BRIDGET WHELAN writer

for writers and readers….

Did you know a small bookshop pre-ordered 250 signed copies of The Cuckoo’s Calling before J.K.Rowling was outed?

Goldsboro Books

Goldsboro Books (Photo credit: RachelH_)

Goldsboro Books in central London specialises in modern first editions but it hasn’t tried to cash in. Every copy was sold for the jacket price of £16.99 even though the bookshop owners were well aware that they could get much more.
I’ve just checked and right now a signed copy is on Ebay for £1000 and there are still two days to go before the bidding ends.
Goldsboro bookshop
What do you think?
Was it the decent thing to do and in the long run they will benefit from keeping faith with their regular customers.
Or was it hopelessly unbusiness-like?
(All 250 copies are long gone by the way.)

7 comments on “Did you know a small bookshop pre-ordered 250 signed copies of The Cuckoo’s Calling before J.K.Rowling was outed?

  1. julielees
    July 25, 2013

    I think it’s refreshing to hear there’s still integrity in some aspects of business; something sadly lacking in most commercial enterprises these days. Good for them!

  2. julielees
    July 25, 2013

    I think it’s refreshing to hear of an enterprise with integrity who are not motivated purely by greed. Good for them!

  3. bridget whelan
    July 25, 2013

    That was my gut reaction too and they don’t even mention it on their website (I think if it were me I would at least be blowing my own trumpet!)

  4. Vikki Thompson
    July 25, 2013

    Good for them I say! But, think they should have stuck a couple of copies on eBay 😉

    Xx

  5. bridget whelan
    July 25, 2013

    It’s not easy being an independent bookshop, competing against Amazon….the auction on ebay could have paid the electricity bill for awhile I guess. I did read that they kept four copies back for the staff.

  6. Laura Marcus
    July 26, 2013

    Very honourable of them. Not sure I could’ve resisted. Sweet they kept four copies back for their staff. Maybe this is very good PR for them and they’ll reap the benefit that way? I hope so. Incidentally, the book sounds like a cracking read if you like crime.

  7. bridget whelan
    July 26, 2013

    I do like crime fiction so it’s on my to-read list…and turning to the question of what I would have done with 250 copies I suspect at least one would have found its way onto ebay. I’ve been trying to work why I like this story so much…I think it’s because the good booksellers of Goldsboro didn’t treat the ‘market’ as God. Just because they could get more for the books didn’t mean that they should….

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