I think bookshops divide into two, really. Some of them look a bit like remainder shops. You go in and everything is three for two, four for three, one for two, two by six, and it’s just like going into a B&Q. And you go in thinking: “Ooh, I might buy a book to go on holiday.” And you come out thinking: “Actually, all the good authors are dead, and anyway, I’ve read everything they ever wrote. And the new ones look crap, so frankly I think I’ll just take a CD instead.” And then, there are other bookshops you go into and you think: “Mmm, that looks good.” Or: “It’s not a subject I know much about, but maybe I ought to learn about it.” “Ooh, I haven’t read him.” “I haven’t heard of her.” And you come out with about 15 books in your bag. And Robert has always run bookshops of the latter kind. So I’m very, very happy to be here. And I wish him and his staff every success with this venture.

This was novelist Sebastian Faulks at Topping & Co’s new Bath bookshop last night.

Robert Topping ran Waterstone’s Manchester Deansgate where he was renowned for his enthusiasm and unflagging support of new writers. But, alas, alleged tighter central control from HMV squeezed out his particular style of creative management. This was the essence of the Knackered Hack’s question to Prof Scott Page in our earlier post on maintaining diversity in large organisations.

Here’s a link to a Guardian article detailing what’s happened to the diaspora of early Waterstone’s managers, and describing the loose creative structure that seeded the company’s early success. And this is how Topping describes the collaborative ethos of his own organisation:

…we’re here to share our enthusiasm and passion for books. I won’t give you a big spiel about the company. We’re a very tiny little company. We’ve got a bookshop in the historic and ancient cathedral town of Ely in the Fens, and this is our second and, I think, last bookshop. Because we’re not a bookshop chain. We’re not into administration. We’re not into head office buying. We’re about having booksellers here who choose and buy the books and talk to you and create a community bookshop.

By the way, Faulks’ new novel, Engleby, is about a knackered hack, so comment on that may be forthcoming.

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1. a snowman’s chance in hollywood
2. black swans and icebergs
3. caveman lunch with taleb – part 3
4. nobody knows anything (football version)
5. i’m going on a phone hunt