Author-Bookseller-Entrepreneur Ann Patchett

Shelf Awareness

Author-bookseller Ann Patchett was called a prime example of entrepreneurs who "don't take no for an answer," in a Wall Street Journal article about how entrepreneurs' ideas often run counter to accepted general wisdom.

"Sometimes, though, entrepreneurs know something that the critics don't," the paper wrote. "It's more than just a gut instinct. They grasp some fundamental aspect of the situation that others don't--a nuance of the market, for instance, or what makes potential customers tick. And sometimes that insight pays off big-time."Patchett recalled that when she considered opening a bookstore in Nashville, Tenn.--which became Parnassus Books--people said "opening a bookstore was the stupidest thing you could do. You might as well be selling eight-track tapes. It's dead; it's over."

Patchett's twist was keeping Parnassus much smaller than the two large, profitable bookstores in Nashville that had closed.

Now the store is "thriving," the Journal wrote. "Ms. Patchett's partner in the venture, Karen Hayes, says it has exceeded their sales projections every month they've been open."