Write on the DOT Reading Series: A Bookstore for Dorchester ~ Interview with Yooree Losordo of On the Dot Books

Yooree Losordo of On the Dot Books

LH: In the last 6 months you’ve gone from giving birth to your second child to signing up for a business plan class to winning $5,000 in seed capital and opening a pop-up bookstore in Dorchester. A very impressive start when summed up by the highlights – what have been your favorite and least favorite parts of this experience?

YL: I was a stay-at-home wife and mom for nearly five years, and while I love my family dearly, my life revolved around other people’s needs for a long time. It’s been so empowering and fulfilling to do something that’s my thing.

My least favorite part has been the sheer amount of labor. I got started at Ashmont Farmers Market in June 2014. I spent many hours loading and unloading books, sometimes with no sales to show for it. Those days weren’t any fun.

On the Dot Books Pop-up @ Ashmont Farmers' Market ~ June 2014

LH: You currently operate out of Dot2Dot Café and have an impressive list of local author events this fall, including UMass Boston MFA director Jill McDonough on November 6^th and Write on the DOT founder Aaron Devine on November 16^th. What’s the best way for folks to stay in the know?

YL: Right now the best way is to like us on Facebook - it’s the primary way we communicate with our customers. We also have an email list with an event listing section. To subscribe, please visit http://onthedotbooks.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe.

Have breakfast and browse some NYT bestsellers at Dot2Dot Cafe! Win!

LH: You’ve attended several bookseller expos in recent months. What’s bookseller culture like? Are independent owners hopeful for a new model of local engagement?

YL: I have been to NEIBA and ABA (American Booksellers Association) events before, and find them tremendously helpful. Booksellers are passionate about what they do, and there is a “we’re in it together” ethos that I love. It’s a relatively small group, so everybody knows each other and help each other out.

LH: As a bookseller you are privy to receiving many advance copies. Any upcoming titles you’re really excited to offer your customers?

YL: I do get some paper advance copies, but mostly use Edelweiss and NetGalley, two services publishers offer digital advance copies to booksellers, bloggers, and other influencers...I try not to go on them too often because it’s very easy to get sucked in by all the exciting new titles. Most recently I enjoyed Bill Roorbach’s The Remedy for Love, and Charles Blow’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones, so one novel, one memoir. I’ve also been rediscovering older titles. Currently I’m reading Margaret Wheatley and Deborah Frieze’s Walk Out Walk On, which is a must-read for anybody who considers themselves social entrepreneurs or activists.

LH: What is the timeline for having your own brick and mortar location in Dorchester?

YL: Ideally, I’d like to have my own storefront by next fall, but we will see. A lot of things will have to come together to make that a reality - financing, the perfect location, recruiting a great staff.

LH: Okay, so we’re all now aware that Amazon is a monopolizing devil, but the service is so fast and easy! Give me three reasons why folks should support a local bookstore instead.

YL: Limiting to three is impossible! Franklin Foer just wrote a great story for The New Republic entitled Amazon Must beStopped. I urge everybody to read it as well as Gawker.com’s Working at Amazon is a Soul-Crushing Experience.
Most recently, I needed to buy my daughters ivory shoes for their Aunt’s wedding. I ended up having to use Zappos (owned by Amazon) because I could not find the shoes locally. Multiply this transaction by about one-million everyday and you can start to think about how that affects small businesses and main streets across the country. It is still small business that creates the most jobs - not behemoths like Amazon.

I don’t disagree that Amazon provides excellent service, but it comes at the cost of empty commercial districts and low wage jobs. And if Amazon is allowed to get even more powerful, it will be Amazon dictating who gets published, just as Wal-Mart has told Coca-Cola which sweetener to use. Amazon considers books to be a commodity, like diapers or paper clips. How can great literature survive in that climate?

I’m not telling people to stop using Amazon completely - just use them if you really can’t find something locally. I believe in a world where e-commerce and a healthy indie bookselling industry can co-exist peacefully.

Thanks Yooree!