So You Want to Open a Bookstore? (Circle Yes or No)

So you think you want to open an independent bookstore? Opening an independent bookstore in this day and age of the “big box” store is not for the faint of heart. If you are looking for a get rich quick scheme (or a get rich scheme at all), then this probably isn’t the right business venture for you. Unless, of course, you are lucky enough to be the seller of items like the $12,000 signed Eragon copy on Ebay, then it's definitely not going to make you rich. In fact, many people don't even make a living at it. Scared? Then here's a quick check to see if you're really ready to open an independent bookstore. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Do I have the time and energy to non-stop dedicate the next three years of my life to a business venture?
• Do I have the personal funds to start the majority (or all) of this business?
• Do I have a way to make other income for the first three years of my business (or, am I OK not having an income for the first three years of my business)?

If you answered NO to any of these questions, then you may want to reconsider. If these questions alone caused you to drop to the floor and reduced you to a writhing mess as you imagine your dream career going down the tubes, then you are definitely not ready to open an independent bookstore.

I know what some of you are thinking: "Come on, it really can't be this hard, can it?" And, your assumption would be right. It's really not this hard. It's even harder. And then even harder than that.
However, if you are a hard working book lover who wants to have one the most fulfilling and rewarding careers you’ve ever had, stay tuned. We will start covering opening a bookstore over the next few posts.

I've given you reasons not to open a store. Next, we'll cover reasons why you may want to open a bookstore and I'll reveal how our store became self-sufficient from the first day of opening its doors.

Welcome to The Book Blues blog!

Welcome to the first posting of The Book Blues blog. The Book Blues blog was created by published author and independent bookstore owner Jacqueline Wilson (me!).

After suffering through a time-consuming "trial by fire" opening of my own bookstore and subsequently receiving dozens of S.O.S emails from others trying to open their own store, I decided that there had to be a better way to create and share information about books, the book industry, and opening your own store. It is my hopes that you will find a little of each on this site and feel compelled to share your own stories and experiences, too.

Believe me, I don't profess to know everything about writing and certainly not everything about the indie book business. However, I hope that sharing some of my experiences can help you out (even if it's in a small way!).

So, kick back, grab a cup-o-joe and stay awhile. We're pretty sure at some point you'll find something that interests you about this wacky book industry.