Cataloger's dementia
Archive: Online bookselling
When I started cataloging this morning I was doing 'better books.' Better books may be worthwhile books. One of the things I learned during the seven months I worked in a used bookshop before opening my own that a good book is one that pays the bills. If you can't accomplish that you won't be selling Barbara Cartland much less scholarly works on Samuel Johnson.
Given my modest standard a book I can get $15 or more for is pretty decent. I do my best to add distinctive and relevant keywords.
Then I dropped several notches and cataloged a stack of cheap books I'd leave to our employee that catalogs if he weren't out sick. I awoke to how dementedly I was performing my task when it registered that I'd put 'epistolary' and 'postal employees' among the keywords. I had been cataloging a cheap kid's book about a postman who delivers letters to folks like Mr. & Mrs. Bear.
A trifle silly don't you think?
Feel free to share your feelings about Cataloger's dementia. Please stick to the theme of the entry. Disagreement is fine. Homophobia, racism, and kindred expressions of hatred will be deleted.
This site is one of my hobbies. I genuinely enjoy hearing from people and hate moderating or killing comments. Forthright disagreement is fine as long as it is civil.
My thanks,
Richard
1 · Posted by: Steven on July 13, 2004 02:50 PM
I also spend a lot of time cataloging but look on my compulsiveness, especially with keyword listings, as a possible leg up on the weaker descriptions out there.
Steven