The Man at the
Heart of
Barton’s What’s it really like, being a bookseller in the 21st century? Peter Snell, manager of Barton’s Bookshop, talks to Shona Wood about bestsellers, social media, and why Barton’s is better than Amazon.
S
tepping into Barton’s Bookshop, I immediately feel at home. It’s difficult not to when you’re as devoted to reading as I am, because Barton’s is, without doubt, a proper bookshop. From the Tudor-style beams and towering wooden bookcases, to the squashy leather sofa and huge open fireplace, it’s just the way a bookshop should be. And it’s very much down to Peter Snell. The sixty-something-year-old is sitting at his computer when I arrive, stroking his beard absent-mindedly whilst catching up with the latest Facebook activity. He’s a little bit like Santa crossed with your favourite uncle – with a profound love of books thrown in for good measure. “I’ve spent my whole life reading,” he says simply as we settle down for our interview. “I can’t remember ever learning to read.” Once you’ve seen Peter at work, it’s difficult to imagine him doing anything else, but the truth is that he sort of “fell” into bookselling. “I worked in the finance industry for many years,” he tells me, “but then I became very, very ill. As part of my recuperation,
I got myself a job doing the odd hour here and there in a bookshop and used that as my therapy to rebuild myself. Eventually I ended up running the store, then my lovely wife bought me my own shop and now here we are.” Any regrets? “No,” he says without hesitation. “No, it’s the best job in the world.”
Peter’s certainly doing the job well. Since its grand opening in 2008, Barton’s Bookshop in Leatherhead, Surrey has gone from strength to strength – its most recent achievement being a grant from best-selling author James Patterson. With so many rivals though, and the rise of the juggernaut that is Amazon, I can’t help but wonder how he manages to keep attracting customers. “I don’t tend to stock the books that you’ll find in Sainsbury’s and Tesco – the same books you’ll find cheap on Amazon,” Peter explains. “There’s no point. Recently, David Walliams had a new book out: Awful Auntie, £12.99 hardback, £6.49 in Sainsbury’s – less than it costs me to buy from my wholesalers. So I don’t stock it. When customers come in I tell them, ‘Look, I
“it’s the best job in the world”
(continued on page 14)
www.readitmag.co.uk
ReadIt 11