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25.07.08.Last
Saturday's Cheltenham
Book Fair was the first of the small clutch of new, town centre
book fairs, that I've been able to visit. I was particularly interested
because I've long thought that the pre-internet economics that drove
book fairs to out-of-town locations are much less relevant today.
Almost everyone I talk to
about the profile of their customers agrees that it's changing,
and that "shoppers" are largely replacing traditional collectors.
Certainly, the vast majority of people who visit our shop would
never describe themselves as collectors. And even those who might
think of themselves as such are rarely completists. So trying new
fairs where potential customers are already shopping, rather than
trying to entice them to some out-of-the way location, makes a lot
of sense to me.
To return to Cheltenham, how went the day? Even
for a venue just a couple of minutes walk from one of the most expensive
shopping streets in the UK, a first fair at this time of year was
going to be a challenge. Most dealers who stand at fairs will already
have a full diary, or be on holiday. And a warm sunny Saturday,
particularly after a summer like this year's, can see the public
desert town centres in droves.
In the event, some half dozen exhibitors turned
up, as did a steady stream of visitors - even if they were mostly
interested in lower priced books, and holiday reading. I bought
enough books to necessitate picking them up in the car, and the
exhibiting dealers I've spoken to since, were upbeat about the fair's
future. The general view seems to be that
a little patience and a lot of promotion will turn it into a worthwhile
event. And I for one, will be back on July 19th. Add a comment
17.07.08. I
hope it's true that no news is good news, because that's exactly
what I've got - no news! I confess that I've never really understood
why the 1000's of readers who use this database have so little to
say about the fairs they visit, and what they find there.
This is certainly the case when compared
to the number of comments we receive about the UK's secondhand bookshops.
And although a surprising number of these are "not for publication",
there seems to be a lively interest in commenting on, and reviewing,
shops.
Many readers find these reviews and comments
most useful when deciding which shops to visit, and I would have
thought they would be equally grateful for similar comments about
book fairs. Add a comment
As
a regular seller at the London and South East bookfairs a typical
month follows a fairly predictable pattern with all energies, and
the bankers, focused on the National.
With no disrespect to fairs like Dorking,
Farnham, Kempton etc. sales of general stock to the public are just
not worth the hassle. Other dealers do want to flash the cash and
pick up some bargains from a fresher. But on the whole there are
few finds because the gene pool of books is relatively small.
To save time one could simply ask MS or similar
whether a book was present at somewhere like Dorking and he could
instantly furnish you with price,condition and probably next of
kin.
A day can be judged by how many books you
sell whilst setting up. Like fishing once you have caught one it
is relatively easy to reel them in. No sale by 10.00 means you are
bereft of a decent book and will have to rely on flogging stock
cheap to the shop people during the graveyard shift.
Invaluable advice is that if your stack is worth
more than your stock stick to the day job and if RC buys a shed
load of stuff you are too cheap.
If you can buy at £1 and sell at a fiver
well done ,alarm bells should ring if you find yourself buying at
80 and selling at 100 .I prefer to leave this margin to the bigger
fish.
10 x stall fee is dooable but in London
the bankers are essential to lay the foundation and stave off potential
disaster.
For modern firsts early Rankin,Cornwall
etc do the trick if acquired for a couple of quid. When a 1930s
Christie vg with drops into your lap ,think of a 4 figure number
and sell to AH. Yours loyally jj 21.07.08.
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