This week we feature a local online bookseller who also makes the rounds at virtually all of the local conventions, Duncan’s Book and More. Duncan just also happens to be the husband of our contributor, Andrea Rittschof.
Take it away, Andrea.
Duncan Rittschof, the proprietor of Duncan’s Books and More, has been working in books for many years. It began as a part time position when he went back to college. He worked as a contractor, shipping books and organizing incoming stock for his boss, Kathy Ogbern, who after working in sales for years, was running her own store named The Kat’s Meow.
After gaining some experience in the book industry and excited about helping people find books that made them happy, a friend selling some used books opened up an opportunity for Duncan to begin his own business. Under the tutelage of Kathy, he opened up his own store, first on Amazon, as DR Books and then later as Duncan’s Books and More.
In August 2014, at the behest of Local Guest of Honor Gini Koch, Duncan’s Books and More was invited to be the bookseller at the 2014 Coppercon/Fantasm. It was an exciting event and Duncan realized that he had the opportunity to do more than sell books, he could also help local authors, supporting them around the valley at events, enabling them to focus on connecting with fans instead of dealing with state and local taxes. He enjoyed assisting authors and the next step was soon born.
With a partnership with author T.L Smith (Terry Smith) of the Amazing Wyked Writers, Duncan and the bookstore was brought in to be the cashier for the group at Phoenix Comic Con 2015. While Terry had been involved with the event the prior year, this was her first year expanding the group to five authors including herself and Duncan’s Books and More. The show was a fabulous success and the partnership has grown each year. On the fourth year, Phoenix Comic Fest 2018, there were twenty two authors, Duncan’s Books and More and eight runners to help the authors and the bookstore with logistics. Terry has been a true partner and has brought the store to a higher level than it could have done otherwise.
One of the pluses that Duncan offers his customers is his genuine desire to bring them to books they will love, a willingness to be connected to the local fan communities and honesty with his authors. Once he ‘adopts an author’, he supports them on social media and lets them know about local opportunities to sell their books. He also tells his customers to email him if they have special requests and he will try to locate the books, either direct from a publisher or from used sources. If you want to contact him, his email is dr_books@ymail.com. While still growing, Duncan is always looking for ways to make it better and building the local literary community.
While the business has been finding good homes for books since 2007, it was branching out into supporting authors like T.L. Smith at local events around the Phoenix local area that has truly helped the business grow. The business is working on expanding constantly, building inventory that will excite readers and offering content on the website that promotes storytelling and independent creators through reviews of books and movies while spotlighting authors and news around the valley. The bookstore is passionate about books and authors. If you’re interested in supporting a small, independent bookstore, check out the website www.duncansbooksandmore.com and look for the business at local shows like Phoenix Fan Fusion, book festivals, and local conventions.
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