Seven tips for future booksellers

Set your priorities

What type of bookstore, hold it alone or in association, in what location, with what sales and profitability objectives… Take your time so that your project is viable.

Identify the competition

Studying the catchment area by pinpointing all the local sources of book sales makes it possible to secure your project and avoid an unexpected shock of competition.

Find out about all the help available

The bookstore is a sustained business: CNL (Centre national du livre), Ministry of Culture (via the Regional Directorates of Cultural Affairs), municipalities… don’t miss any help to which you are entitled!

Work out

Lifting boxes, putting books on the shelves, going down to stock several times a day… the job is much more physical than it looks.

Learn to make gift wraps

The little touches build customer loyalty and the gift package is one of the most requested. Popular trend: folded fabric, chic and ecological.

Don’t get too attached to books

A new book takes about three weeks to become

a success. Most only remain on the shelves for a few months before being replaced. So, if you have ordered one of them largely without having sold it, resign yourself to returning it to the publisher who will send it to the pestle.

Believe in your reading flair

You strongly believe in this book and you want as many people as possible to read it. Trust yourself! Highlight it: pile near the checkout, shop window, “Coup de coeur” label, social networks… Independent booksellers create unexpected success thanks to their conviction and their expertise.

---

Source

---