I have to admit, being closed for a week has been bliss. I didn’t go anywhere or actually do anything amazingly fun. But the joy of knowing I didn’t have to work was very enjoyable. Now that the store is open again, I find myself making lists like crazy about what needs to get done this year to have a better sales year and generally, more fun. Yes, this year I vowed to have more fun at work. I think, too often, fun can get lost with the daily routine of ordering, receiving, planning events, paying bills, etc.
So, just how am I going to this? Well, I’ve got a multi-pronged approach that mostly involves staying focused on what really matters, which is enjoying books, customers and authors. I’m going to try to not let anxiety get the best of me. It’s all too easy to worry about every little thing. Did that order get sent? Have the orders been shelved? Am I ready for my frontlist meeting? Here’s the thing: the orders almost always get sent, shelving is seldom vital (necessary, yes, but it doesn’t have to happen the minute the books are on the back counter) and meetings are still productive if I haven’t totally prepared.
When it comes to author events my new approach is to actually enjoy the event. We were really fortunate last fall to have some truly extraordinary authors come to the store. I found myself, and the staff, all too often, caught up in the persnickety details of event planning, rather than focusing on the fact that someone whose work we love was coming. It’s not every day Judy Schachner comes to the store and tells a room full of rapt Skippyjon Jones fans that she’s going to dig up his body from the garden and put the bones back together. If I had been too worried about the room set-up or if we had enough books, this bizarrely lovely moment might have been lost. Basically, I want events to mean more.
The more events mean to me, the more likely I am to speak passionately about them to customers, and that passion has a ripple effect with everyone I talk to about an event. An event is not a reason to be anxious, it’s a chance to bring an experience to customers. I remember after our event with Judith Jones, people were wiping away tears because they were so moved by her. This is why we have events. Yes, selling books is always a plus, but to move people, to introduce them face to face with an author they’ve loved since they were kids or to see the look on kids’ faces when they meet an author for the first time, this is the gift of owning a bookstore.
Of course you still have to work at events: actually get authors, promote the events, order the books, etc. But without the joy, really — what’s the point?