Independent bookstores are under economic threat, but they are worth preserving. We won’t truly appreciate them until they aren’t there. That means we should buy our books from the indie bookshops before they disappear. Indie bookstore owners know their clientele and what kind of books pique their tastes. They also know what sells in their area.

There’s a world of difference to be appreciated between little Time Out bookshop in Mt Eden and a Whitcoulls. To call them both “bookshops” is like saying Antoine’s and McDonald’s are both restaurants. They are, but … We patronise the one we prefer. Sometimes both in the same week.

No trip to Thames is complete without browsing in Carson’s, or Page & Blackmore in Nelson, or Scorpio in Christchurch.

If you want a book by the fifty most popular authors Whitcoulls will have it. But if you want to broaden your reading repertoire ask an indie bookseller for their recommendation.

Have a discussion with a bibliophile who knows and loves and reads the books they sell. You’ll likely be informed and pleasantly surprised.

BRIAN MORRIS

BRIAN MORRIS

Principal Emeritus, New Zealand Institute of Business Studies

Brian Morris was the founding principal of NZIBS and has been a professional writer for 50 years. His first effort at age 7 (in pencil) was rejected by Reader’s Digest. Since then he has focused on writing non-fiction ebooks.

See Brian’s Amazon profile for his extensive list of publications. According to Brian …

My aim is to produce a new ebook every two weeks. My other aim is to show as many people as will listen to how to write their own ebooks. That means giving talks to writers groups, ‘How-To’ workshops and NZIBS writing courses. I know the topics of my next 40 ebooks, but there are only 25 hours in a day.