Best Ten Bookstores in the World
I was up in Toronto Wednesday and Thursday to tell our Canadian distributor's reps about forthcoming books (an event known as Sales Conference) and to visit some stores and editors. One of my stops was at This Ain't The Rosedale Library, a wonderful Toronto bookseller that is ridiculously supportive of Soft Skull (we have some of our poetry books face out there, for God's sake!)
And there I got the wonderful news that the Guardian has selected the store as one of the Top Ten bookstores in the world. Thrilled for them, I resolve to check the rest when back in New York.
Lo and behold, who do I see on the list but City Lights (natch!) and Clovis in Williamsburg, equally ridiculously supportive of Soft Skull. (The owner, Amanda, saves money by driving to Soft Skull's office to pick up her order...)
As excited as I am to tell you about these stores, part of me also wants to tell you about the other stores in those cities: Modern Times in SF, Pages in Toronto, St. Marks and Bookcourt and Three Lives in NYC...So here's what I say: visit them all, please, if/when buying books this year. The owners and managers of thse stores are all scared shitless right now, relying on holiday sales to get them through another year.
Also, a quick additional observation sparked by this accolade and by the trip to Toronto. This Ain't The Rosedale Library and Pages are both among the top ten independents for Soft Skull in terms of sales, also. Toronto helps keep Soft Skull in business. Thanks, Toronto...