read by Reid

My STORY

After 25 years of book industry experience I bid farewell to retail bookselling in early 2023…But as they say, you can take the lady out of the bookstore but you can’t take the bookstore out of the lady. The passion for all things bookish took on a new lease of life and Read By Reid was born. At the heart, I have three ways to best utilise my skills and benefit both publishers and booksellers alike.

Over the years I have liaised with publishers, from their key leaders in central offices through to ‘company faces’ through their reps that regularly visit the store. We were able to hear about what their companies had to bring to the shelves. It was important to understand why these books had a place in our store or grasp hold of why this is an important book for them to publish. With respect, I would listen to the reps and understand each book and its place. From there I found ‘pearls’ of books, both fiction and non-fiction, read them and a review was created to be a form of communication.

Books are not just the written words between covers. There’s an author that has brought an idea or tale to life and book events are a great way to connect to some of our favourite authors. Over the course of 25 years I have had the great privilege of meeting a long list of authors and lively characters! From hosting to MC-ing, it’s a joy to put all at ease and draw the most from an event – from large events to the most cosy of instore book clubs.

Throughout my career I have invested in staff, not only in healthy management but upskilling those that enter the book industry via working at the shop counter. A lowered confidence or disconnect is often a sign of lack of communication or training. The tools of the trade become a building block when a staff member masters a task. One part of Read By Reid is to add value to your bookselling staff and the processes within your store.

So now my days of retail bookselling are behind me but I have a set of skills to lead buyers to their next read, gather and lead events and add optimum function to your store. Hence, Read By Reid is here to help.