Independent Bookseller of the Month: Goldsboro Books, London
Every month we feature a different bookshop – we ask them to tell us what makes them special and what they like most about what they do. This month it’s the turn of Goldsboro Books, on Cecil Court in London, just off the famous Charing Cross Road.
Please tell us when and why you set up your bookshop?
David and Daniel co-founded Goldsboro Books ten years ago this year, and have been on Cecil Court for seven years. We are both great lovers of books and enjoyed collecting first editions, so felt there was a gap in the market for an accessible bookshop that specialised in signed first editions, but not just for collectors, for book lovers too.
Please introduce your staff (one sentence for each person)
- Daniel especially enjoys crime fiction, supports Manchester United and has a fantastic right hook.
- David loves finding new, exciting debuts, and is now a literary agent too.
- Pavla loves to read anything, particularly historical fiction, and is also a very talented tailor.
- Kiera can’t choose her favourite type of fiction, she is too busy waiting to win the lottery.
Are there any specialisations, enthusiasms, interests you and your staff have that are reflected in the shop’s stock?
As well as signed first editions, we only sell fiction. We started off only selling crime novels, but this has branched out because of our own interests and tastes, as well as our customers. Our book of the month is selected purely based on our enjoyment of the novel.
Do you work with local authors, hold regular events and readings, etc.?
Authors all over the world sign our books, and so we are directly in touch with many of them and they often come to visit us in the shop. When they do we take videos of them to put online, and a photo for our signing wall. We hold book launches and other events here, but also go out to events in other venues and sell books there. Working with the authors is our favourite part of the job.
What are you reading at the moment?
Brian McGilloway’s The Rising and Patricia Duncker’s The Strange Case of the Composer and his Judge (the second will be our March 2010 book of the month).
What are your criteria for any book promotions (e.g. 3 for 2, window placements, etc.) you may run?
We select our book of the month title from early reading copies sent to us by publishers, often a year to six months in advance. We promote our book of the month in the window and online, and all other titles for these outlets are our personal selection. Our website is hugely popular, and our main customer base is online, so we feature our new releases on the main page, as well as in our newsletters. We would promote a signed book over an unsigned book.
What makes your shop THE shop to visit when in town on a book-buying mission?
We guarantee a first edition and almost always a signed one. We only sell hardback fiction, so we know our stock very well and can recommend great books to any customer. Goldsboro Books is on the beautiful Cecil Court, an old book and print sellers row off Charing Cross Road, that was one of the locations for the Beatrix Potter movie. And, of course, we are lovely!
You can visit Goldsboro Books at:
7, Cecil Court London, WC2N 4EZ
