Shelf Life

While recovering from breast cancer, Shea visits her favorite bookstore in Springfield, Mass. She is well-known at Edwards Books, having held some book signings for her past books. When the owner said she needed help, Suzanne agreed to help for a short while, not knowing how long her strength would hold out. To her surprise, she became immersed in talking with customers and selling of books, and four hours later helped close the store. This is a biographical book of Shea an her association with Janet Edwards, owner of the family owned bookstore. From scanning books to answering phone queries to finding books for people who only know one word of the title, or perhaps only what the cover looks like, Shea takes the reader through the daily routine. Statistics on books and bookselling, ordering form suppliers, returns and the status of books in he United States are provided. The struggle of independent bookstores to stay the course provides their strength - getting to know books intimately and, more importantly, to know customers personally.

As an author of five other books, Shea writes about a book presentation to three people, being flown from one city to the next, signings, or walking into a bookstore and asking if they have her books on the shelf. She briefly explains the hard/soft contracts publishers have with authors, and remainders. Overall, it's a booklover's book, provided with a glimpse of a bookstore from the inside and an author from the heart.