Bookseller: 'A Person Whose Value Is Beyond Measure'

Shelf Awareness

Carol Easter and Kevin Sampsell

"Anyone who loves books and places books into readers' hands is a person whose value is beyond measure. Our position--as recommenders, taste-makers, readers, sellers, book displayers, etc.--is important to culture. Heck, it's important to the whole world! It's maybe the most important thing I do in my life. 
When I meet people outside of work and they ask what I do, I don't start off by saying I'm a writer or publisher or collage artist or whatever. I always start by saying, 'I work at Powell's.' "

--Kevin Sampsell was one of two booksellers (Carol Easter was the other) from Powell's Books, Portland, Ore., who received a James Patterson holiday bonus this week. This is from a thank-you note posted on his blog.