Interview

Meet David Cameron of Scorpio Books in Christchurch

REVISED HOME PAGE SIZE 715 X 384 (36).jpg

This month marks the centenary of books industry advocate Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand. Like any anniversary, it’s a time for reflecting on what has gone before as well as looking ahead especially as demand for books increases and a growing number of bookshops open around the country. Kete talked to booksellers across Aotearoa New Zealand to find out what they enjoy most about the work they do – and some of the strangest requests they’ve had from much-loved customers. Today we hear from David Cameron, who’s been 50 years a bookseller – ever since he left school in 1965 – and plans to have many more years in the trade. He bought Scorpio Books in Christchurch in 1975 when it was Pisces Books and, four years later, gave it an astrological name change. It now occupies a large site in the Christchurch CBD.

How did you become so interested – passionate, even – about books and reading that you wanted to open a bookshop?

In 1965 I was working at the University Book Shop in Dunedin after school. After realising quite quickly that this was what I wanted to do, I left school and began my bookselling career fulltime. It never occurred to me that I might want to open my own shop until around 1974 when, as acting manager the interference from the owners became intolerable and certain reps made the suggestion that Christchurch would be a good place to open a shop.

Were there any bookshops you visited that inspired you?

Certainly, UBS was an inspiration. Unity Wellington was only in its early days but even then it made me believe in the possibilities.

So, how did you do it and what were some of the challenges you faced along the way?

That’s when it got really hard. I made my move to Christchurch but found straight away that landlords were not interested in young men who hadn’t been in business on their own account before. My experience counted for nothing and after a few discouraging months I ended up working for David Ault at UBS Canterbury doing textbook ordering. After a year or two, my wife heard on the grapevine (her hairdresser) that a very small but iconic bookshop (Pisces) was for sale.

If I’d known all the travails that lay in the future my despair would have got the better of me. Fortunately, most of the challenges arrived more or less one at a time. It was clear that in order to make a living I would need a larger shop with a more central location. There were a number of independents in the CBD - Gordon Tait, Dormans, Technical Books, The Women’s Bookshop plus, of course, Whitcoulls, London Bookshop and probably a few I’ve now forgotten - but as a more esoteric/new age specialist that didn’t seem to matter.

I lost my wife in 1979, which was a huge blow, but I immersed myself in work. The shop gradually grew in scope and in square footage. The adjacent shops closed and each time our size increased. By then I felt I had a proper bookshop. Technology reared its ugly head as microfiche displaced Books in Print followed by computerisation around 1988. Then our lease came to an end, and when the landlord kicked off negotiations with, “What are you offering?”, I went scurrying in search of new premises. We found a lovely site just around the corner and we prospered for a while. Then came Amazon, then came Borders, which seemed to herald a decline, but who would have thought - with a totally new eftpos system - fortune would began to smile again? Some 50,000 earthquakes later, and we’re still smiling, except I’m suddenly an old man.

My partner, Jo, now a seasoned bookseller, carries much of the weight, as do our wonderful staff. The shop has never been in better health - and there’s possibly an exciting new venture in the works, so stay tuned!

What do you enjoy about it most?

Ordering books I suppose and riding to work on my motorcycle.

Can you tell me about some of the strangest or most difficult enquiries you have had to deal with?

Artist Bill Sutton ordered a number of extremely expensive facsimile illuminated volumes published in Switzerland in extremely small numbers. I believe he donated them all to the University Library where I’m sure they are very securely housed.

Not so long ago, there was much talk about the “death of the book” and, along with it, bookshops themselves but this hasn’t happened. What’s your theory on why this is?

Sometimes new technologies arouse so much awe and wonder that people’s judgements and predictions are deeply flawed. For example, when CD-Roms were developed the technologists went to the publishers and convinced them that they had the content and that books could be transformed by the visual/interactive content which would enhance books. The Pearson Group lost around 400 million when they invested in the imagined future. I no longer remember the currency. I did see a photograph in the Bookseller of a section for CD-Rom books in a Scottish bookshop. There was a sterile looking series of booths with nary a book in sight. Up till then, I had been talked into ordering several titles of this new breed. I never ordered another.

Mind you I never thought Amazon would make it. They were spending up to US$20 million a year on software development and losing money hand over fist. However, people’s imaginations reflected in their stock valuation, meaning they had huge borrowing power and the rest is history.

Bookshops seem to be the type of place that garner loyal customers. Is there any such thing as a “typical customer” and what do you think your customers – especially the most loyal – enjoy about your bookstore?

Customers span all sorts of spectrums. If you attempt to stereotype customers you will lose.

But all our different customers seem to enjoy our range, displays and natural light. And service! Genuine service. We offer special orders. Years ago, it was much more difficult when our bibliographic tools were always outdated. Now there is no excuse.

We strive to provide a welcoming, friendly haven for all manner of readers and writers. Our staff are active readers, with different interests and specialties, who enjoy talking to people about books. We don’t put an expiry date on our shop vouchers and we accept vouchers from other bookshops. Even if it’s a bother to try and claim from the issuer later, it doesn’t matter. You’ve made a customer happy. They don’t forget. If you try to ensure your profit on every transaction you will anger some people. If a book is not in perfect condition and a customer draws your attention to it, don’t begrudge giving them a discount. That sort of thing.

Bookshops are also the type of place that many aspire to own or work in, why do you think that is and can the fantasy live up to the reality?

As long as the fantasy is up for modification, it’s ok! It seems to be true, though, because we have lots of long-term and returning staff members.

What are your hopes for the future of bookshops and, indeed, the book trade in general?

I despair for the future of the world generally but history proves that bookshops and publishing may be the last to fail, in which case there is hope.

What are you reading at the moment? Any New Zealand books you’re recommending to customers?

Always. Unsheltered by Clare Moleta (who’s technically an Aussie, but she’s living and teaching in Wellington, so we’ll claim her.) It’s outstandingly brutal. Very unsettling. Set in the not-too-distant future with wild weather. Dystopian titles like this may just help us accept the changes we need to make — before stories like this become our reality.