Guest Book
This page is for those of you who want to leave your mark somewhere on this blog, but don’t have a witty comment to add to an existing news item or opinion piece.
Just mention your name, city, and what you do in the industry. If you have a website that sells products that are appropriate to the Christian bookstore industry, here’s where you leave the bait; just include it in your sign-in or in the text; but remember comments are moderated and sites are checked. If you’re an author, publisher, distributor or agency, also check out the page “Publishers and Agencies: Info” for information on where you can send bribes items for review or mention.
Your Response (Value-Added Comments Only)
Christian Book Shop Talk 
Owner of Place of Grace Christian Bookstore in West Virginia US
first site I check when I turn my computer on. Keep up the good work. In the industry 33 years
Hey, well, how can I not sign your guest book whilst I’m here? Good to meet y’all (I’m the person behind the UK Christian Bookshops Blog, in case anyone’s wondering).
I am publisher for Sovereign World Ltd, based near Lancaster. If we can help any of the bookshops out there, then drop me a line. Great to have blogs like this available to us. Thank you.
Proprietor of Sign of the Fish Bookstore, since 2006.
Store located in historic Lower Lonsdale district of the City of North Vancouver, BC.
Just thinking out loud here: why, if you call bookshops “bookstores” do you call this blog “Christian Book Shop Talk” — shouldn’t it be “Christian Book Store Talk”?
Please forgive my folly: I forgot to check the “Notify me of follow-up comments” box so had to leave another to activate it… (I’m subscribed to your RSS feed for posts)
In North America at least, anytime two people of similar occupation get together to discuss their work, it’s called “shop talk.” It’s not any kind of retail reference. It often implies that the the people involved have segregated themselves from any larger group or larger conversation.
It also just sounds good. The similar vowel sound is, I believe, called assonance (not the kind of word you want to get wrong) which is also called “vowel rhyme.”
I was rather amazed this blog name was still available and also pleasantly surprised by the similarity to your own blog’s URL.
As “shop talk,” I’m really presenting my own thoughts and opinions here, though occasionally it becomes a “news source” if something significant happens.
Thanks for reading, commenting and contributing.
Grace and pesce to you all. Reading your blog from Australia. I am a sole trader in a Christian Book SHOP, that’s what we call them out here. I am a country cousin from a pretty little town on the big Clarence river in the Far North Coast of NSW. I have only recently started using the computer and I am finding a whole new world out there. There is no one teaching me, I am just exploring, and found you. It is nice to know there are other isolated shop keepers out there to talk to. I hope I can find you all again.
love and blessings from Australia x
Thanks for writing! You might enjoy the UK blog listed at right… they call ’em “shops” there, too!! The Australian blog has been largely dormant in the last few months, but bookmark it for future reference and contacts:
http://tradenews.localchristianbooks.com.au/
Hello! My name is Janice F Baca. I am the author of God’s Healing Plan. My book was published this week and I am looking for book reviews. Let me know if you are interested. I would love to have your review.
Blessings,
Personal note to Dr. Florence Nozza:
This is a blog for booksellers and people in the book industry. I checked the three largest wholesale suppliers and they do not carry your book. I would have had to edit your comment anyway since this is not a consumer blog and the people who read it are unlikely to follow your Am*z*n link since that’s the company that’s putting most of them out of business.
I know you want to promote your book, but when a book bypasses the trade bookstores entirely, we can’t help you here.
Hi, I’m Pastor Jerry L. Lewis and I’m the author of “What God Can’t Do: Keys to Prayer Power.” I am looking for reviews I can post to my website. I will be glad to email a MSWord or .pdf of the entire book to you.
Our local Family Christian/Zondervan’s (Eastgate Cincinnati) is restructuring the store and most books are gone, including the copies of my book left for commissioned sales. One of the reasons I’ve heard for not going into Christian book stores was that most of the books are on topics which have been written and re-written until there’s little left to discover for long-time Christians.
I just finished reading “God in the Alley“. Thank you for this wonderful reading–it helped me immensly.
Hi, my name is Janet Wilson. I set up Dernier Publishing in the UK to produce fiction with a Christian worldview for 8-16-year-olds, to encourage and inspire them in their faith and show non-church kids what they are missing. Jesus told stories – all our books are a “message in a story”. Kingsway distribute for us in the UK; we would like to spread the reach of our titles, because all children everywhere need to hear the good news. If anyone would like to to take a look at our website, please do – you can read the first chapters online! Bless you all in Canada.
Kingsway has a relationship with David C. Cook in Canada and the U.S. Can your products be accessed here through them?
Christian Book & Records reporting in.
Hello, I’m a professional copy editor, proofreader and indexer looking to do some Mark 16:15 editing work! I also provide proofreading for subtitles in church teaching films and lyrics projections. I look forward to expanding the number of Christian clients I have. Glad to have found this blog, although not the reason I did (Harper Collins Canada closing; saw the article link here).
Harper Canada will continue to produce books in the general market, and the distribution arm will continue to have a sales and marketing force in both the Christian and secular markets in Canada. It’s the warehouse operation that’s closing. Just the warehouse.
These people that run this company are the blame for what happen here. They got 127 million dollars of free product and could not make it work. The manager and leadership of this company was the worst. They couldn’t even answer the phone correctly. They did no planning and long term forecasting. The buyers knew nothing about the product and change direction on every project that they were working on. The buyers that knew what they were doing were let go for cheaper help. So I don’t feel bad for the company at all………….I do fel bad for all the workers that try their best to keep things going. Imagine ……………..$127 million dollars of free product and they go broke in 2 years. The first person that should have been fired was the president. If he had any clue as to what was going on in his business thet could have survived.
I think your comment should be placed with the article that it relates to. If you could copy and paste it there I will delete this one.
Hello to the Christian Book Industry of Canada! Here in the States, Best Buy, and other big retailers, have said they won’t be selling music CDs in the future? Why, and I’m sure you may know already, people are still buying music, but, they like buy it digitally, i.e. for the “phones.” Best Buy is getting out because there’s no way for them to make money. BUT, as a Christian retailer – – you can. This Christmas can bring you a new option to sell digital music, just like Apple and Amazon. No kidding! And, with wonderful, all non-secular new album. Details at – http://www.forthefaithful.net/retailer-opportunities.html Be sure to see the part about Digital Download Tags, the keys to the digital music of the album, For the Faithful-At Christmas by Dave Cornwall, solo light jazz piano. Please follow up for details!
We’re on Vancouver Island on Canada’s west coast…..starting up a new church library + eager to discover what’s new and great in Christian writing. Am looking in particular for great writing from Canadian, UK, Oz + Kiwi writers since we’re basically flooded with American writers; other countries tend to get less space, less promotion. Happy to have found your blog.
Hi, my name is Susan. I was decluttering my apartment (just discovered Minimalism) when i came across an old Speelman’s flyer. I googled it and discovered that it’s closed. 😞
Further googling led me to this site.
I’m not in the industry, I’m just a reader.
Hoping to find a bookstore (or website that i can order books n things from) in the Greater Toronto Area.
Happy Minimalism to you! (I wouldn’t know.)
Geographically, the closest would be Agape Christian Marketplace, 3232 Steeles Ave. W. (They ended up with Speelman’s old mailing list, I think.)
At Finch Ave, just west of Yonge, there’s Cornerstone.
At McCowan and 401 in Scarborough, there’s Faith Culture. (Largest store by floor space, but limited selection.)
If you really want to see something that comes close to what Speelman’s was, take a drive to Burlington and visit Family Christian Books.
If you’re ever heading east of T.O., my store, Searchlight, is located near (3 traffic lights south) the 401 in Cobourg. We’re a Christian book outlet in a smaller town market.
Hello, I’m Annette from Annette’s Books & Consignment in Belleville, Ontario. I have just celebrated my 1 year Anniversary this past weekend. I carry new Christian Books, Gifts, CDs, DVDS etc. I also carry Cobble Hill Puzzles and Scooped Kawartha Dairy Ice Cream for while you are looking around the store. I have a consignment section of mainly Christian titles with some non-Christian titles provided they have don’t have objectional content in them. People love finding an old book they were looking for that is no longer in print, and my consignor’s enjoy receiving a few dollars for stuff they were otherwise going to drop off at Value Village or the trash. I also carry used furniture, household items & clothing on consignment this helps carry the business in a struggling Christian Market. I get a wide variety of people coming through the store and most everyone that comes through gets to see a message about God and Christ’s Love. Great site Paul! Thank you for having it!
I’m a Christian and new author looking for assistance anywhere I can find. Please check out non-fiction and newly released “faulty Christian.” It’s about me, a Kentuckian, joining online dating and marrying a successful Canadian. Praise God for grace.
I’m an author and online bookseller in Kingston, ON offering a small but growing collection of books on spirituality and social justice – https://robertmundle.com/shop/