nathandouglasdavis

Each chapter is an autobiographical essay on a different subject relating to being a clerk in the manga department of a bookstore. Dealing with foreigners is a recurring theme. These are the various topics of each chapter:

1. Reasons books might be out of stock
2. The universal language of fujoshi
3. Being asked for a recommendation
4. Restocking the various types of releases
5. Dealing with sales reps
6. Customer service training
7. When customers act outside of expectations
8. An author signs books
9. The chiefs of the sales and distribution departments
10. About erotica and "harmful publications"
11. The role of wholesalers
12. Fairs--themed displays and bonus items
13. Physical store lovers and the delivery option
14. A networking drinking party
15. Initial sales of new releases
16. Books that don't sell
17. The qualities of a good bookseller
18. Dealing with children
19. Differences in running different sections
20. Working the late shift
21. Bookstores from a publisher's perspective
22. A look inside e-book online stores
23. Preparing to visit Taiwan
24. Discussing translations and the Taiwanese market

I appreciate the odd faces, masks, and veils they have going on for all the people working at the bookstore, that nobody comments on, of course, since they're just representational (like what Doonesbury does). It does make the title of this manga ("Skull-Face Bookseller") feel less relevant though, since feir skull face is entirely aesthetic and has nothing to do with feir actual character. It's also sorta neat seeing how many of these titles they reference I recognize as I'm reading. The fourth volume (ch. 21-24) was flailing and not worth the strain it obviously took to get topics to write about.