Character's Financial Situation

So I want to write a light and fun comic about a bookshop owner and her invisible friend going around solving supernatural mysteries. This would involve them running around town a lot, and I'm not sure how much I should address the actual running of the bookshop. It was inherited, so I assume there was already a decent customer base, but it still would take some work to run. Should I not worry about this?

Well, it's a book shop in the digital age, so... yeah, money would probably be a big problem.

People still buy books, if only because they don't want to buy a kindle. Or because they want to go somewhere and browse before paying. Or to socialize with other people as they browse, as opposed to clicking and downloading.

It'd be easy to keep a bookstore in business if the owners were friends with the owner of a nearby cafe, for example.

Also, textbooks. Boring, but Practical way to make sure you stay in business.

College texts especially.

Good ideas! I already had her be friends with a chick who works in a cafe, so it'll be easy to work out some deal with them. But do I need to mention how the bookstore stays afloat in the comic a lot?

If that's not the focus of the story then no, not really. Readers don't generally give much though on how Indiana Jones can afford to travel all around the world searching for relics, or how Batman has the energy to patrol the streets of Gotham at night and go to business meetings at day. This is one of the things Willing Suspension of Disbelief covers pretty well.

However, it's not a bad idea to bring this up every now and then (not to mention that the contrast between supernatural adventures and managing a bookshop can be a good source for drama). I'd imagine that, when your character isn't solving mysteries, she's tending the shop, so it would be logical that a story starts with her dealing with more mundane problems, then she gets a new case, after solving which she returns to dealing with her everyday issues.

edited 29th Aug '14 12:15:38 PM by Paradisesnake

Maybe solving the mysteries can help her with her daily problems too.

Yes, getting paid for solving mysteries would probably aid the bookshop.

You could also overlap her two jobs and have her procure supernatural books for wealthy clients time-to-time. This also provides her with connections in the supernatural world, allowing her to offer books in exchange for important information.