Rick Simonson

Summer Visitors
July 14, 2008

The Fourth of July now well past, it is the high season of summer. For stores such as Elliott Bay - located where we are in the city that we are - it can mean forgetting what city or country you live in one moment, or what line of work you're really in another, as driving directions and restaurant recommendations beyond the usual (try explaining the best way to see the whole of the Olympic Peninsula or the various options of ferries and islands for getting to Victoria, B.C., or what can be combined with Mt. Rainier in a day) get attempted. For all of the seeming distractions, it's always refreshing having people in from all of these place, including the many from other countries. Books do get bought. And bookstores in their home places get talked of - some we know of, some we don't.

Summertime also part of the almost-year-round business of authors coming through, albeit in a more lightly scheduled time than other times of year. It's actually a very interesting time for authors to be out. It's not perhaps to be measured in some of the immediately chartable ways some publishers might like - attendance can sometimes be lighter (the weather too gorgeous, the occasional heat wave - though people from the truly warm places laugh at ours), owing to the weather or the more scattered tendencies of summer. There is probably no true measure of this, but I'd venture a high percentage of Seattle people stay close to home (it's the perfect time of year), but could be out of town for all intents and purposes as they play host to visitors, familial and otherwise. (One year, in one week, I helped and spoke with three German mothers/grandmothers, all over to see family, and making annual visits to see us.) 

Oops, that was a summer digression, just like a day in the store. Trying to get one or two things done, and sidetracked by questions big or small, visitors new or surprise drop-ins by old friends.

As I was saying, though, about summer authors and readings. It is a fruitful time for them even if attendance is sometimes a few people shyer. There's usually more play/visibility in the local press and listings, better chances to be booked on radio. Instore, at a time of high foot traffic, those authors' books are there prominent on display - so often a book is purchased (or considered, perhaps to be bought later, when back home), even though that person isn't attending the signing. (Many a time such a book is being bought - are you staying for the reading tonight? I wish - we're going up to see family in Bellingham,  or no, we're off to London this evening and this looks perfect for the flight, etc.). One other thing which frequently happens. Someone passing through Seattle will find during the day, totally by chance and passing through, that the author reading that night is a friend/neighbor/colleague - and does come back and do the big surprise when the author is there.

Some of the fiction writers coming through our place this month include Darin Strauss (More Than It Hurts You), Kaya McLaren (Church of the Dog), Stephen L. Carter (Palace Council), the Leif and Lin Enger brother act out of Minnesota (So Brave, So Young and Handsome and Undiscovered Country), David Wroblewski (The Story of Edgar Sawtelle), Rachel Kushner (Telex from Cuba), Jonathan Evison (All About Lulu), Monica Ferrell (The Answer is Always Yes), and Jess Winfield (My Name is Will). There's a good assortment of nonfiction authors and poets, as well.

In this gasoline-price-challenged summer, perhaps it's telling that maybe the biggest appearance we've had - in terms of audience and sales - this month has been Belgian pro bicyclist Johan Bruyneel, in with We Might as Well Win. The area around the store (a downtown neighborhood) was aswarm with parked bikes. Money not being spent on gas was, that day, on books. A hint, perhaps ... 

Posted by Rick Simonson on July 14, 2008 | Comments (2)