London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Aug 28, 2025

Book shop inundated with orders after famous author reveals no sales that day

A book shop has been flooded with orders after a famous author revealed it had failed to sell anything that day for the first time in 100 years.

The Petersfield Bookshop took in over £1,000 in online orders all because fantasy writer Neil Gaiman happened to come across its plea for help.

Robert Sansom, who has worked at the shop for 13 years, uploaded pictures of the sad sight of the empty store on Tuesday with the message: ‘Tumbleweed… not a single book sold today.’

The shop assistant linked to the store’s website and urged customers to take advantage of a 25 per cent January sale.

The bookshop’s Twitter account gained 1,100 new followers within 15 hours along with enough orders to keep Robert working through the night.

It’s thought the tweet’s audience skyrocketed after Mr Gaiman shared it with his 2.8 million followers.

The author is known worldwide for his work on a number of DC and Marvel comics, creating The Sandman series and penning novels including Stardust, American Gods and Coraline.

Coraline was adapted into an Oscar-nominated film, and a successful TV series based on American Gods has been renewed for three seasons.

Bookworms around the world flooded the Petersfield with heartfelt messages and order requests, including many in the United States, where Mr Gaiman lives.

Robert, who runs the bookshop’s social media account, said: ‘I couldn’t believe it. It’s been a real “kindness of strangers” story.

‘The number of likes and retweets started going up right before my eyes, it was like it was animated.

‘I had to stop replying to messages eventually at two o’clock this morning.

‘Somebody we have a connection with at the bookshop has a vague connection with Neil Gaiman, and sent it to him, and that was it.’

Petersfield Bookshop celebrated its 100-year anniversary in 2018, and has been run by the same family for the last 60 years.

Robert described yesterday’s sales drought as ‘very unusual’, despite January and February being ‘notoriously bad’.

He said: ‘Yesterday was very strange. It was very stormy, so everyone was on lockdown.

‘We had a few people come in and browse, but nobody was really in the buying mood.

‘It got to about an hour before closing time and we realised we hadn’t taken a single penny all day. None of us could remember that ever happening before.’

But Robert was quick to add: ‘We weren’t really worried about it. We were a bit wistful, but these things happen.’

‘We can’t stress enough how grateful we are for all the support we have received.’

A tweet from the store’s account this evening said: ‘We are working into the evening tonight to try and service all the orders received.

‘If you are awaiting an answer to a query we WILL get to you, please hold on…’

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
×