40 years of putting books into the world
This year Bookspeed marks its 40th birthday, so we've been reminiscing. Four decades means enough experience to feel established and have the wisdom, confidence and sense of perspective to know where we want to go. But it's been a journey to get here. We asked co-founder Annie Rhodes to share what life was like starting Bookspeed in the 1980s.
1985, Finsbury Park, Eilis Doherty, a friend and previous colleague, contacted Kingsley and I to say that the book distribution co-op Kingsley and I had previously worked in was winding up and were we interested in the premises in either Manchester or Edinburgh to ‘do our own thing’? It took less than five minutes for us to say, yes, Edinburgh! Thank you Eilis! I was working in sales at The Women’s Press in London, a job I treasured (thank you Mary Hemming!) but living in London taxed me, I’m a North Country girl.
January 1986 saw Kingsley and I spending weekends in Edinburgh in a B&B, A3 accounting pad spread |out, filled with pencilled projections for profit and cash flow. Edinburgh Council liked our plan and offered a loan of £10k to be matched by a bank overdraft of the same amount. Tortuous meetings with banks followed, all refusals: ‘Why weren’t we married? Didn’t we have a rich aunt?’ until the Bank of Scotland agreed. By that time, we had signed the lease on 48a Hamilton Place, Stockbridge and were down to our last £200. Would I take those risks now? I doubt it, but we were young, had considerable experience of selling and supplying books, had great support from publishers and customers, and of course it was the 1980s.
"The growth and successes which followed amazed me at every stage and continues to do so now."
The growth and successes which followed amazed me at every stage and continues to do so now. It was hard work, at times overwhelming, Kingsley and I shared all the tasks initially and then specialised as needed, swapping titles, making it up as we went along. There have been many commercial challenges: competitors, recessions, tight margins, huge changes in book retailing.
We also encountered personal challenges as parents, finding ways to share caring for Patrick and Lewis and keep all wheels turning. They were both immersed in the Bookspeed world. Patrick took his first steps with the aid of a kick-stool in the warehouse, they were both looked after in or near Hamilton Place while we worked, and Lewis took over leading the company, creating a much-needed commercial vision for growth and an essential devolved management structure to ensure future progress.
"I’ve had the privilege of working alongside so many talented, spirited, funny, thoughtful, and hard-working people."
The most astounding aspect of Bookspeed’s whole history, though, has been the people who have joined the journey along the way, whether for a short time (there were a few who didn’t come back after lunch on their first day) or decades (you know who you are!). Although unfortunately not able to carry on my role after 2004, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside so many talented, spirited, funny, thoughtful, and hard-working people.
Bookspeed has thrived thanks to everyone who has been part of the team in the past and those on board today, helping to meet new challenges and ensure that it remains what it’s always strived to be, a respected and respectful place of work, putting more books out into the world.
