An Open Letter from One Bookseller to Another

You are the unsung hero of publishing. You are the last link between writers and readers. You matter more than you know. And you never get enough credit, so the first thing I really want to say with this letter is thank you—for every box you’ve unpacked, every book you’ve stacked, and every time you’ve been berated for explaining the difference between a bookstore and a Starbucks.

I used to be a bookseller. The year after I graduated college I worked four jobs in order to keep myself fed and...