Join us for our March Madness event at Gottwals Books in Byron, GA on March 12, 10-3PM! From 10 AM-noon, owner Shane Gottwals will present: Managing Growth: Think Bigger About Your Business. Session description: How do you grow a business in 2020? What's more, how can you grow a book business in 2020? Join Shane to discuss some principles for maximizing payroll labor, position yourself for long-term rental/real estate benefit, determine the feasibility of warehousing/storage, know when it's time for expansion (or contraction), and a variety of other topics.

Noon-1:00 PM: Author Luncheon. Lunch is free to attendees.

The afternoon will include a store tour and further discussion and networking on bookseller issues.

Shane Gottwals was born and raised in Macon, GA. He earned a B.A. in English from Mercer University, spending a portion of his college years at Oxford University in England. He met his wife, Abbey, at Mercer. They have four children and live in Warner Robins. In 2007, the couple opened Gottwals Books which has become one of the largest used & new bookstore chains in the United States. He is frequently asked to speak at book industry conferences, and he is a notable go-to for bookstore consulting. He currently serves on the boards of Covenant Care Adoption Services, Robins Regional Chamber of Commerce, Central Fellowship Christian Academy, and Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance.

Link to register for this event and other March Madness Bookseller Series events. These events are free to booksellers who are current members of their regional associations.

Join us for our March Madness event at Horton's Books & Gifts in Carrollton, GA from 10-3PM on March 10. The day begins with the educational session: Pop-ups at Performance Venues. Horton's Dorothy Pittman and Tim Chapman, Director of the Center for the Arts, will discuss how they've been partnering successfully on events.

From noon to 1PM, booksellers will enjoy lunch with a visiting author, and the afternoon will include a store tour and further discussion and networking on bookseller issues.

Georgia's oldest bookstore, Horton's Books & Gifts has been in business since 1891. Founded by a former school teacher, N. A. Horton's offered school song and miscellaneous books as well as Bibles, sheet music, stationery, wrapping paper, and paper bags. He advertised, "I sell for cash, but will take eggs or chicken for school books when parties can't pay the money." Antique shelves and displays showcase new books and gift items while store cats Mayah, Poe, and Dante are always on hand to help customers choose the right book or gift.

Link to register for this event and other March Madness Bookseller Series events. These events are free to booksellers who are current members of their regional associations.

Join us on Wednesday, March 25 at 2PM EST for our B3! Webinar: Libro.fm Programming to Support Your Online Store. Stephanie Ballien and Mark Pearson of Libro.fm will provide helpful information about driving audiobook sales and growing your online presence with the aid of authors, influencers, Bookstore Link, and more. Q & A will follow their presentation. Please RSVP lindamarie@sibaweb.com to attend.

Click here for more info on Bookstore Link.

About our Presenters:

Mark Pearson is the CEO and co-founder of Libro.fm, the digital audiobook platform for more than 900 independent bookstores. He lives in Seattle where he enjoys running in the rain, playing tennis when the sun makes an appearance, over and undercooking food, and reading The New York Times on paper.

Stephanie Ballien is the Director of Marketing at Libro.fm. 

Gwyn Ridenhour of Matchbook Marketing is designing a new collaborative project between Matchbook and SIBA to promote SIBA book prize winners. The Shop South program will incorporate these book prize promotions into bookstore websites, and where possible, link them to online sales pages. Matchbook is a marketing firm dedicated solely to independent bookstores, and currently works with 65 stores around the country to provide print materials and newsletters, logo and branding creation, website design, and email management. For more information, go to www.WeLoveBooksellers.com

Gwyn will present a preview of the Shop South program at the following March Madness Bookseller Events:

• March 10: Horton's Books & Gifts, Carrollton, GA
• March 11: Page 158, Wake Forest, NC
• March 12: Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, VA
• March 16: Fiction Addiction, Greenville, SC

If you'd like to attend one of these events, please register here.

According to Trendwatching, a company that analyzes trends, "Green Pressure" is one of the top trends of 2020. "When eco-alternatives are as available, affordable and effective . . . there's no reason not to choose them. Eco-consumption becomes less about the status of opting in, and more about the shame of opting out. Throw in Extinction Rebellion, the global Strike for Climate movement, and Greta, and you have a tipping point in awareness also fueling this crucial shift."

Greener business practices aren't just about responding to customer pressure to be more environmentally aware, it's also better for the planet and can be money-saving for businesses. Here are some green practices already happening at member stores.

"We made the decision just this morning to transition to LED, and away from fluorescent lighting."–George Williams of MoonPie General Store, Pigeon Forge, TN

"We re-use a lot of boxes and packaging material; right now my closet is filled with bags of bubble wrap waiting to be used during returns."–Sarah Pishko, Prince Books, Norfolk, VA

"One thing we've been doing that is really useful is taking hard to recycle materials like packing material to the recycling center instead of just throwing it away. Bobby Bradley (pictured) has really been the impetus behind that, and seeing how much bubble wrap we recycle in a week feels significant. The cafe has continued adding more compostable "plastic" and paper products for all of our single-use and to-go items. Even our mesh tea bags are made of corn and fully compostable!"–Justin Souther and Hannah Campbell, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe, Asheville, NC

"We use paper bags and ask customers if they want a bag, so we don't give them automatically. We've never used plastic bags. We reuse all the cardboard boxes and packing that we can for outgoing shipping to customers, and to publishers for returns. Anything that is not reused is recycled. We recycle newspapers, plastic bottles, cans, mixed paper and anything that we have recycling facilities here for. (Unfortunately no glass facilities here). In our cafe we use real glasses and coffee mugs and only give to-go cups when requested. We do not sell drinks in plastic bottles. If someone wants water, we offer tap water for free or they can buy a boxed water (which we think is expensive---that's the point---but people still buy it). Whenever we change a lightbulb, we switch to LED. We hope to transition to LED overall soon. We keep the thermostat at 68 in winter and 78 in the summer and use ceiling fans. This is a bit warm in the summer for some folks, but hard for me to justify keeping bank temps." –Lyn Roberts, Square Books, Oxford, MS

"We reuse pretty much everything. Boxes, packing material, mailers; honestly I even keep paper clips to reuse. Same with old or damaged books. If I can reuse or repurpose it I will - mostly, we do this by passing books along to teachers who use them for crafting or blackout poetry. We have slowly but surely been replacing our fluorescent lights. As the fluorescents around the shop go out we replace with LED. We've made it through about two thirds of the lights and are seeing savings in our electric bill as well. We also replaced two A/C units with more efficient ones. Our electricity bill was down by 25% last year over the previous year so we are seeing a financial impact.

We don't offer any incentives to customers who bring in their own bag but we do try to nudge individuals away from the single use bags, mostly by asking if they "need" a bag rather than assuming that they do. Using the word "need" is quite key here. When you ask if someone 'needs' a bag they often realize that they do not; if you ask if they would 'like' a bag, they nearly always would. We also offer paper rather than plastic bags. We do have plastic bags, but use them infrequently. And boxes are always available for those purchasing many books.

We don't incentivize employees walking to work as they all live in the next town (we are rural-suburban). However, being able to walk to work was a big factor in the purchase of our own home. We also keep a pitcher of cold water in the fridge - some people will not drink it because the water comes from the tap, but it has been pretty effective in keeping employees from bringing in single use water bottles. Our community is not very environmentally minded so these kinds of changes are not championed. Our thinking is that we can model good behaviors and hope for the best." –Michelle Cavalier, Cavalier House Books, Denham Springs, LA

"Instead of bottled water, we offer authors and other guests a glass and a pitcher of cold water. We keep a donation jar for local non-profits at each register, and add a nickel whenever a customer chooses not to use one of our QRB bags. We've been doing that for about 2 1/2 years, and customers tend to donate a lot of their change, too. We place recycling cans near all workspaces, including the register and break rooms." –Lisa Poole and Sarah Goddin, Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NC

"Before retiring, I ran chemical plants, and I am an engineer so I try to stay up on these areas. LED lighting is great, just remember to check the color as a lot of it is very white. I like 4000 to 5000k, but I believe 3500k is recommended for book stores. LED has a good return on investment. Solar on its own is just not worth the investment. Check your local governments and utility for incentives. Some places have incentives that can make solar almost worth doing. We have been offering bags and about 10% don't want one."–Dean Swift, Swift Books, Orangeburg, SC

SIBA promotes six new books every month to consumers 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 on the cover image of the ARTS Facebook page with buy links promoted to our 15,000 Facebook friends. A different member store is featured with the titles every week.

By promoting through Lady Banks, publishers are making an investment in SIBA member bookstores’ attention and market. SIBA works with them to select titles customers are looking for, and then we drive those customers to SIBA member stores.  Booksellers can boost sales by bringing in Lady Banks Bookshelf titles before the month begins, and putting up a winning display. Send in a photo of your display and earn 20 B3! points, too!

January’s Titles:

Good Girls Lie by J. T. Ellison

The Shaman of Turtle Valley by Cliff Garstang

A Dredging in Swann by Tim Garvin

2020 Campaign Coloring Book by Kate Salley Palmer

Remembrance by Rita Woods

Wilmington's Lie by David Zucchino

Edelweiss Collection

SIBA Holiday Hours

SIBA's office will be closed on December 25 and January 1. We won't send a newsletter Christmas week, so the next edition of In the Land of SIBA will be January 2nd.

We wish all our members a happy holiday season and a wonderful New Year!

Two southern booksellers have been selected as the winners of the inaugural Nancy Olson Bookseller Award. Carol Moyer, bookseller and former Children’s Manager at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, NC, and Todd Ketcham, manager of The Book Cellar in Lake Worth, FL will each receive a check for $2000. 

The awards, which will become an annual prize, were launched in 2019 with an anonymous donation from an author who is also an admirer of the late Nancy Olson, founder of Quail Ridge Books. The award honors booksellers who embody the spirit of Olson’s bookselling legacy of supporting writers–especially new writers– other booksellers, and community outreach. 

Of winner Carol Moyer, a nominator commented, “While Carol’s greatest satisfaction at QRB may be experiencing the joy of putting the right book in a child’s hands, there’s no doubt that her love of children and children’s books has profoundly touched the community. Her work fits perfectly with Nancy Olson’s own deep commitment to enriching lives.” In their submission for Todd Ketcham, the owners of The Book Cellar praised, “He is more than an employee, he is a conduit between business and community, between people and experiences. We could not run this business without him, and his devotion to books and the people around him set a shining example for all the wonderful things possible when someone can work with their passion each and every day.” 

Nancy Olson’s husband, Jim Olson, served as one of the judges for the Award, along with Sarah Goddin, buyer and former General Manager of Quail Ridge Books, and Linda-Marie Barrett, Assistant Executive Director of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance. Jim spoke of his gratitude that the sponsor of this award chose to honor Nancy Olson’s legacy in this way, “Nancy would have loved this. She was a champion of other bookstores and would have loved to have seen booksellers so generously rewarded and acknowledged for the work they do for their communities.” 

Upon hearing she had won the award, Carol Moyer replied, “I am honored and humbled to have received this award, an award which will keep the memory of Nancy Olson in front of booksellers each year. She was a shining star in the bookselling world, and she was my inspiration and will always have my endless admiration. That my colleagues selected me for the award this year is very deep praise and I am very grateful. Independent bookstores are a vital piece of the cultural landscape in their communities, as they provide the richness of literature in a setting where folks may gather to explore and share ideas. In that setting, it has been my joy to implement the mission of children’s bookselling to nurture the literacy of the rising generation. There is no greater reward for me than putting the right book in the hands of the right child at the right time. Over the years I have had the immense pleasure of seeing these children grow up to be readers, choosing their own books. As long as we continue to share the best books we can find with children, we will have started them on a life of reaping the rewards of reading. They will grow up treasuring books and bookstores.” 

Todd Ketcham responded, “I am beyond honored to have been nominated by my colleagues and patrons. As many booksellers will tell you, we do not do this with the expectation of financial reward. To share the love of reading with our friends and patrons is reward enough. Winning the Nancy Olson Bookseller Award is both a surprise and a much-needed boon. In an era of increasing isolation, it is amazing to me that bookstores retain the oft-overlooked ability to bring people from disparate walks of life together in common purpose. If bookstores are cultural lighthouses erected in our communities, then booksellers are the lighthouse tenders that keep fanning the flames of knowledge. My only hope is that those flames keep burning bright for many a long year.”

The Nancy Olson Bookseller Award will become an annual award, thanks to the generous sponsorship of the anonymous donor. 

Todd is pictured with Charlotte Shotgun, who read Charlotte’s Web at Drag Queen Story Hour.

Some of the reviews submitted this week on Edelweiss+ from your fellow SIBA booksellers. SIBA members earn B3! points for every review if they join the SIBA community on Edelweiss. Email nicki@sibaweb.com to be added.

9781984820150 A Long Petal of the Sea 1/21/2020
"The story of the Dalmau pulls at the heart yet brings countless smiles with it. Allende's gorgeous imagery takes readers through the Spanish Civil War and the refugee experience in Chile and Venezuela. Each new decade and move creates a new set of hardships, but they always find joy hidden in the saddest parts of the human experience. A story about history, adventure, and love, A Long Petal of the Sea offers hope for the new year and future.." -- Karyn Cumming, Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, VA

9780062938558 Highfire 1/28/2020
"Just like My Father's Dragon---except the boy is a juvenile delinquent and the dragon chugs Absolut."-- Lyn Roberts, Square Books, Oxford, MS

9780062685094 Almost American Girl 1/28/2020
"If you are a fan of immigrant stories, Robin Ha's graphic memoir based on her move from Seoul, Korea, to Alabama and then Virginia is a must-read. Anyone who has inhabited the liminal space of not feeling quite American enough to fit in in the United States, but feeling too American when returning to the country of one's birth will identify with this book. " -- Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks, Winston-Salem, NC

9781984826879 Love Unscripted 2/11/2020
"A lovingly crafted grown-up coming of age tale, Love, Unscripted muses on what it means to grow into your future, and out of your youthful early years of being an adult, all while trying to figure out just what went wrong with the person you thought was your one true love. Alternating between moments which are funny, bittersweet, lovely, heartbreaking, awkward, and ultimately hopeful, all with a main character who is incredibly relatable, Love, Unscripted is a slow-burning masterpiece on how we learn to love ourselves, and someone else, and features an ending which sublimely captures the best possible tone on which to end the story which it was closing. In fact, the ending of Love, Unscripted was so utterly and phenomenally right, that I hugged the book to my chest for a solid minute after I finished it, because a novel has not made me feel so content with the story I have just embarked on, and so hopeful about life in general in a good long while, and I just wanted to hold on to that feeling for a little bit longer. Love, Unscripted is hands down one of the best books I’ve read in 2019, and one of the books I’m most looking forward to sharing with people in 2020." -- Lucy Perkins-Wagel, Copperfish Books, Punta Gorda, FL

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