than previous weeks, it was still busier than usual, and as far as i'm aware only one of our regulars was arrested.
Sunday was Board Games day, and once again we saw some new faces in the bookshop. Hello new faces.
There was aslo an article in the Observer on Sunday, written by Robert McCrum, which suggested that THE BIG GREEN BOOKSHOP HAD BEEN FORCED TO CLOSE . I would like to make it very clear that we are very much open and if you don't believe me I suggest you buy a book from the shop and see what happens. I bet you'll end up with a book.
This week is, as usual mad busy.
Monday. We are off to Lea Valley Primary School in Tottenham, with author Jonny Zucker
Tuesday. We have hired the Bernie Grant Arts Centre out and organised for 300 kids from 6 different schools to meet Mr Gum author Andy Stanton.
Wednesday. It's our Writers Group
Thursday. This is the day of the Society of Young Publishers benefit party for us.
Friday. We are Storytelling and singing songs for the under 5's.
As well as all this, we have to order, invoice and deliver 6 school orders, put together parcels to deliver to all the children in the care of Haringey Council, finalise 5 new author events that we have ready, put in the new Bloggers Books of the Month and I have a 1200 word piece to write for a magazine. Oh and run the bookshop too.
And I wouldn't want it any other way.
Strugglometer......
We've reached 80%. Amazerama. Staggerballs. Brillitastic.
With the last few days before the Strugglometer bids us farewell, it is still (just about) possible for us to reach our 'relative safety' target. I will be, as ever, doing all I can to get news of our appeal out there. But, as ever, I'm relying on you to help us out.
Thanks.
Friday, March 25, 2011
This week at TBGBs
Here we are then, just you and me. No one else reads this, I hope you realise this.
Anyway.
What a flipping flip of a week this has been. And when I say flipping flip, I mean it in a good way. The good people of the planet earth are continuing to support us in the most wonderful ways.
We are still getting emails that start like this.
'hello,
my friend *insert name* who buys books from you told me about you and that I should buy a book from you even though I live in*insert name of place many miles away*, and so i'd like to order *insert name of book* Is this OK?'
'I've never been to your shop before, but I read about you on *insert name of magazine, newspaper, website or blog*, and would like to help. Could I order*insert name of book*'
'Oi, you owe me money. Where's my money??'***
***It's not all butterflies and frolicking bunnies.
So, this week then.
Monday and Tuesday were spent sorting out some school visits we have lined up. Jonny Zucker is heading off to a school in Tottenham next week (despite being a Gooner) to delight and astound them with magic and fun.
Jonny is one of those authors who has supported us ever since we opened and has kept in touch and offered his services whenever he can. We are so lucky that there are a great bunch of local(ish) kids authors who are willing to visit and entertain classes all around the borough with no fuss and amazing enthusiasm.
On Wednesday we had a tweetup. If you are on Twitter, you may know what this is.
It is, in short and meet up of people on twitter. A Twitter Meet Up. A Tweetup.
It was arranged by Scott Pack, who is a man on twitter and also a human being. Ideal qualifications for attending a tweetup I would say.
Scott has a blog called Me and My Big Mouth . If you like books and/or cake, I would suggest you check it out.
Anyway, this geezer Scott organised this thing and what happened was that people turned up. And they brought booze and food and stuff. And then what happened was that they bought books (and cards and bookmarks) and talked to each other and seemed to have a good time. It was all rather lovely really. And what's more, the Strugglometer jumped a little closer to its target.
Thanks to all the twitterati that turned up and made it so special. You are all ace.
'Oh Simon, show us the Strugglometer', I hear you cry.
But you must be patient, for the story isn't over yet.
On Thursday evening, we had Rob White and Julie Welch at the bookshop to talk about The Ghost of White Hart Lane, a book that's been hitting a few broadsheets recently and gettng some brilliant reviews.
Now we've been open for over 3 years now, and we've done around 350 author events in the bookshop. We think we're pretty good at deciding how many copies of an author's book to get in for these events.
WRONG!!!
The shop was packed out for Rob and Julie and such was the demand for the book that we actually sold out. This is the first time this has happened, and it's a terrible situation to find yourself in, but the authors have kindly agreed to come back early next week to sign more copies of the book for people who couldn't get them on the night.
So, if you want a signed copy, you know where to get it....
'Oi Simon, what about the Strugglometer??'
Hold on just a minute. There's more to talk about.
The Portable Bookshop has now found more venues to sell its wares and we're getting some great (sideways) press here. Robin (the dandy) is magnificently relentless at making this a successful project and we are determined to ensure that it reaches its full potential. If you have any suggestions or advice, please feel free to share it.
'Strugg...'
wait.
Next Tuesday,Mr Gum author Andy bloomin Stanton is joining us and about 270 excitable kids at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre in Tottenham for a morning of frolics and fiddle dee dees. Mr Gum is one of our bestselling kids books and Andy is very very kindly taking time out of his writing schedule to do this gig for us. If you happen to fancy a trip to N17, there are 14 tickets left.
Alright already. It's Strugglometer time.
Anyway.
What a flipping flip of a week this has been. And when I say flipping flip, I mean it in a good way. The good people of the planet earth are continuing to support us in the most wonderful ways.
We are still getting emails that start like this.
'hello,
my friend *insert name* who buys books from you told me about you and that I should buy a book from you even though I live in*insert name of place many miles away*, and so i'd like to order *insert name of book* Is this OK?'
'I've never been to your shop before, but I read about you on *insert name of magazine, newspaper, website or blog*, and would like to help. Could I order*insert name of book*'
'Oi, you owe me money. Where's my money??'***
***It's not all butterflies and frolicking bunnies.
So, this week then.
Monday and Tuesday were spent sorting out some school visits we have lined up. Jonny Zucker is heading off to a school in Tottenham next week (despite being a Gooner) to delight and astound them with magic and fun.
Jonny is one of those authors who has supported us ever since we opened and has kept in touch and offered his services whenever he can. We are so lucky that there are a great bunch of local(ish) kids authors who are willing to visit and entertain classes all around the borough with no fuss and amazing enthusiasm.
On Wednesday we had a tweetup. If you are on Twitter, you may know what this is.
It is, in short and meet up of people on twitter. A Twitter Meet Up. A Tweetup.
It was arranged by Scott Pack, who is a man on twitter and also a human being. Ideal qualifications for attending a tweetup I would say.
Scott has a blog called Me and My Big Mouth . If you like books and/or cake, I would suggest you check it out.
Anyway, this geezer Scott organised this thing and what happened was that people turned up. And they brought booze and food and stuff. And then what happened was that they bought books (and cards and bookmarks) and talked to each other and seemed to have a good time. It was all rather lovely really. And what's more, the Strugglometer jumped a little closer to its target.
Thanks to all the twitterati that turned up and made it so special. You are all ace.
'Oh Simon, show us the Strugglometer', I hear you cry.
But you must be patient, for the story isn't over yet.
On Thursday evening, we had Rob White and Julie Welch at the bookshop to talk about The Ghost of White Hart Lane, a book that's been hitting a few broadsheets recently and gettng some brilliant reviews.
Now we've been open for over 3 years now, and we've done around 350 author events in the bookshop. We think we're pretty good at deciding how many copies of an author's book to get in for these events.
WRONG!!!
The shop was packed out for Rob and Julie and such was the demand for the book that we actually sold out. This is the first time this has happened, and it's a terrible situation to find yourself in, but the authors have kindly agreed to come back early next week to sign more copies of the book for people who couldn't get them on the night.
So, if you want a signed copy, you know where to get it....
'Oi Simon, what about the Strugglometer??'
Hold on just a minute. There's more to talk about.
The Portable Bookshop has now found more venues to sell its wares and we're getting some great (sideways) press here. Robin (the dandy) is magnificently relentless at making this a successful project and we are determined to ensure that it reaches its full potential. If you have any suggestions or advice, please feel free to share it.
'Strugg...'
wait.
Next Tuesday,Mr Gum author Andy bloomin Stanton is joining us and about 270 excitable kids at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre in Tottenham for a morning of frolics and fiddle dee dees. Mr Gum is one of our bestselling kids books and Andy is very very kindly taking time out of his writing schedule to do this gig for us. If you happen to fancy a trip to N17, there are 14 tickets left.
Alright already. It's Strugglometer time.
"Wa Wa Wee Wa", as Borat, the fictional character made famous by Sacha Baron Cohen used to say. What a great week.
Now we are at 77% of our 'relative safety' target. This is truly mindblowing and with a few days left, there is every chance we will be tickling the Strugglometer's chin by March 29th.
I realise this next bit is shameless, but I hope you can undersatnd why I ask.
if you are on Facebook, please use this link on your page
if you are on twitter, please RT this, http://woodgreenbookshop.blogspot.com/2011/02/please-help.html
We are so close to what we hoped to achieve and we just need a final small push in order to make it. You have all been amazing so far. Thanks.
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