Should TheBookGuide encourage customers to review the shops they visit? John Atkinson of the Northampton Bookshop doesn't think they are helpful.

04.08.10. I use your on line Directory of book shops all the time it is fantastic.
    You will know that the number of real book shops are reducing dramatically for a number of reasons, high rents, the effect of the Internet, the charity book shops ( I actually have no problem with them, but I know colleagues do) and so on.
    You cannot help but read the reviews, the reviews are not helpful, as usually they are from one or 2 of the same person. The favourite expression is dull. Multiple reviews will never happen, so the reviews will never be ballanced.
    Foot traffic into shops is at an all time low, so for negative and mainly unwarranted reviews based on usually one opinion is not helpful. The whole purpose of your site I would assume is to promote existing book shops and encourage new shops.
   Obviously some shops are dire in terms of stock and service. Has that ever been any different, it sometimes is the attraction, the mad bookseller! I would rather visit a supposed bad book shop than no bookshops.
    To state that stock remains the same is shows ignorance, for most booksellers the challenge is acquiring new stock and it gets harder by the day, and we try all sorts of different strategies.
    I had a stupid comment about my small shop (but the only book shop in Northampton), it described my main room as a hallway (definition is; 1. A corridor in a building or 2. An entrance hall) it is none of those it is just an extremely long room with a window at one end and a door at the other end, and it is fully shelved, I did not take exception at the time to this comment, I respect free speech!
    Use this site to applaud those brave people that have the nerve and some would say the stupidity to run book shops, and pension off the Ministry of Book Shop Inspectors you are not welcome.  - John Atkinson 04.08.10.  Add a comment

Thanks Mike. I looked at reviews in many shops in all regions, and the same reviewers favourite word was dull.
     I travel as so many people do so we use the guide for shops outside our own regions, its less risky going to local shops, if you make a mistake the petrol and time element is not so great.
    It is my overall impression every time I look at other regions shops that the dreaded reviewer has been and ripped apart an honest endevour, of course not in every case.
     In my own Region the review of the Brackley antique centre is a joke (Situated under the Waitrose supermarket. A huge area of treasures including thousands of books of a very high standard. Well worth a visit. - Chris Harte 19.05.09), there is not one collectable book there, it has small stalls where people just leave a poor selection of books mostly as an after thought to what they specialise in, and there are a few book cases, but the content is a joke. This has been the case since it opened, its all book club and poor reference books. I have never bought a single book there and I buy like a man possessed. I have been looking in there from day one, it is not a book shop so I would not review it it is what it is an antique centre.
     I am off to Devon tomorrow (cites two examples of the use of the word 'dull', The Dartmoor Bookshop and Tarka Books). - John Atkinson 05.08.10. Add a comment

All I can say is that if you disagree with the Brackley Antique Centre review, post your own. ( A word to the wise - short is good :)
    As to the use of the word 'dull', I don't really think that two instances make your case. And if you visit the two Devon bookshops in question, I hope you will review them. - Mike Goodenough, Editor 05.08.10.  Add a comment

I note the comments regarding the Brackley Antiques Centre. On my past two visits I have purchased a number of scarce titles while my wife has had two bags full of geographical publications. Remember that one man's meat is another man's poison.
     With regard to the Northampton Bookshop I did not infer that the main part of the shop was a 'hallway.' It was my descriptive opinion of where I found the best books which catered for my interests. Dealers should not be so touchy over the use of a single word. - Chris Harte 05.08.10.  Add a comment

PS. My wife adds the comment that the Brackley Antiques Centre is better than many bookshops !!!! - Chris Harte 05.08.10.  Add a comment

Regarding the comments on bookshop reviewers, one has to remember that different people are looking for different things. I, for example, just collect books; I'm not a "book collector". I buy books on subjects which interest me and I am not particularly concerned about whether they have a dust jacket or whether it's the edition with the misprint on page 93. The result is that I may find a shop's contents a treasure trove, whereas a "proper" collector would thinks it was a load of junk. - Geoffrey Warner 09.08.10.

09.0810. This discussion is continuing on the Bookshops Forum

I do disagree with John Atkinson's comments that bookshops shouldn't be reviewed. In this 'internet age' almost everything gets reviewed whether it be restaurants, schools, films or whatever. Having said that it only fair to have a variety of opinions. So with that in mind I will have to find the time to review a few of my local shops.
     One point I wanted to raise with you Mike, was that when you get a new review for a particular shop you often seem to drop many of the old reviews. I'm sure there are limitations on space but couldn't you keep more of the older reviews on the site in the interest of variety? Also, does a shop have to be already listed on the site before accepting reviews, or are you happy to accept reviews for establishments that haven't previously supplied their details to you?
     One final point I wanted to raise, is that I do agree with John about the Brackley Antiques Cellar. It is well woth a visit as an antiques centre, but in the many times I have visited the selection of books avilable has been very limited. - Eddie Reeve 22.08.10.  Add a comment

The only time I remove reviews, Eddie, is when the shop has moved or changed hands - and is significantly different to when it was originally reviewed. If you can tell me which shops you refer to, I will check and see if they have somehow been overwritten.
    It's not possible to review a shop that doesn't appear on our database (nothing to attach it to) but if you can send me detials, I will add the shops and your reviews. - Mike Goodenough, Editor 22.08.10.  Add a comment

I left looking at the responses for a while on Inprint Book Shop Reviews so I could retain some objectivity.
    I guess I should not hold the very few reviewers guilty as charged as they obviously have the right to free speech.
     What needs to happen is a bigger cross section of reviews that appear on this Book Shop web site, to get a more balanced view from the out and out Book Collector, the Dealer and the happy shopper. Then we can all make our minds up on more information.
     So how does the average person walking into any of the listed Book Shops know that there is a web site, and that they can actually review each and every book shop on it that they visit.
     Perhaps each book shop should have a supply of standardised review sheets, they could either invite just a brief or a detailed review, and or there could be a list of questions or statements that the person can rate each shop against, what do people think.
     The form could be taken away and the customer could then send in via email their review, or do it online. Or the shop could be trusted to send off or email the review off to the Book site.
     At the very least each shop should have printed information that they can give to customers that has the Inprint web site address, email address and that they can review the shop if they chose.
     Personally I welcome any review good, bad, indifferent or hilarious as they say all publicity is good publicity.
     I noticed that there was a review in a recent Book Collector Magazine for the Eagle Book Shop in Bedford, you cannot put a price on that sort of free publicity.
     Interestingly, the book shop had no memory of the customer, that must be a good thing, as he was just a member of the buying public.
     I envy The Brackley Antique Centre, all that free publicity!
     So lets be positive out there or we will all be victims of cyberspace electronic shopping.
     Oooops I do that too, and every transaction attracts feedback/review, well on Ebay that is, now ABE that is another discussion.  - John Atkinson 05.10.10.  Add a comment

You ask "So how does the average person walking into any of the listed Book Shops know that there is a web site"
     When I enter or amend the details of a bookshop I add the following text to the confirmation email: "Perhaps you would like to help promote TheBookGuide by giving away our FREE bookmarks? You can find a photo and description at:

http://www.inprint.co.uk/thebookguide/promote_thebookguide.php

It's a simple way of encouraging book buyers to visit fairs and bookshops, which ultimately, means more customers for you. Just reply to this e-mail and I'll get them in the post to you."
     I think your expectation that shopkeepers would participate in the sort of promotion you outline is entirely unrealistic - and I base this view on 40 odd years experience in trying to promote cooperative ventures.
     In any case, the situation is likely to resolve itself if the numbers (and breadth) of reviews continue to grow at anything like the current rate. - Mike Goodenough, Editor 05.10.10.  Add a comment