#bookselling — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #bookselling, aggregated by home.social.
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“Traveling booksellers balanced the need to garner sales with the specter of artful deception”*…
We noted in a post last month the extraordinary market in the 19th century U.S. for subscription books (a direct-sales approach to publishing with a long history); even after subscriptions subsided, their infrastructure– sales teams that contained an appreciable number of women– was used to sell books in locations too remote for bookstores. Livia Gershon reviews the risks and rewards of life on the road as a traveling bookseller…
In the second half of the nineteenth century, before the rise of public libraries, many people in remote parts of the United States got their hands on new books thanks to traveling salespeople. As literature scholar and archivist Jolie Braun writes, drawing on three memoirs from this era, women in that line of work had some distinct advantages but also faced serious hardships, both physical and social.
The booksellers visited homes and businesses with sample books, took orders, and then later delivered the books and collected payment. Braun writes that popular volumes included Bibles, farming and health manuals, biographies, and fiction. Ulysses S. Grant’s memoirs and the works of Mark Twain were popular choices. Many books published using this “subscription” model sold hundreds of thousands of copies.
While the vast majority of book peddlers were men, some publishers recruited women with the idea that they would be well suited to sell books on health and hygiene to female readers, and also that customers would find them sympathetic.
In an 1868 account of her work selling books across northern Illinois and Indiana, Annie Nelles Dumond described taking up the work out of necessity. She wrote that, seeking to escape a difficult childhood, she married young to a man who turned out to already have a wife and children. A second husband abandoned her. So Dumond sought ways to support herself.
When she began selling books, she wore a mourning bonnet. She acknowledged that this was deceptive but wrote that it was “almost necessary to my self-preservation that my past should not be known.”
Dumond described pride in her work’s “dissemination of light and knowledge among the masses.” By contrast, in an 1874 book on her own work as a bookseller, J. W. Likins of central California wrote that, despite knowing it was “honorable and legitimate” employment, “it seemed to me very much like begging.”
Likins, who took the job to support her family after her husband became too ill to work, wrote that some potential customers seemed curious or pitying. But a few men were angry to see a woman out on her own, demanding that she go home to take care of her family or incorrectly assuming that she was a suffragist.
More disturbingly, in a third autobiographical account Braun considers, published in 1881, a northern California peddler named Harriet Wasson Styer described a man telling her that, if she were his sister, he would murder her rather than allow her to canvass.
But much of Styer’s account suggested a fascinating experience. She recounted traveling to lumber camps and mining towns, admiring the wild landscapes, and coping with bed bugs and dirty stagecoaches.
Braun notes that all three peddlers were well aware that they were doing something many people believed was improper for a lady, but they took on the work out of a combination of necessity and a chance for adventure…
“The Women Who Sold Books Door to Door,” from @liviagershon.bsky.social in @jstordaily.bsky.social.
Pair with: “Building a Library in Wartime Paris” (“how librarians brought books to U. S. troops during World War I”)
* John Jude Garcia, American Biography, the History of Books, and the Market for Nationalism, 1800-1855
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As we get a foot in the door, we might send grateful birthday greetings to Herman Melville; he was born on this date in 1819. A writer, he is best known for Moby-Dick (1851), Typee (1846), and his posthumously published (1924) novella Billy Budd, Sailor. The efforts of the booksellers described above notwithstanding, Melville was not well known to the public at the time of his death in 1891. But the centennial of his birth was the starting point of a Melville revival; Moby-Dick is now, of course, considered one of the Great American Novels.
#BillyBudd #books #bookselling #business #culture #HermanMelville #history #literature #Melville #MobyDick #novels #publishing #travelingSaleswomen #Typee -
“Traveling booksellers balanced the need to garner sales with the specter of artful deception”*…
We noted in a post last month the extraordinary market in the 19th century U.S. for subscription books (a direct-sales approach to publishing with a long history); even after subscriptions subsided, their infrastructure– sales teams that contained an appreciable number of women– was used to sell books in locations too remote for bookstores. Livia Gershon reviews the risks and rewards of life on the road as a traveling bookseller…
In the second half of the nineteenth century, before the rise of public libraries, many people in remote parts of the United States got their hands on new books thanks to traveling salespeople. As literature scholar and archivist Jolie Braun writes, drawing on three memoirs from this era, women in that line of work had some distinct advantages but also faced serious hardships, both physical and social.
The booksellers visited homes and businesses with sample books, took orders, and then later delivered the books and collected payment. Braun writes that popular volumes included Bibles, farming and health manuals, biographies, and fiction. Ulysses S. Grant’s memoirs and the works of Mark Twain were popular choices. Many books published using this “subscription” model sold hundreds of thousands of copies.
While the vast majority of book peddlers were men, some publishers recruited women with the idea that they would be well suited to sell books on health and hygiene to female readers, and also that customers would find them sympathetic.
In an 1868 account of her work selling books across northern Illinois and Indiana, Annie Nelles Dumond described taking up the work out of necessity. She wrote that, seeking to escape a difficult childhood, she married young to a man who turned out to already have a wife and children. A second husband abandoned her. So Dumond sought ways to support herself.
When she began selling books, she wore a mourning bonnet. She acknowledged that this was deceptive but wrote that it was “almost necessary to my self-preservation that my past should not be known.”
Dumond described pride in her work’s “dissemination of light and knowledge among the masses.” By contrast, in an 1874 book on her own work as a bookseller, J. W. Likins of central California wrote that, despite knowing it was “honorable and legitimate” employment, “it seemed to me very much like begging.”
Likins, who took the job to support her family after her husband became too ill to work, wrote that some potential customers seemed curious or pitying. But a few men were angry to see a woman out on her own, demanding that she go home to take care of her family or incorrectly assuming that she was a suffragist.
More disturbingly, in a third autobiographical account Braun considers, published in 1881, a northern California peddler named Harriet Wasson Styer described a man telling her that, if she were his sister, he would murder her rather than allow her to canvass.
But much of Styer’s account suggested a fascinating experience. She recounted traveling to lumber camps and mining towns, admiring the wild landscapes, and coping with bed bugs and dirty stagecoaches.
Braun notes that all three peddlers were well aware that they were doing something many people believed was improper for a lady, but they took on the work out of a combination of necessity and a chance for adventure…
“The Women Who Sold Books Door to Door,” from @liviagershon.bsky.social in @jstordaily.bsky.social.
Pair with: “Building a Library in Wartime Paris” (“how librarians brought books to U. S. troops during World War I”)
* John Jude Garcia, American Biography, the History of Books, and the Market for Nationalism, 1800-1855
###
As we get a foot in the door, we might send grateful birthday greetings to Herman Melville; he was born on this date in 1819. A writer, he is best known for Moby-Dick (1851), Typee (1846), and his posthumously published (1924) novella Billy Budd, Sailor. The efforts of the booksellers described above notwithstanding, Melville was not well known to the public at the time of his death in 1891. But the centennial of his birth was the starting point of a Melville revival; Moby-Dick is now, of course, considered one of the Great American Novels.
#BillyBudd #books #bookselling #business #culture #HermanMelville #history #literature #Melville #MobyDick #novels #publishing #travelingSaleswomen #Typee -
Argentina’s Booksellers Declare a State of Emergency
The move comes as independent bookstores report a 25% drop in unit sales and a 41.5% decline in real revenue as operating costs continue to rise.
The post Argentina’s Booksellers Declare a State of Emergency appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.
https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/09/argentinas-booksellers-declare-a-state-of-emergency/#Argentina #Bookselling #Bookstores #FederacinArgentinadeLibreras #FundacionelLibro
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Argentina’s Booksellers Declare a State of Emergency
The move comes as independent bookstores report a 25% drop in unit sales and a 41.5% decline in real revenue as operating costs continue to rise.
The post Argentina’s Booksellers Declare a State of Emergency appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.
https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/09/argentinas-booksellers-declare-a-state-of-emergency/#Argentina #Bookselling #Bookstores #FederacinArgentinadeLibreras #FundacionelLibro
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Argentina’s Booksellers Declare a State of Emergency
The move comes as independent bookstores report a 25% drop in unit sales and a 41.5% decline in real revenue as operating costs continue to rise.
The post Argentina’s Booksellers Declare a State of Emergency appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.
https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/09/argentinas-booksellers-declare-a-state-of-emergency/#Argentina #Bookselling #Bookstores #FederacinArgentinadeLibreras #FundacionelLibro
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Helping to Build a Better Informed, Better-Educated World
This speech by Jaime Daez, Managing Director of Fully Booked, was delivered at the Sharjah Booksellers Conference over the weekend.
The post Helping to Build a Better Informed, Better-Educated World appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.
https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/09/helping-to-build-a-better-informed-better-educated-world/#Bookselling #FullyBooked #JaimeDaez #Philippines #SharjahBooksellersConference
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Helping to Build a Better Informed, Better-Educated World
This speech by Jaime Daez, Managing Director of Fully Booked, was delivered at the Sharjah Booksellers Conference over the weekend.
The post Helping to Build a Better Informed, Better-Educated World appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.
https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/09/helping-to-build-a-better-informed-better-educated-world/#Bookselling #FullyBooked #JaimeDaez #Philippines #SharjahBooksellersConference
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Helping to Build a Better Informed, Better-Educated World
This speech by Jaime Daez, Managing Director of Fully Booked, was delivered at the Sharjah Booksellers Conference over the weekend.
The post Helping to Build a Better Informed, Better-Educated World appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.
https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/09/helping-to-build-a-better-informed-better-educated-world/#Bookselling #FullyBooked #JaimeDaez #Philippines #SharjahBooksellersConference
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Around the Book World: Monday, September 14th, 2026
Publishing analyst Carlo Carrenho kicks off the week with a review of the headlines from across the international publishing world.
The post Around the Book World: Monday, September 14th, 2026 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.
https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/09/around-the-book-world-monday-september-14th-2026/ -
Around the Book World: Monday, September 14th, 2026
Publishing analyst Carlo Carrenho kicks off the week with a review of the headlines from across the international publishing world.
The post Around the Book World: Monday, September 14th, 2026 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.
https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/09/around-the-book-world-monday-september-14th-2026/ -
Around the Book World: Monday, September 14th, 2026
Publishing analyst Carlo Carrenho kicks off the week with a review of the headlines from across the international publishing world.
The post Around the Book World: Monday, September 14th, 2026 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.
https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/09/around-the-book-world-monday-september-14th-2026/ -
My husband discovered the 'cozy' British TV mystery, "BOOKISH," because one of his idols, Mark Gatiss, wrote it and stars in it. Zack soon became bored with the mystery genre pacing, but I've found a new favorite! #markgatiss #bookish #books #sellingbooks #bookselling #bookseller #vintage #period #periodpiece #1940s #england #britain #britainafterthewar #worldwartwo #worldwarII #wwII #devotedcouple #romance #mystery #excitement #interesting #anglophile #anglophilia #london
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My husband discovered the 'cozy' British TV mystery, "BOOKISH," because one of his idols, Mark Gatiss, wrote it and stars in it. Zack soon became bored with the mystery genre pacing, but I've found a new favorite! #markgatiss #bookish #books #sellingbooks #bookselling #bookseller #vintage #period #periodpiece #1940s #england #britain #britainafterthewar #worldwartwo #worldwarII #wwII #devotedcouple #romance #mystery #excitement #interesting #anglophile #anglophilia #london
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My husband discovered the 'cozy' British TV mystery, "BOOKISH," because one of his idols, Mark Gatiss, wrote it and stars in it. Zack soon became bored with the mystery genre pacing, but I've found a new favorite! #markgatiss #bookish #books #sellingbooks #bookselling #bookseller #vintage #period #periodpiece #1940s #england #britain #britainafterthewar #worldwartwo #worldwarII #wwII #devotedcouple #romance #mystery #excitement #interesting #anglophile #anglophilia #london
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My husband discovered the 'cozy' British TV mystery, "BOOKISH," because one of his idols, Mark Gatiss, wrote it and stars in it. Zack soon became bored with the mystery genre pacing, but I've found a new favorite! #markgatiss #bookish #books #sellingbooks #bookselling #bookseller #vintage #period #periodpiece #1940s #england #britain #britainafterthewar #worldwartwo #worldwarII #wwII #devotedcouple #romance #mystery #excitement #interesting #anglophile #anglophilia #london
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https://www.europesays.com/africa/375903/ Building a ‘Stronger, More Modern’ Network of Bookshops Across Morocco #Bookselling #HassanElKamoun #MoroccanIndependentBooksellersAssociation(ALIM) #Morocco
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Building a ‘Stronger, More Modern’ Network of Bookshops Across Morocco
International consultant Agnès Debiage talks with Hassan El Kamoun about his long term vision for Morocco’s Booksellers Association and its efforts to support booksellers, to modernize the sector, and to create sustainable tools for the entire book industry.
The post Building a ‘Stronger, More Modern’ Network of Bookshops Across Morocco appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.
https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/08/building-a-stronger-more-modern-network-of-bookshops-across-morocco/#Bookselling #HassanElKamoun #MoroccanIndependentBooksellersAssociationALIM #Morocco
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Building a ‘Stronger, More Modern’ Network of Bookshops Across Morocco
International consultant Agnès Debiage talks with Hassan El Kamoun about his long term vision for Morocco’s Booksellers Association and its efforts to support booksellers, to modernize the sector, and to create sustainable tools for the entire book industry.
The post Building a ‘Stronger, More Modern’ Network of Bookshops Across Morocco appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.
https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/08/building-a-stronger-more-modern-network-of-bookshops-across-morocco/#Bookselling #HassanElKamoun #MoroccanIndependentBooksellersAssociationALIM #Morocco
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Building a ‘Stronger, More Modern’ Network of Bookshops Across Morocco
International consultant Agnès Debiage talks with Hassan El Kamoun about his long term vision for Morocco’s Booksellers Association and its efforts to support booksellers, to modernize the sector, and to create sustainable tools for the entire book industry.
The post Building a ‘Stronger, More Modern’ Network of Bookshops Across Morocco appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.
https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/08/building-a-stronger-more-modern-network-of-bookshops-across-morocco/#Bookselling #HassanElKamoun #MoroccanIndependentBooksellersAssociationALIM #Morocco
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The French Book Business Grapples with the Rise of the Secondhand Book Trade
Among the many challenges facing the book business in France is the rise of the secondhand book trade, which publishers and observers point out has evolved from a marginal exchange between readers into a mature, sophisticated market that competes with new books.
The post The French Book Business Grapples with the Rise of the Secondhand Book Trade appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.
https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/07/the-french-book-business-grapples-with-the-rise-of-the-secondhand-book-trade/ -
The French Book Business Grapples with the Rise of the Secondhand Book Trade
Among the many challenges facing the book business in France is the rise of the secondhand book trade, which publishers and observers point out has evolved from a marginal exchange between readers into a mature, sophisticated market that competes with new books.
The post The French Book Business Grapples with the Rise of the Secondhand Book Trade appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.
https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/07/the-french-book-business-grapples-with-the-rise-of-the-secondhand-book-trade/ -
The French Book Business Grapples with the Rise of the Secondhand Book Trade
Among the many challenges facing the book business in France is the rise of the secondhand book trade, which publishers and observers point out has evolved from a marginal exchange between readers into a mature, sophisticated market that competes with new books.
The post The French Book Business Grapples with the Rise of the Secondhand Book Trade appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.
https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/07/the-french-book-business-grapples-with-the-rise-of-the-secondhand-book-trade/ -
Polish Competition Watchdog Allows Publishers to Launch New Digital Book Platform
In their application for the watchdog's approval, the publishers said the platform will enable them to increase competition, and to “expand the transparency of the sales of audiobooks and ebooks."
The post Polish Competition Watchdog Allows Publishers to Launch New Digital Book Platform appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.
https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/06/polish-competition-watchdog-allows-publishers-to-launch-new-digital-book-platform/#Audiobooks #BookRetail #Bookselling #DigitalPublishing #Ebooks
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Polish Competition Watchdog Allows Publishers to Launch New Digital Book Platform
In their application for the watchdog's approval, the publishers said the platform will enable them to increase competition, and to “expand the transparency of the sales of audiobooks and ebooks."
The post Polish Competition Watchdog Allows Publishers to Launch New Digital Book Platform appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.
https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/06/polish-competition-watchdog-allows-publishers-to-launch-new-digital-book-platform/#Audiobooks #BookRetail #Bookselling #DigitalPublishing #Ebooks
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Polish Competition Watchdog Allows Publishers to Launch New Digital Book Platform
In their application for the watchdog's approval, the publishers said the platform will enable them to increase competition, and to “expand the transparency of the sales of audiobooks and ebooks."
The post Polish Competition Watchdog Allows Publishers to Launch New Digital Book Platform appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.
https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/06/polish-competition-watchdog-allows-publishers-to-launch-new-digital-book-platform/#Audiobooks #BookRetail #Bookselling #DigitalPublishing #Ebooks
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Shakespeare and Company gagne contre Amazon #books #bookselling
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Shakespeare and Company gagne contre Amazon #books #bookselling
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Shakespeare and Company gagne contre Amazon #books #bookselling
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Shakespeare and Company gagne contre Amazon #books #bookselling
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Did You Know There’s an Independent Bookstore Revival Underway? #books #bookselling https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/independent-bookstore-revival-amazon-decline-local-retail-reading-trends/
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Did You Know There’s an Independent Bookstore Revival Underway? #books #bookselling https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/independent-bookstore-revival-amazon-decline-local-retail-reading-trends/
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Did You Know There’s an Independent Bookstore Revival Underway? #books #bookselling https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/independent-bookstore-revival-amazon-decline-local-retail-reading-trends/
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Did You Know There’s an Independent Bookstore Revival Underway? #books #bookselling https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/independent-bookstore-revival-amazon-decline-local-retail-reading-trends/
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Why Book Sales Figures Are So Hard to Interpret (and Complete Sales Figures Nearly Impossible to Find) #publishing #books #bookselling https://janefriedman.com/why-book-sales-figures-are-so-hard-to-interpret-and-complete-sales-figures-nearly-impossible-to-find/
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Why Book Sales Figures Are So Hard to Interpret (and Complete Sales Figures Nearly Impossible to Find) #publishing #books #bookselling https://janefriedman.com/why-book-sales-figures-are-so-hard-to-interpret-and-complete-sales-figures-nearly-impossible-to-find/
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Why Book Sales Figures Are So Hard to Interpret (and Complete Sales Figures Nearly Impossible to Find) #publishing #books #bookselling https://janefriedman.com/why-book-sales-figures-are-so-hard-to-interpret-and-complete-sales-figures-nearly-impossible-to-find/
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Why Book Sales Figures Are So Hard to Interpret (and Complete Sales Figures Nearly Impossible to Find) #publishing #books #bookselling https://janefriedman.com/why-book-sales-figures-are-so-hard-to-interpret-and-complete-sales-figures-nearly-impossible-to-find/
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CALL YOUR REPS: Stop the Federal Book Ban Bill! #Reading #BookSelling #Books #Publishing
https://action.everylibrary.org/callhr7661 -
CALL YOUR REPS: Stop the Federal Book Ban Bill! #Reading #BookSelling #Books #Publishing
https://action.everylibrary.org/callhr7661 -
CALL YOUR REPS: Stop the Federal Book Ban Bill! #Reading #BookSelling #Books #Publishing
https://action.everylibrary.org/callhr7661 -
CALL YOUR REPS: Stop the Federal Book Ban Bill! #Reading #BookSelling #Books #Publishing
https://action.everylibrary.org/callhr7661
