AWARD-winning independent bookshop, Winstone’s Hunting Raven Books, has tables ‘teetering with titles’, ready for the festive season.
It has been a nerve-jangling time for booksellers this year, with talk of disruptions to deliveries, paper shortages, and backlogs at the printers – but the local bookshop has ‘planned carefully’ and is determined to keep the people of Frome in books this Christmas.
Manager of Winstone’s Hunting Raven Books, Tina Gaisford-Waller explains, “I am a self-declared Christmas obsessive. I have been known to listen to Christmas songs in summer, buy all the Christmas foodie magazines the moment they hit the shelves in September, and I would have my tree up in time for October half-term given half a chance. Here at Hunting Raven, I have Christmas on the brain from as early as July. In July, I start buying all the titles that you will be giving (and receiving) at Christmas – as the vast majority are published in September and October.
“Throughout this year, there has been much talk about supply chain difficulties. All industries have their challenges, but books have been facing the prospect of a perfect storm with huge backlogs at the printers, paper shortages, staffing issues impacting deliveries and fears that larger retailers will be hoovering up more than they need of the biggest titles to starve off the competition.
“Luckily, being an independent – and one so well-rooted in our community – we’ve been able to plan carefully. We can feel in our bones what will sell well and have been ordering in much bigger quantities than usual. Our tables are teetering with titles, which is scary but also thrilling!
“Lots of our predictions are based on intelligent decision making – looking at sales reports, and Christmas patterns. But there’s a huge amount of alchemy involved too. And some of that early crystal ball gazing is beginning to pay off.
“We hoped and dreamed that Frome author Amy Jeffs’ brilliant book Storyland would do well here, but even we could not have predicted the smash hit it has become nationally. It has since been touted as one of the best books this year in the Telegraph and shortlisted for the Waterstones Book of the Year awards. We ordered a frightening number of copies initially but have had to reorder since, more than once.
“Following in the theme of supporting local, we’ve also had a wonderful time selling Frome ex-lawyer John Killah’s debut novel Struck Off, published by local press Hobnob. Our Christmas top ten always includes a few Fromies!
“Other titles we’re excited about include biographies by Bob Mortimer (And Away…), Frome favourite Dave Grohl (Storyteller), and West Country queen Daisy May Cooper (Don’t Laugh It’ll Only Encourage Her). We also have high hopes for Paul McCartney’s simply incredible boxed, double-volumed The Lyrics (we’re offering it at £65 instead of £75). Our range of children’s books is just amazing, so it is well-nigh impossible to pick out any favourites, but QI elf, Molly Oldfield’s Everything Under the Sun is bursting with 366 fun and amazing facts and is a beautiful gift to give any curious child.
“We’ve worked really hard to make sure we have plenty of stock in, but our advice is that if you know you are going to want something specific, buy it when you see it. Don’t put off purchasing something you want, as you may miss out – particularly anything heavily illustrated, including some of the big children’s releases. In normal years, publishers can push through an emergency reprint fairly close to Christmas. But it’s been anything but a normal year, so that just won’t be happening. The old adage definitely rings true – once it’s gone, it’s gone!”
As well as buying books in the shop you can order books from Winstone’s Hunting Raven Books online (shop.winstonebooks. co.uk), by email winstonebooks3@gmail. com or over the phone (01373 473111).
