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After having a lovely response for our Bookshop Advent where 24 bookshops sent us answers to some Christmas related questions I thought I could expand it into a questionnaire/interview format and ask bookshops to talk about themselves.

After thinking a wee bit, chatting with some bookshops and putting together some questions I decided to go with this format.

What follows is the list of questions that will be sent out to any bookshop that wishes to participate in this and I’ll ask each bookshop to answer several of the questions, send some photos and their shop details. One of the things I do want to know is whether or not the shop sells mainly second-hand or new books to add a new feature to the Google map.

I will then make this into a feature post on the site whose regularity will be based on the number of bookshop responses I get.

I am hoping to have at least one a month but would love it to be so popular that I can post one a week as I do have at least 700 bookshops on the map to contact (now 1400)!

I have let this slip by the wayside due to stuff, but will be highlighting book shops in this format again from now

Question selection

• How did you come up with the name of your bookshop?
• Who are you? Owns the bookshop? Bit of a bio and pics, please 🙂
• Why a bookshop? What made you want to get into bookselling?
• General background/history of the shop please
• Do you stock a variety of genres or do you specialise?
• Do you mainly sell new or second-hand books?
• What makes your bookshop special?
• What’s the hardest thing about being a bookseller?
• What’s the best thing about being a bookseller?
• What’s the most surprising thing about being a bookseller?
• What are the goals for your bookshop?
• Do you think owning a bookshop has changed your life? How?
• What book do you wish would sell better?
• What little-known book do you think is underrated?
• What well-known book do you think is overrated?
• What is your preferred reading genre?
• Describe your store in three words.
• What book is your greatest treasure? Why?
• What was your favourite childhood book? Why?
• If you could invite any author for a book signing at your shop, who would you choose?
• Where do you think the biggest change in book publishing will come from?
• How do you reach potential readers/customers?
• How do you choose the books you stock?
• Do you have a favourite publisher? Why?
• Name three books on your TBR.
• What are you reading at the moment?
• What’s the greatest lesson you’ve learned from selling books?
• What music, if any, do you play in your shop? Why?
• What is the best book-related gift you’ve ever received?
• What is the weirdest thing a customer has ever asked for?
• What do you get up to in a normal bookselling day?
• What is the nicest thing a customer has ever said to you?

and could you send stores details; social media links, website, address, and lots of photos!

updated 1st November 2020