Today is a two-part interview with both Max and Taylor. Max is a Publicity Manager, working with specific authors, including David Mitchell and Pasha Malla, while Taylor is on the National Accounts team. Both can be found in the Penguin Shop regularly, sharing their knowledge of our books and authors.
Q: How does what you do make you good at providing customers with recommendations?
Max: I’m lucky, I get to spend time with the authors and sometimes an anecdote about an author or maybe an insight that the author gave me about their book might be extra sort of ammunition in in getting someone to read a certain book. And sometimes, actually, authors will give me recommendations on books they like, so I can give recommendations by an author to a customer.
Q: What’s your favourite thing about the Shop?
Taylor: Obviously, just getting to talk to people about our books. It’s always interesting to hear how someone has discovered the Shop. People always have a distinct reason for why they’re here. Like, we’re a little off the beaten path, so I think people have to make an effort to come.
Q: Why do you think people should come visit the Shop?
Taylor: I think that any book-loving Torontonian should want to come to what has to be our city’s littlest bookstore. There’s some great stuff that’s available at the Shop that you won’t find elsewhere, like signed copies from authors, and it’s always changing, so it’s never going to be the same if you come week to week.
Taylor’s Staff Pick
“I’m always very happy to push some Can Lit in the form of Mordecai Richler, if anyone hasn’t ready Barney’s Version or If Solomon Gursky Was Here. I also just finished Sour Heart by Jenny Zhang and I would heartily recommend that.”
