{"id":19999,"date":"2017-01-10T07:00:07","date_gmt":"2017-01-10T12:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/?p=19999"},"modified":"2017-01-10T07:00:07","modified_gmt":"2017-01-10T12:00:07","slug":"flying-solo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/?p=19999","title":{"rendered":"Flying Solo"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Sir John Tenniel’s White Rabbit, from ‘Alice in Wonderland’ by Lewis Carroll.<\/p><\/div>
\nIn almost eight years of blogging and twenty years of bookselling, this is a first: I’ve never written a post as sole proprietor of the store. My Flying Pig co-founder, Josie, has officially stepped into her new full-time role at Pride Center of VT<\/a>.\u00a0This transition\u00a0has been a year and a half in the making, but it became final on December 31. Over the past year,\u00a0I’ve been learning the pieces of the business that Josie used to handle, especially since August\u00a0when I\u00a0took over almost all of her duties. It’s given me extra appreciation and gratitude for all of the tasks she used to do that I never had to think about.
\nI also have newfound admiration for bookstores with sole owners\u2014especially those with a small staff. There is SO much to do, all the time! This has always been true about running a small business, of course, but jeeminy, it becomes\u00a0critical\u00a0to strive for\u00a0laser focus, crystal-clear priorities, and streamlined\u00a0efficiency. It’s its own extreme sport. Here’s what I’ve learned so far:<\/p>\n