Tag: A&R
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Tales From A&R, Part 11 – Pratchett
Sometime in the early years of the new millennium, the A&R bookstore in Perth was buzzing. A handful of fantasy fans were clustering around a small sign that I had stuck to the display window at the front of the store, proclaiming “Terry Pratchett Book Signing Today!” “Did you hear?” asked fans as they brought up…
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Tales from A&R, Part 10 – Prank War
In the early years of the new millennium, I was working the Friday night shift at Perth’s largest bookstore, A&R. While the job saw me come into contact with the best and worst of Perth’s nightlife, on wet winter nights Perth’s streets were like a morgue. Pub crawlers and club bunnies found it too cold for skimpy dance gear, late night shoppers stayed home, and even the muggers and drug…
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Tales from A&R, Part 9 – The Jolliest Time of Year
By the early 2000s, I’d been working at A&R long enough to see the book seasons come and go: Summer Madness, Autumn Readings, Winter Warmers and Spring into Books. However Summer-themed book promotion was always interrupted by the bookstore’s happiest (& most profitable) time of year. Christmas. Every year, exasperated parents remark that “the Christmas promotion starts…
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Tales from A&R, Part 8 – The Hard Sell
Sometime in the early years of the new millennium Denise and I were in our usual spots, putting through some customer’s purchases and trying to look enthusiastic. “There you go, thank you for shopping with us this evening,” said Denise happily, handing the bag to a middle-aged woman who grunted in reply and wandered back into the nightlife of Perth. …
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Tales from A&R, Part 7 – Harry Potter
One of the ongoing jobs at A&R was presenting the new books that had just been launched by various authors. Most writers got a slot on our “New Releases” shelves, or even a display in the shop window. Most new releases shared a sort of square pyramid table near the front of the store in…
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Tales from A&R, Part 6 – The Doctor
When I’d been working at A&R for a year or so, the managers decided to move a group of the casuals to the Friday night shift. “There’s no extra money in it, mind,” warned Kimberley with a frown. “And if you don’t want the shift, tough – find another job. There’s plenty of people out there who’d…
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Tales from A&R, Part 5 – The Forbidden Book
Apart from a few mishaps and the casualty of a children’s music sampler, the move to the new A&R store in Murray Street was a success. The new store was much narrower, with densely packed shiny new shelves and service counters at the front and back. The big advantage was a basement floor, accessible by…
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Tales from A&R, Part 4 – I Love My Milk
Sometime in the first year of the new millennium, A&R Perth decided to expand. Business was booming; there were a slew of new female crime authors and the book wars between Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter were money in the bank. Katherine was happy, but stressed. She was moving up the ranks to…
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Tales from A&R, Part 3 – Spruiking
The city of Perth is pretty small compared to most other state capitals, and Perth in the year 2000 was still referred to by its inhabitants as “Dullsville.” Every now and then politicians would try and butter us up for our vote and refer to Perth and Western Australia in general as the “Cinderella State,”…
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Tales from A&R, Part 2 – Customers and Casuals
The week after getting my book store position I turned up bright and early on Saturday morning, ready to start a job that was cultured, intelligent, and didn’t involve cleaning. “Here you go,” said Catherine, handing me a damp cloth and a spray bottle. “You can get started on the windows.” I think my face…