Don't get me wrong, I LOVE bookstores. I also love Amazon and Audible, but that's another post. Each week when we go into the big city with the fang-dangled shopping centre, I visit the bookstores. To browse, yes, to buy, yes, but I have another task when I'm there.
Our bookstores place all the fiction novels spine out, except for a chosen few (who I assume purchase special marketing bonuses as it's always the same ones). There are novels that I feel readers need to notice, because they are GOOD. Novels like:
or
or
I won't sink low enough to show the books I think should not have six front cover places just because they became a blockbuster film. To each their own. So, I assume it is my responsibility to turn all my favourite books around for other book browsers to discover. This can take me a long time in big stores like Borders. My girls help me with my mission and we keep an eye out for staff so they don't catch us in the act. We are running a rebellion.
So, for poor display of fiction, I say Bookstores 'fail'.
I realise space is currency in a bookstore, but perhaps stores could decide what their focus is, and if it's fiction, then give it the room it deserves. Another side gripe I have lately is my bookstores have these wonderful series books, like the Inkheart series, but only have books 2&3 - stock more than one copy of popular books and make sure you ALWAYS have the first book in the series available (that's were most of us will start).
Visiting a Target store this week, I was happy to see my job had been done for me by the shelving designers:
Now that's how books should be displayed. Do you get tempted to turn your favourite books cover-out in bookstores?
No comments:
Post a Comment