So I raced to their website to see what I'd missed...
Best cookbook - Jamie Oliver. Won't stock it. It's 12.99 at Sainsbury's.
Best Coffee Table book - Life by Lennart Nilsson. The rep showed it to me and I didn't really like it. Oops. Still not a patch on my pick this year After the Flood from Robert Polidori.
Best Kids book - Calm Down Boris! by Sam Lloyd. Erm, haven't seen it. (But it's from Macmillan distribution - let's not go there - represented by the nice people at Bounce though so might get it. If it wasn't REPRINT PENDING: NO DATE!)
Best Stocking Filler - Flanimals of the Deep by Ricky Gervais. I've never liked the Flanimals books and I'm not about to start now.
Best celebrity book - they couldn't decide because all the celebs were in the studio and they didn't want to upset anyone. However I can announce that we have exactly no copies in stock of the shortlist anyway. Mmm.
So, there you go. If you were to draw a venn diagram of our relationship to Richard and Judy it would look something like this:
So either we're serially incompetent and doomed or, we take the time and trouble to find more beautiful and varied books than you'll find on the tv and in the high street. Judging by the sales figures last week I'd say the latter is edging out the former by a brave few furlongs.
Now there's a coincidence...
ReplyDeleteBetter make that three in a bed - in the nicest sense of the phrase!!
ReplyDeleteThere are some fantastic books out there for those adventurous enough to move away from the mainstream : books which will have long-term sales value.
Boring bloody R&J fodder destined to be seen in many charity shops early in the new year.
By way of PS just checked delivery time on Amazon for Calm Down Boris - they suggest 5-7 days : check with Bertram on-line and they state reprint scheduled 16th January 2007 !!!
ReplyDeleteIm sure the C&P selection is far better than R&J. When you become my local indy booksupplier in the new year I'll be sure to say hello!
ReplyDeleteSusan
ReplyDeleteIf an indie bookshop was so shallow and unadventurous and relied upon sales from R&J "recommendations" (most of which are heavily discounted in the merchandisers) then their next appointment would likely be in one place - Carey Street.
IMVHO 2006 was a vintage year for many sectors of British publishing : although one wouldn't realise that fact from watching R&J.
In my time I have read some of the R&J listed books - but not because they were on their lists.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I rather like that your lists are not necessarily dependent or related to theirs. I want you to offer something different.
And it's not like we don't stock any of their books. We just have the good ones. Didn't 'Cloud Atlas' win a few years back?
ReplyDeleteTo answer Susan Hill, yes I have stocked a few copies of a very few titles which were "endorsed" on R&J these past two years, but I would have sold more copies of, for example, Linda Grant's "The People on the Street" than I have from the entire 2004-6 R&J "inventory".
ReplyDeleteR&J titiles are for the most part shelf fillers for the discounters rather than titles which most indie bookshops would be prepared to stock for the long-term.
Shock horror! I was in front of the TV and did some channel hopping and found they were on! Staggering that they had a Saturday night slot, but good for books in general within the scope of the wider world, I think. Alas, I was quickly bored and channel hopped again, going back occasionally to see what I was missing... I sat through most of the sofa interviews with Ramsay and Everett, but I remained untempted.
ReplyDeleteBut here's the crux - all of the promoted books this Christmas seem to follow a theme I hate - that of celebrity. None of this attracts me and neither would I inflict it in gift format on loved ones, (I hope, they like me are disappointed with the Christmas plugs and seek something more).
You're not incompetent, just different and catering to different needs in the market. So much so, I've just sent you an enquiry form as I suspect you may be able to meet mine.
For how I found my way here, you can thank Susan Hill. I don't think I'd have known of your existence had it not been for her site and blog.
I wish you a good Christmas and all the best for 2007! (In revenue and all other.)
Hello Crime Fic reader - no form has appeared yet - try e-mailing info@crockattpowell.com
ReplyDelete