24 Comments
Nov 15Liked by Katie Clapham

Normalise buying picturebooks for adults at Christmas I say!

I also really want to know which one your customer bought

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Receptionists at big publishers must get the most amazing crazy phone calls! I hope there’s a substack somewhere by a receptionist sharing their day to day interactions.

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Nov 17Liked by Katie Clapham

I work at a publisher's and occasionally answer the phone, and honestly our most used phrase is, 'You can find all the information about submitting on our website..."

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Nov 15Liked by Katie Clapham

Also keen to hear what the picture book was. I’ve bought friends books as adults from our childhoods that they’ve forgotten, like “ not now, Bernard!” , or “ Burglar Bill” .

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Nov 15Liked by Katie Clapham

I love Burglar Bill! Discovered it as an adult - somehow it was in the pile of books we read to our children. Maybe I should see if I can find it…

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Oh, picture books for adults all year round, I'd say, there are so many wonderful ones! A friend of mine and I used to gift each other the loveliest picture books for any occasion. (Okay, we were biased, we were librarians, but anyway. 😄)

Laughed out loud at the Julia Roberts part! And the rolling up sleeves (and down again).Thank you! 😂

Wish you an awesomely successful christmas season! 🎅📚

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Nov 16Liked by Katie Clapham

I am so charmed by your weekly updates! I had my own Business Mum, she owned a small publishing company and I was the other half of the company. Statistical reference books, all produced in-house, very dull tomes, but a lovely decade or so of working together.

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author

Ah this is lovely, Louise. I sort of want 'very dull tomes' on a tote bag.

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I’d love to know which picture book wifey bought hubby 🙏🏻

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I'm particularly amused by 'roughed out a story and rang a publisher' man.

For my sins I sometimes hang out in a few writers' groups on Facebook and keep having to tell people that fiction publishers generally want to hear from you only after you have a completed story… whereas in my experience (extensive but niche) non-fiction publishers want the opposite; pitches not the finished product.

I'm just kinda guessing he's unpublished and I'm afriad he might stay that way.

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Nov 15Liked by Katie Clapham

Laughed at the Julius Roberts bit - and I have the cook book and would actually very much recommend. It’s pretty good!

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So glad you survived this perilous day!! A receipt on a knife edge. Seat of your pants stuff. I think there must have been something in the water in St Anne’s this week! Also, I really want a beautiful advent calendar now! X

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Nov 15Liked by Katie Clapham

Wait. There is a Gruffalo Advent Calendar?! Why is this the first I’m hearing of this?!

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Nov 15Liked by Katie Clapham

I’ve not considered a picture book. Please … recommendations?

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I buy them regularly and it's such a delight! I have SO many favorites, but some I reread the most are The Old Woman Who Named Things, The Library, Balloons Over Broadway, Maybe, We Are Grateful, Beneath, Nell Plants a Tree 🌻(to name a very few)

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Nov 15Liked by Katie Clapham

Books are very expensive in Australia, so sometimes it actually is worth buying them in the UK and posting them. That might be why you have a disproportionate number of proxy-Australian customers compared to other countries.

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Do you get a lot of "it's probably cheaper on Amazon"?

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Ah, the power of picture books - and so well described!

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I'd love to write a lovely comment here, but I'm very, very busy writing a debut best-seller about superhero socks.

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author

quickkkkkk!!!

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Nov 15Liked by Katie Clapham

I wish we lived on the same continent. I would come to your shop... Occasionally. 😘

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