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The Art of Libromancy: On Selling Books and Reading Books in the Twenty-first Century

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"If books are important to you because you're a reader or a writer, then how books are sold should be important to you as well. If it matters to you that your vegetables are organic, your clothes made without child labor, your beer brewed without a culture of misogyny, then it should matter how books are made and sold to you."

With Amazon’s growing power in both bookselling and publishing, considering where and how we get our books is more important now than ever. The simple act of putting a book in a reader’s hands—what booksellers call handselling—becomes a catalyst for an exploration of the moral, financial, and political pressures all indie bookstores face. From the relationship between bookselling and white supremacy, to censorship and the spread of misinformation, to the consolidation of the publishing industry, veteran bookseller and writer Josh Cook turns a generous yet critical eye to an industry at the heart of American culture, sharing tips and techniques for becoming a better reader and, of course, recommending great books along the way.

300 pages, Paperback

First published August 22, 2023

46 people are currently reading
1389 people want to read

About the author

Josh Cook

18 books17 followers
Josh Cook has been a bookseller at Porter Square Books since 2004, and in that time has hosted hundreds of author events for every kind of author from bestselling international superstars, to debut literary authors, to self-published authors. As an author, he has performed in dozens of readings and has recently completed a book tour for his debut novel, An Exaggerated Murder. He has also presented at numerous workshops and panels on books, the book industry, and writing.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
Profile Image for Mikala.
642 reviews234 followers
March 9, 2024
This was ENLIGHTENING 💯💯👏 I learned so much about publishing and how indie shops survive in this world. This book gave me hope for the future of publishing and book selling!

◦ 7% the whiteness of the publishing world. This section is EYE opening!!!
◦ VERY interesting conversation around Amazon book selling.
◦ American dirt chapter was also very interesting!!!
◦ WOW the portion on the Penguin, Simon & Schuster merger was WILD!
Profile Image for Dan Trefethen.
1,195 reviews72 followers
September 3, 2023
This is a candid account of what's it like to be an independent bookseller in the past few years. The book's audience largely seems to be other booksellers, as the author uses the second person voice (“you”) when discussing the things that booksellers should be doing. There are some thoughtful tips in here on how to improve independent bookshops and especially their treatment of employees.

However, much of the book is given over to the author's denunciation of white supremacy and how independent bookstores are not required to stock the books of people whose views they strongly disagree with, and feel are harmful to the country. While I understand his point of view and cannot really disagree with it, he bangs on about it so long and in so many ways that it becomes tiresome. To some extent, I think he's preaching to the choir as anyone who disagrees with him probably checked out in the first few pages. The remaining 100 just elaborate his point.

In the end, he talks about how his bookshop has had a complete staff turnover since Covid 19. While people moved on for various reasons (not the least of which is the low pay of bookstore employees), it is clear that the author is strongly opinionated and may have alienated some of his staff who disagreed with him about which books to stock. He partially acknowledges this, talking about the difficult and tense conversations about the bestselling book 'American Dirt', which he considered racist.

The parts about interacting with customers to provide recommendations was probably the most interesting part for non-booksellers. He explains how handselling is done, and how he does it.

This could have been a much shorter and informative book about the business of bookselling without the extensive sections of advocacy for banning white supremacy and its supporters from the bookshelves.
Profile Image for chantel nouseforaname.
775 reviews399 followers
January 9, 2025
Yo Josh Cook is a real one. The Art of Libromancy was incredible, eye-opening, and taught me a lot about the art of book-selling.

I stumbled upon this book randomly, and I judged it by its cover. I’m glad I did because there is so much in here, and Josh Cook’s style of writing is legitimately the perfect entry point to this topic. I like his writing style so much, and related to it so much, that I feel like Josh Cook literally could teach me anything, at this point and I’d get it immediately.

The Art of Libromancy is so down to earth, realistic and fascinating. He dropped so much gems and told so many real world truths like: not all money is good money, book stores ain’t censoring anybody if they refuse to stock books by racists, bigots and zealots. Like, they don’t have to sell that shit. Focus on the folks who support you and your store, and not the one or two mooks who don’t shop at your store and are mad that you’re not stocking the latest misogynist or racist creep. Let them go buy that shit online somewhere— and let your store be a place of peace for your customers that you value.

This book was created for writers, and book/publishing folks, but I got so much out of it. Most notably, the author’s passion about bookselling is palpable. I don’t think there’s anyone who cares about their job as much as Josh Cook does. He had shots for everyone in this book; he pulled no punches. His tone is so relatable. He’s punk as fuck.

He had a lot to say to people who are obsessed with reading, like me. He exploded my reading list. He had so, so, so many book recommendations like my TBR has exploded but I also love how the author acknowledges the struggle of keeping abreast of reading and how many things there are to read and the reality that we may never get around to it all, but how it important it still is. Yeah, it’s his job to encourage us to buy, but I’m picking up what he’s putting down in relation to collecting books for your collection that you may not get around to because maybeeee you will one day and it’ll be a surprise to you if you were interested in the book and had it on hand— and how that supports authors in the long run. He talked about some authors he likes, including Toni Morrison, Percival Everett, and more. I love his discussion on the bookstore as a forever third place, and the importance of building community in your local shop. He gives instructions as a white man to other white booksellers on how to make your bookstores more inclusive, open, and warm for diverse communities, and he gets mad ratings from me for that endeavour. I firmly believe folks gotta talk to their own where required to create space for others. He talks about the importance of reading widely, broadly, and closely. I love that. The Art of Libromancy is very educational. I never really gave thought much about bookselling before reading this book.. but this was a phenomenal read.
Profile Image for el.
73 reviews2 followers
August 21, 2023
WOOOOW !!! genuinely one of the best books i’ve read recently. i know i am the definition of this book’s target audience, but i truly think anyone who has ever interacted with the written word needs to pick this one up. never missed a beat. insightful, relatable, and just so so correct.
Profile Image for Malika.
396 reviews4 followers
September 21, 2023
I have never read anything like this! Makes me want to work in a bookstore again, and also give every bookseller a hug and ask for their recs. I highly recommend reading this book if you like shopping at indie bookstores - there's a LOT more to it than what the customer sees.
Profile Image for Natalee Jobert.
42 reviews
February 17, 2024
Libromancy is a love letter to books, booksellers, and independent bookstores. More than that, however, Libromancy is a challenge to industry standards from how books are genred to what defines good taste.
Profile Image for Mark.
Author 125 books177 followers
January 21, 2024
This book jumped out at me at a display with a shelf-talker under it at Words Worth Books in Waterloo, Ontario. I didn't actually read whatever the bookseller who recommended it had taken the care and time to craft, but the presence of the card placed under the book definitely did its job. It drew me to actually LOOK at the book.

The title, the hands reaching for a "flying" book, the subtitle, all grabbed me. Likely similar to the way that the title of THE HAUNTED BOOKSHOP by Christopher Morley grabbed me when I first spotted it.

I had no choice but to pick it up. I've been a bookseller since 1992. No, I haven't worked in a physical bookshop since 2011, but as my role presenting books to readers has morphed over the year to include working behind the scenes at online retailers and bookstores, I shall always carry that bookselling blood within me. (Heck, I can't visit a bookstore without immediately adapting the role of tidying displays and chatting with other browsers in the hopes of being able to make recommendations to them. More often than not, I've been mistaken for an employee in the stores I've browsed, because my passion for wanting to ensure people find books they would enjoy is strong).

Kudos to the staff at Words Worth Books for displaying it. Kudos to Biblioasis for publishing it. And kudos to Josh Cook for writing it. My only minor frustration is how I didn't discover this book until December 2023 when it had come out in August of that year. Therein lies the magic of what can happen when browsing for books within a local independent bookshop.

This was a fantastic book, and one that I believe anyone working as a writer or within publishing would benefit from reading. In fact, I have already recommended it to two different university writing and publishing degree and masters programs that I'm involved with.

Writers, specifically, would benefit from the understanding that comes as Cook walks the reader through some of the decisions that go into the curation and human recommendations in a bookseller's day. There is gold (and such fond memories of my own experiences as a bookseller), in the brilliant and powerful experience of hand-selling books: of ensuring the right book gets into the right reader's hand at the right time.

I've already added a half dozen new titles to my own vast "to read" pile that I know I'll never complete before my life is done. But I take as much joy in adding to that list of books I want to consume and absorb as I do in helping others find books that will positively impact their own reading experience. It's a pleasure beyond measure.

Cook demonstrates a thorough understanding of the various nuances of bookselling, of the very real challenges of the economics of operating within a business with extremely slim margins, of the struggle between free speech and hate speech - one where liberal-minded people who believe that everyone should have a voice often allow far too much leniency and tolerance for those whose desires work to prevent others from having their own voice.

And I can see, through several reviews already, that Cook has annoyed some people for taking a firm stand. I suffered a similar backlash in one of my fiction series when in a couple of books a group of bad guys my hero fought were Neo-nazi white supremacists and I dared take a stand against fascism. But I'd rather take that stand than go down in history as a cis-gender, neural typical, middle-aged heterosexual, middle-class, white male with all the power and privilege who looked the other way while women, persons of color, minorities, and members of the LGBTQAI2S+ community were not only having their rights stripped, but whose very lives were being put in jeopardy.

My own experience within the bookselling, writing, and publishing world is vast and multi-faceted, and I take as much pleasure at helping other writers understand the nuances of the business of writing and publishing and bookselling. That's why THE ART OF LIBROMANCY will stand directly beside Jane Friedman's THE BUSINESS OF BEING A WRITER as one of those seminal books that I will suggest that every single writer would benefit from reading.
Profile Image for Hannah Jarmer.
125 reviews
December 20, 2024
I don't know what I could say about this book that this book hasn't already said for itself, except that The Art of Libromancy has completely changed my perspective as a reader, consumer, and aspiring bookseller. Cook writes with such clarity and passion, it is obvious he loves what he does and is adamant about the things that need to change in the bookselling industry. He writes about American politics in a way that is accessible and easy to grasp but still profoundly meaningful. I think I highlighted over half the book. Between this and my previous read - The Bookshop: A History of American Bookstores - I will go off into the world with a new, honestly radicalized perspective as a reader. He really gives his readers the tools they need to be advocates for change. I will carry the contents of this book with me for a lifetime.
Profile Image for Grace Usleman.
Author 1 book18 followers
February 8, 2024
Unnecessarily dense with over-annunciated political discourse, but overall informative and interested. Learned a lot and was prompted to think much more deeply about ethical consumption and both where my books come from and how they got there. Cook is very passionate about his political/moral beliefs, but it almost seemed like he was arguing to the wrong audience…I can almost guarantee the people picking up this book to educate themselves about the art of book selling are unlikely the ones to go into the streets and promote an ins*rrection.

Though there is obviously merit and importance to his perspective here, much of the space for this book could have been used for its insinuated purpose: educating about selling books (ex. The American Dirt commentary), not exhaustive reiterations about Donald Trump’s policial schemes. I felt the title, the description, and the actual content of these pages were all unfortunately, disarrayed.

Reviewer Dan worded his thoughts much more clearly. Go read his review.
Profile Image for Linda.
2,345 reviews2 followers
October 24, 2023
3.5
So much to love in this book. I had the pleasure of meeting Josh at a Booktopia after his novel was published, then ran into him again at the following BEA, so when, in the acknowledgements, he thanked many people he has only tangentially met - I was included.
It is quiclky obvious that our politics mesh, but not always our use of language. But...he's young.
I appreciated the behind the scenes of bookstores and gained a list of possible future reads.
I'm glad I read this one.
Profile Image for Jamie Newman.
246 reviews11 followers
November 19, 2023
4.5

1 star for life changing
.5 for writing
NA for characters-I threw in a star here because I like Josh's politics (mostly).
1 star for liking it
1 star for plot...another gimme cause its just reality. :)
Profile Image for Veronika.
102 reviews2 followers
December 12, 2024
can’t make my mind about this book. I was very excited to read about the backstage of the bookselling business yet I mostly got repetitive political messages

the fact is that I agree with the author and I’m glad someone is bringing these matters up: how white dominated the publishing industry is, how there are views we shouldn’t tolerate etc. but repeating the same thought in every essay gets boring

wish there was less preaching, nevertheless, I managed to learn something new
Profile Image for Sungyena.
652 reviews126 followers
August 27, 2025
“Genre is a form, a type, and a place, but ultimately, genre is a conversation. It is writers talking to writers, writers talking to readers, readers talking to readers, readers talking to writers, and, of course, booksellers talking to each other and everyone else. Whether we want it to or not, every decision we make about where to shelve a book participates in that conversation. That conversation takes place within a historical and a contemporary political context. A conversation about whose stories are valuable. A conversation about how books spread truth or don’t. Conversation is supposed to be what we’re good at. Talking about books is supposed to be one reason we are valuable. We can be passive about that conversation, trying to shift the responsibility to some imagined ‘average reader’, or we can be active and intentional, directly conversing with the world of books in ways that promote our values, strengthen our communities, and increase access to the world of books.”
Profile Image for Rebecca.
126 reviews1 follower
June 6, 2024
I wanted to like this book so badly. As a Republican his argument that Conservatives are white supremacists is weak. Basically anyone who doesn’t think like Josh has to be a horrible person.

I did like the parts about experimental literature and how to read certain texts. This is pretty much the only reason I am not giving this 1-star. Very grateful it was a library book.
48 reviews
January 21, 2025
Each day you go out in the world; some people look to find umbrage, others look for the good in everyone. Neither person is ever disappointed. This author is
One of the former, his rants are exhausting. There are perhaps 30 (out of 293) pages that were informative to me as a book seller.
Profile Image for Laura.
97 reviews10 followers
August 10, 2023
Porter Square Books is one of my favorite bookstores, so I loved getting to look at what goes on behind the scenes - both at PSB and in indie bookstores in general - from one of their bookseller/co-owners. Overall, I thought this was a thoughtful and nuanced exploration of how independent booksellers can advance social justice and play a positive role in their communities, particularly in our current time of rising fascism.

I really appreciated Cook's emphasis on combatting white supremacy in indie bookselling and boosting the work of BIPOC and other marginalized authors. He writes compellingly about how important it is for bookstores not to platform white supremacists and fascists, and how seeing such books on display would make marginalized customers feel unsafe.

However, after giving a few examples of people whose books indie bookstores shouldn't sell - such as Mike Pence - he goes on to say that in response to J.K. Rowling's transphobic statements, PSB put bookmarks recommending books by trans authors in their copies of Harry Potter. This seemed completely insufficient to me - Rowling is a wealthy, influential author who funnels money to transphobic hate groups, so any sales of her books directly fund transphobia. It really bothered me that Cook holds this up as an example of a bookstore pushing back against transphobia rather than an example of a bookstore doing not nearly enough, and still platforming a person who causes material harm to trans people.

Another thing that bothered me: in a chapter aimed at writers who want to connect with booksellers, he advises: "[I]f a publisher asks you to participate in a dinner with booksellers, fucking do it" (p. 234) and goes on to talk about how going out to dinner with booksellers creates important relationships. But we're still in a pandemic, and indoor dining is still risky and inaccessible to many disabled, chronically ill, and immunocompromised people. I wish he had at least acknowledged that this activity he recommends so emphatically isn't accessible or safe for everyone (or really, for anyone).

And it's not like the book was written pre-pandemic! Cook devotes an entire chapter to his experience as a bookseller throughout the various phases of the pandemic so far, and connects his personal experiences to the larger picture of how capitalism led to mass death. I really liked this essay, which had quotes such as:

"On one hand, I don't want to end so many sections of this essay on the mass grave dug by American capitalism and all those in political power who support it, but on the other hand, when you see a mass grave, it's hard to land it anywhere else." (p. 277)

"I suppose I could listen to the argument that there was inherent value in returning to our most recent 'familiar' or 'comfortable' as a base to build from, but that wasn't the argument being made. We were asked to die for "getting back to normal." (p. 279)

Unlike much of society, he understands that even after vaccines, we're still in an ongoing pandemic: "'Vaccine' should have been the conclusion. And maybe it still will be. Maybe we'll get to the point where COVID is managed through a yearly shot like the flu, though, as of March 2023, that hasn't happened yet." (p. 287) So it was all the more jarring to read him recommending indoor dining in another essay without even mentioning the risks involved. (It's possible that some of these meals take place outdoors, which is much less risky, but likely most of them are indoors.)

Another, smaller quibble I had with the book: the chapter on reading experimental literature in translation felt like it belonged in a different book. Cook seems to be assuming that anyone who picks up a book about indie bookselling is also interested in this one specific genre that he likes, which is weird and kind of presumptuous. I think the book would have been stronger without it, or even with a broader chapter about the importance of reading outside of your usual genre(s).

Overall, I really liked most of the book and would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about indie bookselling, but with significant reservations.
Profile Image for Crystal.
441 reviews14 followers
November 5, 2023
Non-Fiction>Bookselling
The author is good at his job. He works in a bookstore, is passionate about books, has a lot of advice regarding making recommendations to people, and he has a lot of thoughts about the industry. I am not in this industry and I did learn a lot from reading this, but it wasn't really as in depth as I had hoped for. Or, maybe, actually, it wasn't general enough. It was more about him and the bookstore he works for moreso than about the industry in general.

I've had an interest in understanding the real differences between licenses on digital copies versus the old-school print format of books. Now I knew picking this up that it was not really on the topic I wanted, but I thought it would be a little closer.
The author just outright equates conservatives with white supremacy. I glossed over this in the first chapter, but I think there were only 3 chapters of the whole book that didn't come back to this premise. I completely understand he's coming from a liberal POV, but it's hard to take anything you say seriously when you literally state, "I (and others) argue that the contemporary American right is inherently white supremacist and actively fascist and so, by publishing works from the American right, all the large publishers are aiding and abetting white supremacy by legitimizing it through publication and providing a revenue stream for white supremacists and fascists." and again in recommending books that aren't by liberal writers: "The fact that the Republican Party and much of mainstream conservative media has collapsed into blatant and aggressive white supremacy, xenophobia, misogyny, and fascism, and that much of publishing treats them as if this is acceptable, is their fucking mistake, not yours." Then several chapters later, talking about choosing what books to carry, "In this political moment, if the author was racist and fascist enough to self-identify as Republican when Donald Trump was party leader, they are racist and fascist enough to be excluded from your platform."

So, really, I feel like he just knows a lot about bookselling so writes a book that on the surface is something he's qualified to write about but then takes this opportunity to get up on his soap box.

I did enjoy the book overall, but the white supremacy asides were distracting. There could be a great message here if it were just toned down from an 11 to maybe a 7...we need to value and offer options that are outside of what we used to call 'classic' literature and we will all benefit from a variety of voices being heard, published, and recommended to readers. I certainly think that people in the industry that are not booksellers can get a good perspective for how the 'guy on the floor' factors into the flowchart of 'Author idea' to 'Book Revenue.' I certainly have a better appreciation for the real people involved in bookselling, especially indie bookstores. I know this isn't his intended premise, but I also would have appreciated at least a mention of libraries. I mean, I don't know how you can write a book about recommending books and available books to the public without somewhere, somehow, at least parenthetically referencing a library.
Profile Image for Nancy.
697 reviews10 followers
March 11, 2024
I came to this book because one of the independent bookstores I frequent had one of the 15 essays in this book on display. That essay, called The Least We Can Do, immediately attracted my attention and I bought it. What an amazing read that was!

So, I decided to purchase copies for a couple of my book club members, but that essay was no longer available. I was in another independent bookstore in another city and looked for it, and found The Art of Libromancy, a book of 15 essays and The Least We Can Do it one of them. So, I bought a couple of these books.

The author, Josh Cook, is himself an author, a bookseller and a joint owner of a bookstore in Cambridge, Massachusetts called Porter Square Books. The Art of Libromancy is mainly directed toward booksellers working in independent bookstores, but as a reader I loved these essays because they educate me to be a better reader and more importantly as a strong reminder why it is so important to support independent bookstores.

These essays shine a strong light on the community aspect of reading, buying books, the community hub role that independent bookstores are or can be, and for me the relationship of trust and responsibility that forms the core of readers/buyers relationship with indie bookstores and their staff. I trust the staff picks, displayed and shelved books and the kinds of conversations I can have with indie bookstore staff.

What I learned from these essays, and particularly the one called The Least We Can Do, is the power of curation with a values based approach and how that curation can be done and can nurture community and trust. Specifically how to curate to not promote books that hold lies or untruthful content.

These essays take the reader through the independent bookstore relationships with each other, with publishers, with Amazon (don't use Amazon), with their staff, with readers and purchasers of their books. A few essays take us through the Covid-19 reality and the impacts of that on independent bookstores.

The writing style is open, honest and personal. Written in the first person by Josh Cook, with his opinions included, and examples of and references to literature that he has read, I feel like I know him! I love his style of writing and I really love his social justice approach to everything - with balance I will add.

Took me while to get through all 15 essays, because they are essays and I wanted to be reading fiction - but what a good education I got from this "course" in bookselling and being a supportive and responsible reader.

Libromancy was a new word for me! I love it!


Profile Image for Danielle.
418 reviews14 followers
January 23, 2024
You may not think book selling / buying / reading is political and hoo boy you’d be wrong. If I have one complaint about the book, it’s that it’s a little TOO political. The title and whimsical cover make it sound like it’s going to be about the delight and whimsy and artfulness of bookstores, but really, this is a book about social justice as it pertains to bookstores. It should be called "The Art of LIBERAL-omancy."

Which, hey, there’s nothing wrong with that, we've all got our bends, and I'd call myself a liberal, but it wasn't what I was hoping for in reading this book. I think there are some valuable points, like who decides which books are displayed more prominently, and how that can be a way to boost to lesser-known authors and voices of marginalized groups; how bookstores can be equitably managed; the way that review hype is fueled by people with money and influence and may overinflate very problematic books; the evils of the predatory practice of Amazon and the consolidation of major publishing houses; the weaponization of good taste (hoping that I am not one of those people with said taste); and the art/vulnerability of a good book recommendation.

But TBH I felt a little weird reading this. Something about this older, cis-gendered, straight white man (privileges he mentions in basically every essay) writing a book about social justice in the book business feels a little like pandering to me. He says all the right things, and I’m sure he’s doing all the right things, but maybe it’s a little bit self-congratulatory? Or just too pedantic?

The writing wasn't bad, but this was a pretty dry read. I love books and all, but aspects of the book business are pretty boring, like any other business (like managing inventory and basic HR). In some of the less interesting essays, I read the headers and kinda skimmed the rest and got the gist.

Also, bro, when you’re writing a book about the art of selling and reading books, you gotta know your audience. We didn’t need a whole chapter on how to read experimental works in translation. Skipped that one altogether.

(But also, if the author happens to be reading this book, Hi, I love Porter Square Books very much!)
Profile Image for Sharon.
456 reviews3 followers
October 5, 2023
Ironically, I bought Josh Cook's book on impulse from a stack display at my favorite bookstore. I had to chuckle an hour later, when I read on page 22 that I had fallen for the marketing strategy Josh calls "stack 'em high, watch 'em fly." It works!

I'm an old bookslinger outa library world. I liked Libromancy okay. I'll definitely add Porter Square Books to my bibliophiliac destination list, if only to read the shelftalkers and to hear the author "move fucking units" and "upsell like a motherfucker." Bring it on, Josh.

My three shining stars are for the thought-provoking ideas of progressive bookselling and beating white supremacy with righteous inventory. I spent a lot of time reading those sections and reflecting about the implications. If I owned an indie bookstore instead of working in a library, I would invest solely in books that I stand behind. It's true that past mindlessness must be supplanted with substantive content. But...But...Somehow the author's zeal turns icky, reminiscent of the zeal from those dang un-progressives. If bookstores indeed grow the public dialog, they need to provide a little doggie door for Republicans and other numbskulls to enter and hang out.

Sorry, I don't buy that "exclusion is part of inclusion." Unless, of course, it's sold in a stack display.
Profile Image for Micha.
730 reviews11 followers
December 5, 2023
This would've been a brand new release when I saw it on the shelf of essay collections at Munro's Books in Victoria, BC. It's a serendiptious find, given that I don't spend much time in bookstores by virtue of basically living in a library, and was only in Victoria at that time for my friend's wedding. I will confess, I didn't buy the book then, instead ordering it for the library as a potential Readers' Advisory tool to share with my team, and also making it available to any members of the public who might be interested in the microindustry of bookselling.

There's lots to chew on and many things I know I'll continue to reflect on in the future. Cook's essays are progressive and opinionated and will likely resonate most strongly with people who are already with him or part of the way there. It's only natural for me to compare his bookselling to my librarianship work, and there is a lot of crossover. We're public instead of private, so when it comes to stocking books or holding forth on political topics, we operate differently. However, the remarks about whose voices we amplify or how we support diversity in publishing hold true, and he makes helpful and concise points about what is or is not 'censorship' in a world where that concept is increasingly muddied in the minds of the public.
Profile Image for Greg Zimmerman.
980 reviews239 followers
October 17, 2023
I've been a bookseller (in varying degrees of part-time) for more than 9 years now, and I still learned a ton about the craft and industry of bookselling from this great book of essays.

Josh clearly loves books, as every bookseller must. And his enthusiasm is infectious, even when you don't fully agree with him (and you won't agree with him all the time. Of course.)

The book is put forth as intended for anyone who loves books (writers, readers, and booksellers), but if you're not a bookseller or don't have a connection to a bookstore (other than shopping at one), you might space out a bit here and there. There IS a really great essay though on what writers should understand about bookselling, and I wish I could foist just that essay on every writer I know who stumbles into our store and doesn't the know the first thing about what we do there (it's amazing that could happen, but it happens all the time!)...

Overall, a really unique book -- one I enjoyed savoring in snack-sized bits over the course of a month or so.
128 reviews
February 14, 2024
I almost knocked this down to four stars because the last couple of essays were so focused on bookselling but Cook spends the rest of the book expressing his well-thought out positions on the world and how to be better in it.

I was impressed with Cook's attitudes towards inclusivity and exclusivity, censorship, misinformation, and how he, a fellow cis-white male, manages to be welcoming and thoughtful and caring in the face of societal (and, in the case of running a bookstore, financial) pressure to do otherwise. He highlights some of the structures in the publishing world that enable the racist, white nationalist nonsense that certain public figures spout. He lays out the economics of Amazon's ability to undersell everyone else on books. Mostly, he provides a lot of food for thought on whether doing nothing is enough in the face of all the wrongs in the world (it's not).

If you are a reader and want to make more of a positive impact on the world, I think this is a useful and inspiring work.
Profile Image for Kate.
38 reviews
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June 26, 2025
I stopped reading this about 60-65% of the way through. The author makes interesting points and I like the overall concept of the book, but some of the chapters were a little too philosophical for my interest. I also didn't like his often self-satisfied tone throughout the book. Example: the author talks in the beginning of the book about how the publishing world is skewed towards certain types of writers/written works, and the work that is considered "good" within the industry is largely based on this skewed lens. The author considers this to be problematic. Yet in his bio, the writer states, "[H]is fiction, criticism, and poetry, have appeared in numerous leading literary publications." A writer's bio is in third-person, but is written by the author themself, which means that Cook crafted his bio himself. So, in his book, he's pointing out that the construct of what's "good" is skewed, while at the making a point of saying in his bio that his work falls within this construct ("leading literary publications"). Seems a bit hypocritical in my opinion.
Profile Image for Magdalene.
301 reviews7 followers
March 30, 2024
A book about the "art of bookselling," it's mostly geared towards booksellers, especially of the indie bookstore variety. There are essays about the history of indie bookstores, why Amazon sucks, running a bookstore, how to handsell books, and the author's experiences during COVID. I'm not a bookseller and never have been, but it was still a very interesting look at how it works, and also made me want to buy one million books from every indie bookstore. I did get some value out of the chapters about recommending books, since I do like to do that, and the author validates how hard it really is! Cook is firmly feminist and calls out white supremacy, homophobia, etc., and talks about them in the context of how to fight against and deal with them in bookstores. It's definitely appreciated, but it does get pretty repetitive. That, along with some other longer-than-necessary rants really ups the page count of a book that's about a pretty niche topic and has a small audience already.
Profile Image for Florence ✨.
110 reviews13 followers
November 21, 2025
“‘Everyone should be required to be spend a year working retail,’ sounds like a joke, but I am dead fucking serious. A lot of bullshit ideas about how our economy and society work are generated by people who have never done the ground-level, person-to-person, last-link-in-the-chain labor upon which so much of our economy rests.
Retail and food service can be physically, intellectually, and emotionally challenging. To be successful in retail you need to be an expert in whatever you sell, able to troubleshoot your point-of-sale and any other technology in your store, find solutions to logistical problems you did not create, answer for problems, mistakes, and failures that happened long before you had control over the product or situation, and manage the emotions of complete strangers, some of whom do not see you as fully human. And you are expected to do that with smiling deference.”

(Teammates in the Game of Books: Lessons for Writers from a Writer Who Sells Books)
Profile Image for Anita.
752 reviews
November 26, 2024
I used to be a bookseller, so I found a lot of very relatable elements in this book. A passionate defense of bookselling as a profession (just as all retail workers are experts in their respective fields), it also discusses the nuances and complications of selling books in the moder world, and the ways in which independent bookshops can create and sustain communities.

There's a tiny mistake in the section that discusses American Dirt, in which he describes Isabel Allende as Dominican, and also blurbing the book. He might have been thinking about Julia Álvarez, who is indeed Dominican and blurbed the book, while Isabel Allende is Chilean and (as far as I know) didn't blurb American Dirt. Would've ben fine if it wasn't right after a paragraph where he states why would anyone read Cummins if she can't get the details right so... yeah, there's that.
Profile Image for Anna.
572 reviews40 followers
November 12, 2023
This book discusses a wide variety of issues that are suitable for anyone interested in the business of books. The author covers many topics including, the Publishing industry, marketing and promotion, book selling, independent book stores and plenty of other bookish related topics which I found quite interesting. Cook has many years of experience in this industry and has a lot of personal opinions to offer. It's too bad that I often found his approach to these topics to be judgmental, self righteous and always on the verge of being a political rant. I would have much preferred a more neutral presentation but I can't fault him for saying what he thinks. So 4 stars for content & 2 stars for presentation.
Profile Image for Mary.
Author 1 book1 follower
December 23, 2023
At one time I had a small online book business so I was drawn to read this book. I adore bookstores…especially independent bookstores like Porter Square Books. These essays contain a lot of interesting information about the book business and how a bookstore works.
The part of the book about the pandemic was of particular interest and the description of the world in Cambridge is entirely different from my experience in Maine.
The reason I gave four stars rather than five is Cook’s choice to use profanity. The writing is excellent…even eloquent in parts…so I do not understand his need to be so bold with his language. Please understand that I am not a prude and I frequently use colorful language but I just don’t think it needed to be in these essays.
Profile Image for Alexandra DuSablon.
117 reviews17 followers
November 16, 2023
I enjoyed this book because there's not much I love more than wandering around a cozy, curated, local bookstore. The author has been selling books at Porter Square Books in Boston for years and has fascinating perspectives on the publishing industry, indie bookstores, writers connecting with readers, and politics surrounding books. The target audience is definitely other booksellers, but I still found value in his words. There's room for improvement on the structure; it felt a bit disjointed and repetitive at times.
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