Tiny Bookshop Preview

Steam Next Fest always gives me a great chance to enjoy some fun demos that I’ve been looking out for, and one of them that caught my eye was Tiny Bookshop. Admittedly, I did see the Wholesome Direct trailer for it, so I was already looking forward to it, but when I saw someone post a TikTok video about it, I knew I had to play it. I didn’t even know the demo was out! So, I dove straight in.

Tiny Bookshop is pretty self-explanatory. You’re a bookseller, who goes to the town of Bookstonbury to start a new life. You start off at the Waterfront, where you just park your car and the trailer, and wait for the customers to show up. With a mix-match of genres, someone is sure to find something they’ll enjoy.

There are some customers, such as Tilde and Fern, who will talk to you and give you advice. Tilde is Bookstonbury’s retired bookseller, so she’s a bastion of advice. Fern is a young man who writes for the Bookstonbury review, and so he’ll be there, ready to publish an article about you to promote you. When interacting with them, you can click and decide what you want to say to them, and it’ll influence how they react. But generally? The people of Bookstonbury are a cheerful and friendly bunch.

Of the books you have available, you’ll have a selection of different genres: Classic, Crime, Fact, Drama, Fantasy, Kids, and Travel. You’ll be able to see the percentage of what will sell that day, and once you get the Journal, you’ll find which ones are selling best in which location. So, you can cater your books to your clientele, and purchase objects that will increase the percentage. For example, a cactus will increase the likelihood percentage of how many people will purchase Travel books.

If you’re running low on books, you can purchase more from the Classifieds of the Bookstonbury Review. You’ll also be able to discover what the weather will be like the next day, purchase decorations for your bookshop, and find out any other news in the area. The books that you buy will be in bundles, and some of them are randomised; others are focused on a specific genre, so you can buy a Crime bundle or any other genre you desire.

Each day, you can decide what books you can put on the shelf, so this is pretty cathartic, as you just have to click and drag them onto the shelves. So, do you want a bit of a random selection going on? Then feel free. Want them organised in a certain way? Then you can do so! It’s a nice and relaxing way to get things done, so I did appreciate it.

Decorating the trailer is easy, as you just need to go to the Build menu in the left-hand corner. You’ll have to buy some decorations, but you’ll be given some of the others for free to get started. You can also buy some items from people in town, like Walt, a sailor who hangs around and chats with a seagull. You can speak to him by clicking and dragging around the map, and he’ll offer you a selection of items. He’ll also offer you a challenge to sell a certain number of books.

These challenges will regularly pop up, and some have to do with breaking Tilde’s record. You’ll also find other little quests, where you can talk to other Bookstonians, hopefully getting more challenges, and more Stamps to add to your Journal. It’s a nice touch, and it adds a good amount of variety to your day.

As you progress through the demo, you’ll find that there are some customers who are struggling to find something to buy. So, take a look at the books you have on the shelf, and you can find one that fits their description. If you pay attention, you’ll find a brand-new book that they’ll love, so remember to read the details. Best of all, every single book on the shelf is a real published book! So, this is also a great way to add more books to your TBR pile.

One playthrough should only take half an hour to get through, but I can’t deny that I’m looking forward to the rest of Tiny Bookshop being released. If you love books and cosy games, then you’ll surely love this one. So, why not add it to your wishlist?