Reviews

Rebel Bookseller: How to Improvise Your Own Indie Store and Beat Back the Chains by Andrew Laties

meganpbell's review

5.0

Co-owner of two bookstores here, and I️ can’t recommend this book highly enough. It’s more of a memoir with advice than a how-to guide, but it’s exciting, informative, funny, honest, and forthright, and I️ can’t wait to shove it into the hands of bookseller friends. I️ found experiences printed in this book that are so familiar to me but I’ve never heard another person share before. Even having been updated 7 years ago, there’s so much still so very relevant to bookselling today. I️ found myself feeling very validated, better informed, and overall empowered even when reading the author’s stories of closing his shops, and I️ heartily urge all bookstore owners, managers, and anyone interested in the profession to get a copy!

kaitlynreadsbooks's review

3.0

It depressed me and encouraged me by turns, and I'm not sure where I ended up. But it had a lot of interesting ideas and information. I could totally beat back the chains!--despite the fact that I shop at them regularly...

bricoleur's review

3.0

I need help. There I've said it.

I've finished the book I bought yesterday, but still I want my own indie bookstore. Even when the best rant in the book starts: "so you're thinking of opening a bookstore. Are you crazy?"
A well written and entertaining view of the trials and tribulations of one serial bookstore owner. Worth a read by anyone that misses their own favorite bookstore and dreams of when they might again floorish... and an necessary sanity check if you ever had dreams of joing the fight...

Don't even think about opening an indie bookstore... but then again its not about rationality, is it?

http://www.bricoleursystems.com/2008/10/24/oh-what-a-dream/