Once upon a time there was a big bad dragon. He used to go to his garage and tinker on his computer. He was a problem solver. How do you think a dragon gets to type on a keyboard?

He started selling books from his garage. It became a virtual shop. He was a brilliant dragon. Customers could order books from home and have them delivered. His giant flame spread far and wide. “I am the greatest of dragons, I can sell anything. I control retail. When I run out of room in my kingdom I’ll build warehouses on the moon.”

The fireflies had been selling books long before the dragon. They loved their work and were proud of their shops. The books, the chats with customers, the new adventure every day. Maybe they were in a little bubble. The dragon’s flame certainly woke them. It had spread throughout the queendom and was taking away their livelihoods. The fireflies had to pivot. They drank orange juice and began to rip it up and start again.

All the little fireflies realised if they gathered together and helped each other, their flames would become one irresistible force. They started marketing their uniqueness,  making sure they put “passionately” in every communication.

The fireflies provided a beacon for customers and events in their shops. Big Bumble and the Bees toured independent bookshops.

In sun and rain, man… the fireflies were excellent booksellers. When an awful plague came to the queendom and all the species experienced a lockdown, the fireflies passionately pivoted and delivered books like the dragon (but in a much nicer way). They listened to customer fears and praised the benefits of vaccination. Even the eels agreed after saying vaccination was novocaine for the soul.

One firefly from The Species Republic of Cork was now curating the books in his shop. The bookseller’s core principle was to welcome and engage with the customer. They were on first-name terms with lots of species. They cooperated with other local businesses and arts collectives. They looked at what other bookshops were doing and received support from the Booksellers Association. What mattered to them was the buzz of finding a book for a bee. Everything else could then follow. The dragon couldn’t provide the service of the fireflies.

And so, the dragon and the fireflies came to an accommodation. The dragon could sell books on the moon, and the fireflies would serve all the species of the queendom.

And the fireflies lived passionately…