How to Understand the Publishing Industry (Without Asking Anyone)
Every Bookstore Is a Publishing Crystal Ball
This is Day 2/5 of Unlocking Publishing Jobs You Love, new? Start Here.
When I was trying to break into publishing, I landed a rare meeting with a publishing director.
I thought we’d talk about portfolio structure, style trends, or what makes a good pitch.
Instead, he said: “Go to the biggest bookstore you can find. Study the shelves.”
He wasn’t the only one alone. Lilla Rogers — one of the most respected illustration agents in the world — gave me the same advice.
Not the library.
Not Amazon.
The bookstore.
Because bookstores are the physical manifestation of the business side of publishing. They are what publishers believe in enough to print, ship, and display. And every table, face-out book, and feature shelf is a loud signal about what they want more of.
Bookshop field trips are a must!
It’s how you get fluent in what publishing wants without having to ask anyone directly.
But What Should You Look For?
This is where most people freeze. They walk into the store and feel overwhelmed.
So in today’s training, I’m giving you 3 questions you can use every time you do a bookstore field trip. Get ready to uncover:
Who your customer really is
Who your competition is (and why that’s good)
What your unique advantage is in the market
The rest of this post walks you through the exact field trip prompts and includes a printable PDF worksheet to take with you.