There is no Failure, Only Learning

How do I kickstart my online bookshop?

I have so, so much to discuss with you all. Well, I say ‘discuss’ it can often feel like I am just talking, and you are just listening, or reading, or perhaps not reading, but I am always delighted to hear from you so do respond in the comments so it can feel more like a conversation.

But anyway, here we are on the other side of Christmas and New Year and I am very happy and excited for what 2023 holds. I don’t have huge ambitions or wishes – good health and happiness mostly, or if you ask my ten-year-old daughter, money – but I do intend to keep plugging away with The Book Room and seeing what happens.

There is no failure, only learning, and so, we continue.

Today’s particular failure/learning is about online orders. So, as many of you know I have now closed my little pop-up and until I find another venue (either temporary or permanent) I am continuing as an indie bookseller online only. Which poses the challenge of just how to get online sales and it is a challenge I am determined to attack with vigour!

One of the ways I hoped to – shamelessly – generate some sales was by the Twelve Days of Christmas Writing Advice that you have been receiving in your inboxes. Twelve days of invaluable writing advice, or even just an insight into the writer’s life/the creative process from 12 successful novelists – some on a global scale, some who’ve had their books made into Hollywood movies! Embedded in each daily author’s advice were links to their books which I added to my online store so, if readers liked the sound of them, they could check out their books. Not only did this go out to subscribers, but I pushed it on social media (Twitter, Instagram) and I even taught myself how to make a ‘carousel’ on Instagram (something this technophobe is extremely proud of).

The thinking behind it was this, I’m creative and generous with my content, I give people something free (five-star insights from five-star writers), and in return it generates sales to my online store.

Reader, no-one bought a single one of those authors’ books.

Now remember, this is not a pity post, it is a real-time insight into my journey into bookselling, but wouldn’t you think that something like that would generate a few sales? It turns out no. But, it is an experiment, as are all these things, and what I’ve learnt is that this is not the content people desire, or at least, even if they liked it, it doesn’t help to generate sales.

How about social media? Does that drive sales? Well, this is also an interesting one. I did have an order for Prince Harry’s new memoir, Spare, and so I tweeted something about how sales were popular that day (create scarcity, apparently people go mad for it!). That tweet I bashed out in a few seconds, linking to the book in my online store, had almost 20,000 views last time I looked – the dream! Imagine if all tweets I wrote linking to my online bookshop had as many?!

So, how many sales did it generate? Not one.

It did, however, generate a lot of negative comments about how people hate Meghan and Harry so much they would only use that book to wipe their–– well, reader, you do not need to know what they would do with the book. Neither did I as it happens.

Now that’s not to say I haven’t had online sales in the last few days, I have – two were from returning customers who live outside Tunbridge Wells (thank you!), and one was to a customer in Tunbridge Wells (thank you too!), and I was very excited about the fact that I could hand-deliver the books (next day delivery as I happened to have two out of three in stock) inside one of my The Book Room cotton tote bags!

It also meant that I was forced to do a stock-take of the boxes of books that are now stacked in my house, which was really interesting and I’ll tell you about that another time as it posed another dilemma.

So, in going forward, what is going to work to drive online sales? The answer is I don’t know, I am just going to have to keep experimenting and all I ask is that you be my guinea pigs.

What a great excuse to use a picture of some guinea pigs!

It might not work, but that is the nature of experiments. Remember, there is no failure, only learning.

• Remember that you can still support The Book Room by buying online while I look for a new place to pop up, and you can send me custom orders here and I’ll aim to get your books to you within 24-48 hours.

Writing these posts does take up a lot of my time and so I am planning on changing this subscription to a paid one in the next few weeks, subscribing for as little as £5 a month means that even if you’re not buying a book you are still supporting my work and valuing my skill, my words, my time and research (and wit and wisdom – ahem!), and though I hate to ask (I HATE TO ASK) I do need to make a living and I hope you will support that.

I’ll send more details soon of how you can sign up and help — think of it as buying me a coffee each month for writing these posts for you, and a bit of cake – just half a slice perhaps.

More soon