Dear William,
Firstly, Thanks
You're hearing from me now mainly because I couldn't think of a better way to reach as many of you as possible to say thank you for your support during my first year of bookselling. Each one of you has been a help in confirming that I am heading in roughly the right direction as I moved from selling on a once a month street stall from May onwards last year, to the internet at the end of last year and most recently into a shop in Penang a month ago. I hadn't planned it this way, but it seems right for now. Thanks again.
Suck it 'n See
Of course there have been lots of stumbles along the way as I've experimented with different websites, currencies as well as with a bewildering array of web marketing tools. This is yet another. By the beginning of this month I managed at last to catalogue all of my Malaysian titles until I picked up a few more when I was in Kuala Lumpur earlier this week! Now that some semblance of calm and, maybe, order  has settled in I hope to be able to concentrate more in the coming year in ensuring that my websites reflect what's actually cluttering my bookshelves. Nevertheless I have worked out a way to let those of you not in Penang to at least have the bare basics of what's in stock - Have A Browse.
Book Auction Ahead!
We're off to the UK for two weeks from tomorrow, Monday the 13th. Of course, when I can drag myself away from family and friends, I'll be sniffing about for books. One of the things I'll be doing is attending my first auction of books about Malaysia and Singapore. I am happy to take commissions to bid for any of the books. You can have a look at what's on offer here. If you have difficulty in accessing Facebook the same list can be found on The Penang Bookshelf Blog. If you would like me to make a bid on your behalf, just email me or sms me on +60-12-972-6485 with the lot number and your maximum bid. My fee is 15% of the purchase price per lot with a minimum fee of RM15 and a maximum of RM55. Postage within Malaysia will be free and I can give quotations for rates to other countries.
And Yet More Books...
While in the process of establishing myself at 80 Armenain Street, Penang, I had the very good fortune to be commissioned to sell a significant family collection of books. I haven't been able to find the time to make much of a start on putting these up on the web yet, but hope to do that when I return to Penang at the end of this month. In the meantime if you're interested in any of the Malaysian and Asian books listed here, do contact me.
Blogging Bonus
I've struggled with ways of trying to let those of you who are interested know what's happening at the Penang Bookshelf. For now I've decided that Facebook and Twitter are too intrusive as far as you're concerned and so from today have started experimenting with a blog. As I've never blogged before, it may be extremely boring for you or, possibly, enlightening. I'll be guided by you. I'm experimenting with using the blog to let you know what I'm ordering, so that if you want to order any books in advance, you may do so. On some of the books I can offer a discount if they are ordered and paid for within a calendar month of my date of purchase. I hope when you read this you will understand what I'm proposing.
And in Conclusion...
When I lived in Sri Lanka there was a prominent Government minister who always signalled that there was at least another half hour of his turgid speech to be endured when he uttered those words. I hope I can be more speedy. Re-inventing myself for the fourth time since leaving university has been a rewarding learning experience. The financial rewards have been meagre, but I hadn't expected much else. The rewards in friendship and growing knowledge about my new home have really been what's kept me going and will keep on doing so in my second year. Of course there have been casualties as I've tried to keep pace with the expansion. I apologise to any of you whom I may have neglected and trust I can soon put right anything that may have gone amiss. Generally, if you feel there's anything I can improve upon, do please let me know. I'm always willing to learn.
Thanks for reading this far. I look forward to being in touch again.
With my best wishes,
William Knox The Penang Bookshelf
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