Burton, Betsy

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Burton, Betsy

PERSONAL: Female. Education: Oberlin College, B.A., 1968.

ADDRESSES: Office—The King's English, 1511 South 1500 E., Salt Lake City, UT 84105; fax: 801-484-1595. E-mail—books@kingsenglish.com.

CAREER: Writer and entrepreneur. Owner, King's English Bookstore, 1977–.

AWARDS, HONORS: Bookseller of the Year award, Mountains and Plains Booksellers Association, 2001.

WRITINGS:

The King's English: Adventures of an Independent Bookseller, Gibbs Smith (Layton, UT), 2005.

Editor, the Inkslinger (a literary newsletter).

SIDELIGHTS: Betsy Burton is an author and the owner of The King's English, an independent bookstore in Salt Lake City, Utah. Burton first opened the store in 1977, and her book, The King's English: Adventures of an Independent Bookseller, is a "vivacious and spirited account of the ensuing years" of entrepreneurship and advocacy, noted Grace Anne A. DeCandido in Booklist. Burton tells of the store's early years and how she and her then-business partner selected their opening inventory by scouring the current edition of Books in Print. She relates stories of signings and appearances by notable authors, including John Irving, E.L. Doctorow, Isabel Allende, Tony Hillerman, and others, some whose lists of demands for an appearance rival those of rock stars. The joys of bibliophily permeate the pages of her account, and she muses on topics related to supporting books, connecting the right reader with the right book, and making books available to the public in a comfortable setting. Burton offers dozens of relevant reading lists, such as "Twenty-Five Books on Reading Books" and "Twenty-Five Thrillers with Moral Heft." She explains how controversy can be a small store's best friend, engendering media attention and spurring sales. Burton even admits that it was rumored she had a tryst with Irving when he was in town to appear at her store; but, cannily, she does not reveal whether or not the rumor is true. The bookselling business also has its down side, and Burton tells of employees who steal, the ferocious competition from big chain bookstores and online retailers, and governmental interference via the Patriot Act.

Though Burton's account focuses on the ups and downs of a single small store, its wisdom and insights can be applied to a variety of related topics, including the love of reading and the pursuit of books, the delights (and oddities) of meeting one's favorite authors, and the struggles of small business against strong competition and a fickle marketplace. Through it all, noted a reviewer in Research & Reference Book News, Burton does not lose sight of those important people who drive the bookstore business: "readers with money in hand who are as passionate as she about books." "Burton tells her tales well and with humor—selling books all the while," commented Jim Lawless in a profile on the Oberlin Alumni Magazine Web site. Library Journal contributor Alison Lewis called Burton's book "an interesting insider's look" at the bookselling process.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, April 15, 2005, Grace Anne A. DeCandido, review of The King's English: Adventures of an Independent Bookseller, p. 1416.

Library Bookwatch, October, 2005, review of The King's English.

Library Journal, July 1, 2005, Alison M. Lewis, review of The King's English, p. 79.

Publishers Weekly, April 4, 2005, Karen Hold, "Teaching Booksellers The King's English; Lessons from a Quarter Century of Indie Bookselling," review of The King's English, p. 16.

Reference & Research Book News, August, 2005, review of The King's English, p. 289.