Posted By Nicki Leone,
Wednesday, October 28, 2020
The Holiday Catalog is now available for most store websites. And while IndieCommerce and Bookshop each have pages created for stores using those platforms, that isn't the only way bookstores can promote catalog titles on their websites. Take a look at what Dragonfly Books in Decorah, IA did using the graphics resources provided to every store!
Posted By Nicki Leone,
Wednesday, October 28, 2020
Shop Local NOW So You Can Shop Local FOREVER — Workman Publishing Announces 2020 Holiday Campaign in Support of Independent Bookstores
To help support independent bookstores during the critical holiday selling period, Workman Publishing Co., Inc. is introducing a consumer-focused Shop Local FOREVER marketing campaign. The campaign has three elements: Videos from prominent authors talking about what independent bookstores mean to them and why it’s important to shop local. Bulk quantities of a frameable art print highlighting the pleasures of reading, and an 11x15 foamcore poster featuring the message "Shop Local NOW So You can Shop Local FOREVER
Wednesday's Fall Town Hall with the SIBA Board drew 26 booksellers and focused on two primary questions: How to create more and better linkage between SIBA's owners -- bookstores -- and the organization itself, and what strategies are bookstores using to make the 4th quarter successful?
Booksellers met with individual SIBA board members in two different breakout sessions to discuss each question.
SIBA and her Owners
"Linkage" was described by Board member Kelly Justice, Fountain Bookstore, as points of contact between SIBA's members and the organization that promote accountability and good communication, and underscore the role of SIBA member stores as owners of the organization.
Executive Director Linda-Marie Barrett received general praise from attendees and the Board for her responsiveness and accessibility to members who reach out to SIBA for help.
Some suggestions to improve and expand owner linkage included:
Making the concept of members as owners more prevalent in SIBA's own messaging
Create more opportunities for frontline booksellers and bookstore staff to talk to SIBA staff and board members
Focus on reaching new owners, and create an onboarding process for new stores
Develop more creative ways for booksellers to meet with each other, both virtually and in person.
Implement a mentor program that lets booksellers share their experience with other members.
Shift offered education to earlier in the day, when people are more focused.
Have SIBA take an active role as a liaison between bookstores and their suppliers
Add a book club component to the Reader Meet Writer series
The 4th Quarter Strategies section was comprised primarily of stores sharing their concerns for the forthcoming season, including supply chain and fulfillment issues, a depressed economy, and worries on how to operate safely while the pandemic remains a serious concern. Booksellers traded tools that they found useful, including Batch and Autoentry.com for managing repetitive accounting and invoicing tasks, and Ringcentral.com to consolidate phone calls to multiple lines and voice messaging.
Kelly Justice recommended that stores who use Trello take advantage of the templates developed by Jill Hendrix
Jamie Rogers Southern cited Edelweiss 360 as a powerful tool for enhancing targeted email marketing to customers, which has generated significant real sales for their store.
Booksellers requested that SIBA add a section for mental health resources on the website and create a list of best practices for hosting safe in-person events.
Posted By Nicki Leone,
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
The SIBA Holiday Catalog is on the printing press and on track to ship to land in stores and on doorsteps the first week of November (exact dates depend on your direct mail and saturation mail specifications).
Also in development are the digital catalogs for stores that use IndieCommerce, IndieLite, or Bookshop.org for their e-commerce. Bookshop and the ABA are in the process of adding them to their servers.
For stores that use other ecommerce platforms, a generic digital catalog that can be customized with your own links is being created and should be ready before the end of the month.
RAMP has also created an extensive collection of social media graphics, cover art, printable downloads, and spot art from the catalog cover artist, Maria Scrivan:
Posted By Nicki Leone,
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
With concerns about supply chains in the 4th quarter and the emphasis on shopping early for the holiday season, pre-order campaigns have become an important tool for bookstores. They can smooth out some of the uncertainity of the upcoming sales period,
and help with cash flow in an unpredictable market.
Susanna Hermans of Oblong Books in Rhinebeck, NY and Amber Brown of Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, NC held a lively, slide-show-free session on best practices for Pre-Order campaigns at last month's New Voices New Rooms. The session is now available to
view:
As often happens with online events, the event chat becomes a resource in itself, as attendees offer up their own opinions and links to useful websites and tool. Here are some of the highlights from this event:
Don't spend money that isn't yours
Set aside all your pre-order sales revenue in a separate account until the book is released and the book shipped/delivered to customers. This helps pay invoices later when they come due, and is a surety in case the book is delayed or cancelled, and the
customer needs to be refunded. Don't forget to include shipping charges in the amount you set aside.
And speaking of shipping...
Check your published shipping rates now. USPS increased their rates for the holiday season on October 18, so make sure your rates reflect what the cost will be when the book ships. Include the cost of labor and supplies in your price. Recycle publisher
boxes and other shipping materials as much as possible.
Offers of signed copies, book plates, and swag from publishers will encourage pre-order sales. You can find swag offers from publishers on Edelweiss or via your sales reps. You can also arrange for limited numbers of signed books directly from authors
in your area.
Great tips:
Create an Edelweiss Collection of all the books you are doing pre-order campaigns for, and share it with your staff so they are well-informed.
Check Edelweiss for any social media graphics publishers may have created to support pre-order campaigns.
Don't forget to market your pre-order campaign in-store. At The Haunted Bookshop, they create flyers with the cover and a barcode for the book and display them in their section in the store. Customers can bring the flyer to the counter to pre-order
it.
Use the tools you have at hand: Edelweiss 360, Eventbrite, Canva, to support your pre-order campaigns.
Remember that shipping will be slower than normal this holiday season and do what you can to mitigate . Jill Hendrix at Fiction Addiction updates the descriptions of her campaigns about two weeks before Christmas to say "Will not arrive for Christmas."
Kelly Justice from Fountain Bookstore gets written permission to ship early from the publisher.
Posted By Nicki Leone,
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
The American Booksellers Association is offering workshops on non-violent communication and de-escalation, two skills that are important for business owners in a climate where issues of public safety and a polarized political climate can create tense situations between store staff and customers. The workshops are free to ABA members but space is limited, so sign up as soon as possible.
Q4 Top 10 Things to Know About: Non-Violent Communication & De-escalation Workshop
The Center for Anti-violence Education will present a workshop on the importance of non-verbal communication, common communication practices that fuel conflict between individuals, and the stages of escalation. This session will cover a range of de-escalation techniques that are particularly relevant in the context of our current political and social environment and issues that may arise related to customers refusing to wear masks, racism, or political friction. Participants will have an opportunity to pool their own expertise of lived experiences and practice non-violent and de-escalation skills through relevant scenarios in breakout groups. Issues that arise from racism will be addressed in both sessions, but a BIPOC session will offer a space for BIPOC booksellers to discuss those issues more fully.
BIPOC Members Only: Friday, October 23, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. This session is specifically designed for BIPOC booksellers. Register here
All Members Welcome: Tuesday, October 27, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET. Register here
Note: These sessions have limited capacity. Registration will be open on a first come, first served basis, but the recording of the sessions will be available on BookWeb for one week following each session.
Non-Violent Communication & De-escalation Companion Workshop: Physical Empowerment Self-Defense 101
The Center for Anti-violence Education will offer a basic self-defense workshop through a trauma-informed lens to provide practical ways to respond to the spectrum of violence, from footwork and blocks to active shooter tips. This workshop will cover self-defense and the emotional aspects of self-defense, as well as concrete steps to take in order to stay safe when under threat.
All Members Welcome: Thursday, October 29, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. Register here
Editors from Blair, Feminist Press, Tin House, Deep Vellum, Seven Stories Press, Europa Editions, and Verso all come together to discuss their favorite books from the upcoming lists.
Posted By Nicki Leone,
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
October 13, 2020
American Booksellers Association Launches National “Boxed Out” Campaign
The time is now for a conversation about consumer choices, the challenges of
small business, and the threat of monopolies.
(New York, New York) 20% of independent bookstores across the country are in danger of
closing. Today, the American Booksellers Association launched the “Boxed Out” campaign to
draw attention to the high stakes indie bookstores face this holiday season in the age of
Amazon and Covid-19, with a social media campaign and installations, the first was revealed
in Washington, DC, today and the rest will debut tomorrow in New York City and Los Angeles.
When these independent bookstores close Covid will be listed as the cause of death, but the
pre-existing condition for many may be listed as Amazon. The brown boxes that have become
ubiquitous in building lobbies and on porches are “boxing out” bookstores and other small
businesses all across the country, resulting in the loss of local jobs, local sales tax, community,
and support.
Allison K Hill, CEO of ABA says, “People may not realize the cost and consequences of
‘convenience’ shopping until it's too late. More than one indie bookstore a week has closed
since the Covid-19 crisis began. At the same time, a report forecasts that Amazon will generate
$10 billion in revenue on October 13 and 14 during its Prime Day promotion. Connecting these
dots, it’s clear to see convenience has a cost and a consequence. Closed indie bookstores
represent the loss of local jobs and local tax dollars; the loss of community centers; and the
loss of opportunities for readers to discover books and connect with other readers in a
meaningful face-to-face way.”
“Boxed Out” was designed by DCX Growth Accelerator, the agency behind the “Palessi” prank
for Payless shoes, which was one of the biggest activations of 2019 and won them Silver
Agency of the Year from AdAge. This campaign’s signature “Boxed Out” installations are
located in New York at McNally Jackson in Manhattan; Café con Libros, Community
Bookstore, and Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn; Book Soup in West Hollywood; and Solid
State in DC.
To tangibly demonstrate how our world is overtaken by those ubiquitous cardboard Amazon
boxes, DCX created bespoke cardboard coverings to overtake each storefront. Piles of
cardboard boxes spill out of these now-cardboard buildings, quipping “If you want Amazon to
be the world’s only retailer, keep shopping there,” and cardboard books further bring the
campaign message to life: “To Kill A Locally Owned Bookstore.”
Indie bookstores across the country are participating in #BoxedOut via social media, posters,
and DIY displays. The following indies are officially helping to launch the targeted Twitter
campaign: Bookshop Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA; BookBar, Denver, CO; Books & Books,
Miami, FL; Avid Bookshop, Athens, GA; Raven Bookstore, Lawrence, KS; Watermark Books &
Café, Wichita, KS; Source Booksellers, Detroit, MI; Moon Palace, Minneapolis, MN; Left Bank
Books, St. Louis, MO; Word NY, Brooklyn, NY; Word NJ, Jersey City, NJ; Fountain Bookstore,
Richmond, VA; Village Books, Bellingham, WA; Green Apple Books, San Francisco, CA;
Loyalty, Washington, DC; Skylight Books, Los Angeles, CA; and Literati Bookstore, Ann Arbor,
MI.
A Small Business Majority survey in August indicated that without additional funding, 26
percent of small business owners will not survive past the next three months, and nearly one in
five say they won’t make it longer than four to six more months.
This week the House antitrust subcommittee released its report on Amazon, Facebook, Apple,
and Google detailing the anticompetitive behavior of the companies and recommending a
number of reform measures.
Choosing a locally owned business generates three times as much economic benefit for the
local region as shopping at a chain, as noted by a study by American Independent Business
Alliance. The 2019 Civic Economics “Prime Numbers” study reports that approximately 28
percent of all revenue of indie bookstores immediately recirculates in the local economy. This
translates into a massive local impact advantage of 610 percent over Amazon (which
recirculates only 4 percent locally). Buying local also means less packaging, less
transportation, and a smaller carbon footprint.
In a recent Los Angeles Times Op-Ed Hill said, “The same way our votes in the upcoming
election will shape our country’s future, where we spend our money this holiday season will
determine the communities we find ourselves in come 2021.”
You can find your closest indie bookstore at IndieBound.org.
About ABA
Founded in 1900, the American Booksellers Association is a national not-for-profit trade
organization that works to help independently owned bookstores grow and succeed. Our 1,750
bookstores act as community anchors; they serve a unique role in promoting the open
exchange of ideas, enriching the cultural life of communities, and creating economically vibrant
neighborhoods.
Contact
Caroline Andoscia, Andoscia Communications - caroline@andoscia.com
Dan Cullen, ABA - dan@bookweb.org
Posted By Nicki Leone,
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
Predicting and planning for the future is always a stressful experience, and never more so than this year. Stores need tools to help them weather uncertain and volatile times -- both practical things like emergency business plan work sheets, and more
inspirational tools that help them to face challenges and find the opportunities wthin them.
Posted By Nicki Leone,
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
A number of the educational sessions at last month's New Voices New Rooms dealt with the art of hosting and running a successful event, virtual or otherwise. Those sessions are now available to view:
SIBA staff and two board members attended the American Independent Business Alliance’s Building Equity in the Local Economy virtual conference last week. AMIBA’s first “Local Economy” conference centered on racial equity as a local economy driver. Spread over two days and featuring multiple BIPOC speakers on issues central to the conference’s topic, the gathering also included numerous opportunities to engage with other attendees and the speakers at small breakout sessions. The experience was so inspiring and brimming with actionable ideas that SIBA attendees met for a debrief to discuss continuing this important work.
Among other initiatives in development, look for a Racial Equity Challenge from SIBA in January 2021, modeled on the Racial Equity Challenge from Food Solutions, New England.
We were struck by this quote shared by Katie Frank from Zingtrain. It was part of Zingerman’s draft vision for 2030 in a section penned by one of their Staff Partners, Betty Gratopp. May it inspire you as well:
“We deliberately practice starting at yes. Until principles tell us otherwise start at yes. Until thoroughly investigated; start at yes. Until numbers tell us otherwise; start at yes. When your mind screams no, start at yes. If it makes us uncomfortable; especially start at yes. Something wonderful may be about to happen! We believe if we start at yes our creative canvas is blank and lends to more creative open-minded conversations. We believe by saying yes, our creativeness and innovation levels will increase and once momentum begins it’s easier to keep momentum than gain momentum. Yes becomes a tool to practice being open to ideas.”
One of the most- requested videos from the New Voices New Rooms program, Kathy Ellen Davis's Social Media and Content Marketing for Bookstores offers 170 resources for booksellers looking to expand their impact and revitalize their social media presence.
The eight regional bookseller associations are working together this fall to present a special trade show season Closing Keynote event with author and artist Allie Brosh. Independent booksellers are invited to join us on Wednesday, October
14 at 7:00 pm ET. Brosh will discuss SOLUTIONS AND OTHER PROBLEMS (Gallery Books; 9/22/20) with Jenny Lawson, author of Broken (in the best possible way) (Henry Holt and Co.; 4/6/21) and owner of Nowhere Bookshop
in San Antonio, following an introduction by Mary Laura Philpott, author of I Miss You When I Blink. There will be an opportunity for audience questions.
Allie Brosh’s critically acclaimed debut, Hyperbole and a Half, introduced readers to her inimitable voice, impeccable comic instincts, and preternatural ability to capture complex emotions with deceptively simple drawings. By turns moving, droll,
and darkly funny—with unforgettable meditations on depression that somehow manage to be all of the above, the book was a #1 Indie Next Pick and #1 Indie Bestseller.
An Indie Next Pick for October, SOLUTIONS AND OTHER PROBLEMS is an entirely original, full-color collection of autobiographical, illustrated essays, encompassing hilarious stories from Brosh’s childhood; the adventures
of her simple, yet sneaky, pets; a meticulous dissection of her own character flaws and drastic measures to eradicate them; incisive essays on powerlessness, loneliness, and grief; and reflections on the absurdity of everyday life.
This virtual event will be held via Zoom Webinar, and access will be limited to association member booksellers only. Booksellers may register for free now, via this LINK. Attendance will
be limited 500, with a waiting list. Approved registered attendees will receive a Zoom Webinar link prior to the event.
Special thanks to Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster for their support.
Gallery Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, is an imprint dedicated to publishing a variety of must-read books on a wide array of topics. Launched in 2010, Gallery is designed to showcase established voices and
to introduce emerging new ones—in both fiction and nonfiction. Gallery Books is the publisher of The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish, Melania and Me by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by
Amy Schumer, One by One and The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware, The Way I Heard It by Mike Rowe, The Problem with Everything by Meghan Daum,The Perks of Being A Wallflower by
Stephen Chbosky, and Five Presidents by Clint Hill.
Simon & Schuster, a ViacomCBS Company, is a global leader in general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for readers of all ages, and in all printed, digital and audio formats. Its distinguished roster
of authors includes many of the world’s most popular and widely recognized writers, and winners of the most prestigious literary honors and awards. It is home to numerous well-known imprints and divisions such as Simon & Schuster, Scribner,
Atria Books, Gallery Books, Pocket Books, Adams Media, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing and Simon & Schuster Audio and international companies in Australia, Canada, India and the United Kingdom, and proudly brings the works of its authors
to readers in more than 200 countries and territories. For more information visit our website at www.simonandschuster.com.
Join us to meet the editors from publisher members of the Independent Publishers Caucus on Wednesday, October 14 at 3PM ET. This is the perfect opportunity to get your store on their radar, begin the connection for potential author events, and discover small press titles that reflect the thoughtful curation and literary quality that indie bookstore customers so appreciate.
Blair Publishers Robin Miura, Senior Editor & Assoc. Publisher.Robin Miura has worked in publishing for 17 years, first as a production editor for Oxford University Press and later as an editor for Press 53 (where she edited a novel and memoir series) as a freelance editor, proofreader, publishing consultant, and writing coach for publishing companies and individual authors. She has worked with all types of books, but her passion is literary fiction and creative nonfiction. Her freelance clients have included Algonquin Books, Oxford University Press, Duke University Press, River’s Edge Media, and University of North Carolina Press. She is also a founding editor of the online magazine South Writ Large.
Feminist Press Jisu Kim is the senior marketing, sales, and publicity manager at the Feminist Press. She oversees the marketing life of a book, from its beginnings as an ISBN to becoming course adopted and a backlist gem. She is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, where she studied comparative literature and political theory, and now lives in Brooklyn.
Tin House Masie Cochran is the Editorial Director at Tin House.Before coming to Tin House, she worked at InkWell Management Literary Agency in New York, NY.
Deep Vellum Will Evans is a publisher, translator, and entrepreneur with an unparalleled knack for finding undertold, outstanding stories and connecting them to audiences. In 2013, Evans founded Deep Vellum Publishing, a nonprofit indie book publisher dedicated to translating the world’s best novels into English for American audiences.
Seven Stories Ruth Weiner, Director of Publicity at Seven Stories Press
Europa Editions Rachael Small, Director of Publicity, has an MFA in Literary Translation from the University of Iowa and a BA in French Studies and Creative Writing from Bard College, where she studied under Mona Simpson and Bradford Morrow. Her translations from the French and Spanish have appeared in The Buenos Aires Review and Anomalous Press, among others, and she was a 2012 participant in the Banff International Literary Translation Center.
Verso Jessie Kindig is an editor at Verso Books, and her writing has appeared in n+1, Artforum, Jacobin, and the Boston Review.
SIBA promotes six new books every month to readers, the customers of our member stores, in our Lady Banks Bookshelf promotion. These titles appear at the top of our weekly Lady Banks Commonplace Book newsletter, which has a circulation of over 60k. We also feature them above the fold on the homepage of Authors 'Round the South and as the cover image of the ARTS facebook page, with buy links promoted to our 15,000 Facebook friends. Plus, we boost these titles on our Facebook page for thousands more views. A different member store is featured with the titles every week. We give SIBA member stores a heads up on each month's featured titles, to encourage in-store and online displays.
For publishers looking to promote their new titles out to readers across the South, Lady Banks Bookshelf is our greatest value because of high visibility and engagement across multiple platforms. Contact us for more information or to get your titles on "The Shelf" in coming months.
Coming up in October:
The Wrong Kind of Woman by Sarah McCraw Crow The Last Story of Mina Lee by Nancy Jooyoun Kim The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard The King of Highbanks Road by Steve Watkins Restitution by Janet Lee Berg A Palm Beach Scandal by Susannah Marren
We recently received this wonderful letter and poem from poet Tim Conroy, brother of Pat Conroy, and a founding board member of the Pat Conroy Legacy Center. Tim writes, "This is a short poem dedicated to all the independent booksellers I have met in my life especially NeverMore, Beaufort Bookstore, Buxton Books, and Itinerant Literate books. During this challenging time, I want to thank SIBA for what you do for the communities you serve and for connecting people with great books. You remain vital to our evolution and growth to become a more empathetic people. All praise, Tim Conroy." Thank you, Tim, and we second "all praise" to the work of independent booksellers everywhere, but especially to our dear colleagues in SIBA.
Book Shop Owners
Their help is (keenly) silent. Page-turning glances trace my path as books flaunt
spines from lonely rows. I want more than a quick thumb through and put back.
They work new arrivals while I wince at authors overripe photographs.
They note the subtle signs which reveal preferences to wed me to my match.
Browsing empty-handed, they steer me to choices— subgenres and stories
never dreamed possible. Take appraisal, volumes for us to gain ourselves.
New Voices New Rooms, our SIBA/NAIBA trade conference , brings you five days of events to plug into your schedule and enjoy, learn from, and share with your colleagues. For your ease getting into events, please register for each event asap rather than day of, and download the events right into your calendar. Each event has a different Zoom link, so your prep now will make your experience later much easier! Make sure to register for the conference first as your key to entrance to the show, the equivalent of getting your show badge. Please take five minutes to scroll through the schedule and begin to plan your week (CYOA!).
Beginnings and endings are so meaningful, and we crafted this show with powerful intention. The result? It’s bookended by two beautiful events you won’t want to miss. We begin on Monday, Sept 21 at 8:30AM with All Because You Matter with Tami Charles and Bryan Collier, the author and illustrator of All Because You Matter. Their book is “a lyrical, heart-lifting love letter to black and brown children everywhere: reminding them how much they matter, that they have always mattered, and they always will, from powerhouse rising star author Tami Charles and esteemed, award-winning illustrator Bryan Collier.” The conversation will be moderated by Liza Baker, VP and Publisher of Cartwheel and Orchard Books, Scholastic Inc.
We close the show on Friday, Sept 25 at 6PM with The Way Forward: Meeting Crisis with Creativity. Rockstar authors and mentors Ann Patchett, Elizabeth Gilbert, and Glennon Doyle will be in conversation about our present moment and the theme of creative response to crisis, followed by a lively Q & A from attending booksellers. Finding and supporting creative responses during such difficult times can often be the work that not only helps our businesses survive, but also saves us personally. Please join us as at our final event for #NVNR2020 and let’s do this important work together. And then celebrate.
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Shop Local NOW So You Can Shop Local FOREVER — Workman Publishing Announces 2020 Holiday Campaign in Support of Independent Bookstores
(New York, New York) 20% of independent bookstores across the country are in danger of
closing. Today, the 
The SIBA Holiday Catalog is at the printer! Here are some basic facts for stores using the catalog this fall.
We recently received this wonderful letter and poem from poet Tim Conroy, brother of Pat Conroy, and a founding board member of the Pat Conroy Legacy Center. Tim writes, "This is a short poem dedicated to all the independent booksellers I have met in my life especially NeverMore, Beaufort Bookstore, Buxton Books, and Itinerant Literate books. During this challenging time, I want to thank SIBA for what you do for the communities you serve and for connecting people with great books. You remain vital to our evolution and growth to become a more empathetic people. All praise, Tim Conroy." Thank you, Tim, and we second "all praise" to the work of independent booksellers everywhere, but especially to our dear colleagues in SIBA.
New Voices New Rooms, 
We close the show on