45 years a bookseller and planning many more

Scorpio Books’ David Cameron - 45 years a bookseller and planning many more!

Scorpio Books is a Christchurch institution, a spacious, incredibly well stocked and eclectic bookshop in Hereford Street, just down from Ballantynes.

David Cameron, Scorpio’s owner, has been in books since leaving school to work at UBS Dunedin in 1965. Ten years later he bought the Christchurch business, then Pisces Books. In 1979 there was a change of astrological name to become Scorpio.

Initially, the stock was counter-culture alternative and quite different. Cook books were only for vegans and vegetarians, but over the past 21 years much has changed, accelerating 12 years ago when Scorpio moved to its present 4000 sq foot site.

The store is large and spacious, with leather chairs for browsing and dedicated to books, with a huge title selection.

Currently literary fiction is their largest selling category (at around 15 percent of turnover), followed closely by history and other non-fiction. Sci fi and fantasy has halved over recent years, reports Cameron. The newest category, Architecture, has done well over recent years but is suffering the effects of the recession. However cook books are growing. Vegetarians and vegans are still catered for, but along with three shelves of those titles there are at least 30 more of “really good cook books.” It helps, says Cameron, that there are some really enthusiastic cooks among his staff.

For Scorpio Books, sales held up well in the early days of the recession, and they recorded growth in 2008 and 2009, ending with Christmas up a bit last year. “It has been harder this year though,” says Cameron. “I guess reality bites.”

Cameron is taking the downturn calmly, but not without fighting back. “We got here by being dedicated and using a lot of energy. I haven’t been afraid to source offshore, and we have a lot of titles that wouldn’t be seen in other bookstores.”

He estimates almost 25 percent of Scorpio’s stock is bought offshore. Hunting down those point-of-difference titles is a well-honed skill for the experienced bookseller. Publisher’s indent lists are a fertile hunting ground – growing for those publishers warehoused in Australia, but shrinking for those with local warehouses, he feels.

One title Cameron was pleased to find has been a great success at Scorpio – Muriel Barbery’s The Elegance of the Hedgehog. Further sales no doubt will be forthcoming when the film is released here shortly. Another find is the Penguin USA de luxe editions of classics, paperback but with French folds and covers by major contemporary artists.

Cameron is also a bookseller unafraid of hard backs. While he applauds the near universal first release of new fiction as TPB’s in Australia and New Zealand markets, he will happily buy non-fiction history in hard cover “if it is solid and has good reviews or by a successful author.” Increasingly he is also buying architecture and art books in hardback.

Bill Bryson’s new At Home: a short history of private life arrived in store the morning of The Read’s interview. It is a non-fiction hardback title he thinks will do well for the store, and no time was wasted creating a window display of the title.

Scorpio was an early adopter (in the 1980’s) of computer technology, so it is a surprise to learn that they are only just getting their website up and running as a business tool. “In the early days everyone wanted to sell us systems more suitable for Amazon, so it has taken us a while to find what we need to support the business.”

(L-R)  Jonathan Shine, Jan Miller, Gill Greer, Paul Smith and David Cameron

Cameron is supported by his team of enthusiastic booksellers – partner Jo Hewitson, Gillian Clark, Jonathan Shine and the same name but unrelated Paul Smith and Simon Smith, plus office and clerical star Jan Miller who has been with Scorpio for 20 years. “We’re service oriented,” Cameron says “We will do as many special orders as needed. We’ve become more efficient at it – and it leads to more business.

Scorpio doesn’t do any institutional business, as Cameron finds offering substantial discounts doesn’t contribute to the building the store. “But if a library comes in with budget they’ve got to spend immediately and they are buying from stock, I’m happy to see them!”

While Cameron cites “So much uncertainty on the horizon,” that doesn’t faze him one bit. “If I had my life over, I’d do it all again!” asserts the veteran bookseller, who says he is looking forward to his next 20 years in the trade.