We have a standard list of catalogs that we use. Remember that catalogs are listed alphabetically and read from left to right, so if you are using a proper name your catalog should be Last Name, First Name.

Training another person to do all of this is a substantial investment in time and energy. You may want to consider individuals with a library science background; they already care about books, have an eye for detail, and have had substantial experience in describing and categorizing titles. We've been very slow to add additional book listers to our shop and largely we mostly list our titles ourselves.

But books are like rabbits. They appear to reproduce quickly, even without buying more. At some point, when the bottleneck gets too unwieldy, and the books begin to force us out of our home, we are certain this will have to change.

Renée Magriel Roberts can be reached at renee@roses-books.com.