Interview with an Indie
It is no surprise to anyone reading this that the publishing industry is in flux. Amazon is growing stronger by the day while Borders has just sold its last book. Last year, Amazon claimed that Kindle sales of electronic books had surpassed that of physical books. Things are changing fast for writers, but it is not only authors and the publishing houses that are being affected.
Independent bookstores are disappearing at an alarming rate. It has been happening since before the Kindle was even introduced. In the 90's, when big chain superstores soared, the smaller independents began to fall. In a recent conversation with an editor at Putnam, I was told that the biggest percentage of their books go to Walmart and Target.
How is a small niche store to survive?
When we dock in Ft. Lauderdale, my first stop is to one of the last independent bookstores in the city. Well Read Books on 17th Street has been a favorite of mine for years. I have learned more about Florida and Ft. Lauderdale from books the owner, Donna, has hand-sold me than anywhere. The shelves are packed with interesting and unusual titles, not just the Top 100 Best-Sellers, and the whole back section of the store is dedicated to local authors. In fact, it was Donna who handed me my first Christine Kling novel and said, "You will love this."
How did she know? She spoke to me, found out I was a chef on a yacht, found out I love reading about the places we visit. She had read Surface Tension and knew what Christine's books were about. She knew this was a good fit. That introduction to a new author and personal relationship with a lover of books is what I fear I will miss if the independents are gone.
I know how I feel about this change in the marketplace but wondered how Donna, the owner of Well Read, views the changes and her role in the life of a book.
Victoria – I would venture to say that most authors begin writing because they are readers. Is it the same for opening a bookstore? Are you a reader first and foremost?
Donna-Yes, a lifetime reader and a browser of bookstores…
Victoria – Well Read is your second career. What made you pick a bookstore in Lauderdale?
Donna- The location makes for a wide customer demographic – that's part of the fun!
Victoria – I particularly like your commitment to local authors and involvement in the community. I've attended more author events at Well Read than anywhere in Lauderdale. What makes a good/successful event for you and the store?
Donna – A few things are critical –long term planning, coordinating publicity with the author, and creating the right type of mood for the book's target audience.
Victoria – I was impressed the other day when I was in the store to hear you hand-sell an author to a customer you knew. Do you find you are asked for suggestions or do people hear about a book and come and look for it specifically?
Donna – Both are routine. Because of the store's location, visitors to the area frequently shop with a vacation reading wish list. Infrequent readers are most often looking for recommendations. We made it a habit to recommend to our regulars.
Victoria – Are there things that authors can do to help you sell their book?
Donna – I am always excited when authors make an effort to remind readers to look for their titles at indie stores. Other things that are helpful include providing an ARC, copying the store on advertising and sales efforts, conveying order information (including return policies).
Victoria – Here at WriteOnTheWater, we speak a lot about writing about boats. Do you find that the location of Well Read lends itself to becoming a niche store for books set on the water?
Donna – Many of us choose to live in Fort Lauderdale at least in part because of the waterways so local color is an easy recommendation platform for us. Visitors fall in love with the area and lifestyle. They are eager to take a piece of it home in the pages of a book.
Victoria – Well Read has been in business for 9 years. You must have seen great changes to the book selling business?
Donna – As we begin our tenth year, some of the choices made in year one have been validated – location, stocking local authors and topics, mixing new and used books. The changes driven by e-readers will alter our inventory choices this year.
Victoria- I know it is impossible to predict where publishing and bookstores are headed but do you have a vision of what the future will hold for Well Read?
Donna – It is my hope that WELL READ will continue to meet the needs of area authors and readers. I want to be in a position to introduce readers to new writers for a long time!
WELL READ is an independent bookstore with a focus on Fort Lauderdale visitors. Best sellers, Florida favorites and local maps bring in tourists. Recommendations and a great selection make them regulars. Travel essay, marine topics, international authors, and foreign language titles are all in stock. Just finished a book? Bring it along for trade credit toward your next read! Special event evenings.
Conveniently located near the Convention Center, beach, airport, Causeway hotels, Port Everglades.
Well Read Books
1374 SE 17th St.
Fort Lauderdale, FL
954-467-8878
Thank you, Donna. As a customer of Well Read, I look forward to cruising back into port in Lauderdale and replenishing my book supply in the near future.
Victoria Allman has been following her stomach around the globe for twelve years as a yacht chef. She writes about her floating culinary odyssey through Europe, the Caribbean, Nepal, Vietnam, Africa and the South Pacific in her first book, Sea Fare: A Chef's Journey Across the Ocean.
SEAsoned: A Chef's Journey with Her Captain, Victoria's second book is the hilarious look at a yacht chef's first year working for her husband while they cruise from the Bahamas to Italy, France, Greece and Spain; trying to stay afloat.
Victoria has been a columnist for Dockwalk, an International magazine for crew members aboard yachts for the past three years. Her column, Dishing It Up, is a humorous look at cooking for the rich and famous in an ever-moving galley.
She also regularly contributes tales of her tasty adventures to Marina Life, OnDeck Skipper and OceanLines.
You can read more of her food-driven escapades through her web-site, www.victoriaallman.com
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