To celebrate Concrete’s 400th Issue, I decided to revisit some articles written by our incredible previous editors. I was met with an array of pieces recommending the bookstores of Norwich, to the events hosted at the National Centre for Writing; reminding me how fortunate Concrete is to call Norwich home. Yet, I wanted to get personal, and ask our local booksellers what working in the UNESCO City of Literature means to them.  

Throughout one rainy afternoon, I spoke with three wonderful booksellers in my obnoxiously green coat, cautious not to drip rainwater on the things I love so dearly. I first spoke with Meg from The Book Hive: Faber’s Independent bookshop of the Month, and British Book Awards finalist for the Independent Bookshop of the Year. Phil, the owner of the Dormouse Bookshop, who has been working with books for the last 35 years, and Hettie, a UEA student and Waterstones bookseller, the largest bookshop in Norwich.  

Firstly, the all-important question: What do you like about being a bookseller in Norwich? “I think there’s a real appetite for literature and stories”, Meg began, “because it’s a UNESCO City of Literature, there are so many writers and readers here, you’re really immersed in a lovely community.” It became apparent that the community of literature lovers in Norwich appealed to all three booksellers, as Hettie agreed “Being a City of Literature, it feels like there’s a real community of book lovers here because of that. We also have really impressive literary courses at UEA and the Centre for Writing here, and some great local publishers.” Phil, who sat behind a towering stack of books, looked out of the window to his right overlooking Elm Hill. “In Norwich?” he laughed, “The people. The customers. If you read a book you generally have a better attitude towards the world I find.”  

Turning back to me he smiled, as another customer roamed his compacted second-hand shop.   

“Because books cover every subject under the sun, you really don’t know, as a second-hand dealer, what books you’re going to find next” replied Phil, when I asked him what his favourite part about being a bookseller is. “Of course, there are old favourites you’ll see over and over again, but every so often, something comes along you haven’t seen before which is really interesting.” Meg similarly responded that “the main thing is being constantly exposed to exciting new books, especially small press, and translated fiction which we specialise in here…one of the best things is getting to talk about the books you’re enthusiastic about. I really love it when people come in and ask ‘what have you read recently?’ and they buy the books I recommend because I hope they enjoy them!” Hettie, however, replied with an answer I couldn’t have predicted. “I run the shop’s TikTok! I love recommending books, advertising events, and attempting-”, she whispered, “-to do trends. It’s fun because I can recommend books I think deserve more attention amongst the more popular books Waterstones promotes.” 

When I asked Meg if she had any tips for getting into bookselling, I was met with an enthusiastic “Yes! An obvious and probably very unhelpful one is to read as much as you can.” As we both laughed at the simplicity of the answer, she told me she came to The Book Hive from a publishing background, “I think it’s really advantageous to have some understanding of different aspects of the trade and the life-cycle of the book.” Nodding toward Concrete readers, she advised to “take advantage of uni modules, especially the publishing modules on the Literature and Creative Writing courses. UEA has amazing opportunities for that and their publishing project is hugely valuable.”  

While reviewing my questions on the bus into the city centre, I was deeply curious if there were any habits of readers in the stores, and whether these habits varied from the smaller, independent stores to larger, mainstream chains. Seated in the Waterstones café, Hettie explained that they “sell a lot of fantasy at the moment, we’ve got a YA fantasy event coming up which will be exciting, as well as ‘cosy crime’”, she gestured, using quotation fingers, “like Richard Osman’s collection to Janice Hallett.”  

On the contrary, Meg replied that “there’s a real desire to find small press and translated fiction, and niche, often quite strange non-fiction which you might not find in other shops.” Whilst the difference between independent bookstores and chains became clear, with Meg affirming that the “main habit in The Book Hive is people looking for something different”, Phil told me he doesn’t believe in readers’ habits, “What you like one day, you’ll like something else another day, I prefer variety.” With my eyebrows raised in agreement, Phil explained, “I like all books. I mean, some books are better than others but I don’t believe in favourites.”  

Finally, I asked if they had any recommendations for the readers of Concrete. “Ahh! I have so many recommendations”, Meg sighed in response, “My number one is Devoured by Anna Mackmin.” Pausing to reach down behind the till, she pulled out a shiny, deep red copy. “It’s fantastic” she exclaimed, handing it to me. My jaw fell open when she told me “This was published by Propolis, an imprint of The Book Hive! It’s an interesting and strange coming-of-age story. The work we publish here is so cool, we also have This Hollow Land by Peter Tolhurst, all about Norfolk folklore.”  

Locally published books were evidently favourites to recommend, as Hettie from Waterstones recommended After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz. “It’s an imagined history of queer women in the modernist period, fragmented like the works of Sappho, and it was published in Norwich so you should definitely read it!”  

Phil from the Dormouse, however, asserted, “I always go out of my way not to recommend books, because it’s all about taste. Just because I like something, doesn’t mean somebody else will.” While I nodded in agreement, surprised to receive such an answer, Phil looked up, pondering. “Saying that” he continued, “If I’m forced into a corner, I’d recommend The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff, and Illusions by Richard Bach.” Once I concluded the interview, Phil spoke passionately about what The Tao of the Pooh meant for him, where I left him to serve a customer who had “finally chosen a book.” 

Image: Unsplash