Posted By Nicki Leone,
Wednesday, May 1, 2019
Updated: Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Okra Picks Deadline Change: Deadline for SUMMER Okra Picks nominations is May 15
Beginning in May, SIBA's Okra Picks program calendar has been updated to give booksellers and publishers more time to promote each season's titles and to allow for active pre-order campaigns for the forthcoming books. Accordingly, nomination deadlines for each season have been pushed back by two weeks. The new Okra Picks schedule is as follows:
Spring (April-June titles):
Nomination Deadline: February 15
Okra Picks Announced: April 1
Summer (July-September titles):
Nomination Deadline: May 15
Okra Picks Announced: July 1
Fall (October-December titles):
Nomination Deadline: August 15
Okra Picks Announced: October 1
Winter (January-March titles):
Nomination Deadline: November 15
Okra Picks Announced: January 1
Okra Picks is SIBA's program to highlight forthcoming books of southern interest that its booksellers are especially excited about. Since its inception, the program has spotlighted new books by favorite southern authors such as Joshilyn Jackson, Rick Bragg, Ron Rash, and Tayari Jones, and also break out books by debut and emerging authors such as Wiley Cash, T. Geronimo Johnson, Brian Panowich, Leonard Pitts, Jr. and Holly Goddard Jones.
Nominations are only accepted from SIBA member booksellers, and may be submitted in any of the following ways:
On Wednesday, June 26 at 2PM EST, SIBA is hosting “Fall Fiction” as part of our Publisher Picks: Best Bets for SIBA Booksellers series. In this bi-monthly series, publishers, editors, marketing directors, and reps present their favorite frontlist titles via Zoom to booksellers. Besides forging important connections with publishers and their reps, attending booksellers will discover new titles to add to their store shelves and earn 10 B3! points. The following industry folks will present: Eric Svenson, sales representative for HarperCollins, Bob Werber, sales representative for IPS, Gavin Grant, publisher of Small Beer Press, and Doni Kay, sales representative for Penguin Young Readers. Please rsvp lindamarie@sibaweb.com to attend.
More info on our presenters:
Eric Svenson is the Southeast regional field sales representative for HarperCollins Publishers. He is the son of independent bookseller parents, a second generation publishers rep, and has traveled the South promoting books & reading for 30 years. He became a legend at the Discovery Show's "Rep Picks" events, breaking the fourth wall and walking out into the audience to support the books and authors he loves.
Bob Werber recently took over the IPS territory in the South (including PGW, IPS, and Two Rivers/Ingram Academic). He has been in the territory for the last 13 years with Dover and then Barrons; prior to that he worked in the Midwest and West, primarily with Random House. Bob was also on the founding staff of Third Place Books in Seattle. Bob’s reading interests are quite varied but he is partial to literary fiction, regional, and nature writing—as well as non-fiction, especially history, politics, and sports.
Gavin J. Grant is the publisher of Small Beer Press, an independent press based in Massachusetts, whose books have been awarded the Philip K. Dick, Shirley Jackson, Hugo, and Locus Awards, as well as selected as the best of the year by NPR, Time Magazine, Salon, Booklist, Washington Post, and the San Francisco Chronicle, among others. Grant has worked in bookshops in Los Angeles and Boston and for the ABA's BookSense.com. Since 1996 he has (with Kelly Link) edited and published Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet, a twice-yearly small press zine. Grant and Link have also co-edited eight anthologies together.
He lives with his family in Northampton, MA.
Doni Kay started her career in bookselling with Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida in 1990. She was the children’s book buyer and ran the kid’s room, and also the bookfair division for 12 years. In 2002, thanks to Penguin Adult rep, Dave Kliegman, who told Doni that Penguin was looking for a kid’s rep in the Carolinas, she applied and was hired by Penguin Young Readers to cover the southeastern states! She has been in heaven ever since, doing what she loves most……putting books in kids’ hands and hearts.
Jill Hendrix, Owner of Fiction Addiction in Greenville, SC is highly respected for her bookselling business acumen. She'll discuss how every expense needs to tell you a story about how it fits into your business. Paying for Trello Gold or When I Work are productivity expenses, meant to let you do the same amount of work in less time. Your rent and most of your staffing expenses are hopefully bringing you direct income and thus are "rainmaking" expenses. Learn to catalog, analyze, and reduce your expenses in this interactive webinar.
Jill Hendrix grew up in Greenville and graduated from Yale University. She worked briefly in the Editorial Department of St. Martin's Press and then for a series of internet startups in New York City, including Juno Online Services. The startup bug proved contagious and she decided in 2001 to return home and open her own business, Fiction Addiction, which she has managed ever since.
In 2009, she launched the successful Book Your Lunch author event program, which has brought bestselling authors like Elin Hilderbrand and Dorothea Benton Frank to Greenville and introduced readers to debut novelists like Beth Hoffman. She has served as the Treasurer of the South Carolina Academy of Authors and as the president of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance.
Posted By Nicki Leone,
Monday, April 29, 2019
Updated: Monday, April 22, 2019
With BookExpo on the horizon, now is the time for bookstores to be prepping to make the most of their trip. A little time spent now getting your ducks in a row will not only save you many headaches when you get to the show, it will also allow you to concentrate on your priorities and goals and make the most of the time you have with publisher reps and publicists.
Last year, SIBA hosted a couple webinars with Maribeth Pelly on preparing store press kits and the art of pitching your store to publicists. Here's a link to the recorded webinars (you'll need to log in to view):
A Template and Checklist is also available at the above link,
Now is the time to update those press kits you worked so hard on last year:
Add in the events you've hosted since last spring
Include links or quotes from any news featuring your store
Double check your community resources and spaces to make sure the information is up to date.
Make sure your contact information is up to date, especially for specific staff contacts like event coordinators and buyers.
Submitted this week on Edelweiss+ using the "send to SIBA" option. Thanks to Avid Bookshop, Bookmarks, Bookmiser, E, Shaver, bookseller, Fiction Addiction, Flyleaf Books, Fountain Bookstore, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe, Page 158 Books, Parnassus Books, Quail Ridge Books, Story on the Square, Sundog Books, The Bookshelf, The Country Book Shop, The Little Bookshop, and Union Ave Books.
9781101947869 Furious Hours 5/7/2019
"Casey Cep's curiosity is so contagious that I found myself caring deeply about the history of dams and insurance! Un-put-down-able." -- Lucy Stoltz, The Bookshelf, Thomasville, GA
9780307959409The Flight Portfolio 5/7/2019
"Orringer did a terrific job: based on a lot of truth, this is a story that deserves to be remembered. It's hard to tell the facts from the fiction which, I don't know about you, but I like that in a novel." -- Erica Eisdorfer, Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill, NC
9780399175152Shouting at the Rain 5/7/2019
"Perfect summer reading for that 12-14 year dealing with changing friendships." -- Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop, Southern Pines, NC
9781250314093Pie in the Sky 5/14/2019
"If books came in cake form (and WHY NOT, I ask?), PIE IN THE SKY would be the apple mille-feuille of the bunch." -- Hannah DeCamp, Avid Bookshop, Athens, GA
9781338174519Glitch 5/14/2019
"A great take on the trend of characters entering video games! I also love that it's two girls playing video games, which isn't featured enough in books like this." -- Amber Brown, Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NC
Booksellers, authors, and other publishing industry colleagues sharing their best practices, creative insights, and life hacks is what makes SIBA's educational programming so valuable to members. If you'd like to be part of our educational programming at the #SIBA19 Discovery Show September 13-15 in Spartanburg, SC, we welcome your proposals. Although we can't guarantee your proposal will be selected for this event, it may be considered for future programming. Please fill out this form and we'll be in touch. Thank you so much for your time and interest!
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.
Since SIBA redesigned Lady Banks Bookshelf last year, this promotion experienced a 23% increase in audience reach (from 17K to 22.5K), a 16% jump in engagement (from 585 to 700) on social media, a 10% rise in impressions, and a 14% rise in click throughs via email. SIBA attributes the success to a more strongly focused target audience, more active engagement with member bookstores, and a fresh, more visually appealing presence that also appeals to the reader's sense of adventure and individuality.
By promoting through Lady Banks, publishers are making an investment in SIBA member bookstores’ attention and market. SIBA works with them to select titles your customers are looking for, and then we drive those customers to your stores. It’s very worth your while to bring Lady Banks Bookshelf titles in before the month begins, and put up a display.
Submitted this week on Edelweiss+ using the "send to SIBA" option. Thanks to Avid Bookshop, Bookmarks, Bookmiser, E, Shaver, bookseller, Flyleaf Books, Fountain Bookstore, Garden District Bookshop, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe, McIntyre's Books, Oxford Exchange, Page 158 Books, Park Road Books, Square Books, Story on the Square, Sunrise Books, The Bookshelf, The Country Book Shop, Underground Books,Vero Beach Book Center and Wonderland Bookshop
9781592702817 What If 4/30/2019
"This book is a reminder of the power of open-mindedness, imagination, and kindness to completely change the world." -- Hannah DeCamp, Avid Bookshop, Athens, GA
9781481472432If I Was the Sunshine 5/7/2019
"Lovely and comforting, If I was the Sunshine captivates. A joyful experience for parent and child alike." -- Kathy Neff, Square Books, Oxford, MS
9781982106980Ask Again, Yes 5/28/2019
"I couldn't put this one down, and yet I also never wanted it to end" -- Annie Jones, The Bookshelf, Thomasville, GA
9781945448348Give, a Novel 6/1/2019
"what grabbed me by the heart and wouldn't let go was Witsell's descriptions of parenting and motherhood." -- Angela Schroeder, Sunrise Books, High Point, NC
9781984803252Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune 6/11/2019
"recipes, magic dumplings, & a touch of romance" -- Shauna Sinyard, Park Road Books, Charlotte, NC
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BOOK ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES NATIONAL NETWORK MEMBERSHIP
The WNBA has launched a new national network membership, welcoming members from all across the US.
The WNBA is proud to announce its latest initiative—a national network membership that is open to individuals who do not live in or within easy commuting distance to one of its chapter cities. Network membership offers membership at the national level.
For over 100 years, WNBA has served members at the local level. With this new membership, geography will no longer be a barrier to developing and increasing WNBA’s community and support network.
National President, Rachelle Yousuf (Los Angeles) said, “This new membership level allows us to greater serve women—and men—in cities outside of our chapter cities. We’re excited to welcome a more diverse and widespread membership through this new initiative.”
Benefits of membership include: listing in the online national directory; listing of member blogs on the website; eligibilitytopublish articles or book reviews in the newsletter and blog; eligibility to serve on the national board; discounted admission to chapter city events; discounted fees for entry in the WNBA Writing Contest; eligibility to join Great Group Readings/National Reading Group Month selection committee; eligibility to make WNBA Award nominations, and more.
Last week's B3! Webinar "Publisher Picks: Summer Reading for Kids" was a big success, notable for the diversity of titles presented, and the range of reading levels, from board books to YA. Michelle Cavalier of Cavalier House Books was thrilled with the selection, commenting, "I love that the focus here was on small presses!! Also, love that one of the books highlighted was a bilingual title - I feel like we are seeing more and more of these every season and they work SO WELL for us. Not only do they speak to our mission of inclusivity and making all feel welcome in our shop but our teacher and librarian partners go crazy for them as there is a definite need for these in our schools! Honestly, I appreciate the diversity of the entire list, just wanted to highlight that fact. :)" A big thank you to presenters Nadia Almahdi of Little Bee Books, John D'Esposito of IPG, Catherine Onder of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and Becky Monds of HarperCollins Christian Publishing.
Our next Publisher Picks webinars are listed below, with dates TBA. Stay tuned and please email Linda-Marie to rsvp for any of the webinars, or for more information and updates.
JUNE - Fall Fiction
AUGUST - Small Presses Present Fall & Winter Lists
Refueling Ideas and Enthusiasm at This Year's SIBA in the Springtime! by Michelle Cavalier, owner of Cavalier House Books in Denham Springs, LA
I almost don’t want to tell you about how great SIBA in the Springtime and EUREKAsiba is because, here’s the thing, one of the best parts about this event is how intimate it is. But I also really, really want you to come next year so we can get to know each other, so here goes!
We started off on Monday with a bus tour of Atlanta area stores. I did the bus tour in Tampa as well, and this is genuinely the best way to spend a day! You are on a bus with a bunch of book nerds visiting your colleagues, learning best practices, and gossiping about which authors are most fun to host. And y’all, we even had the best ever story time at Little Shop of Stories (I tried to hire our reader, Ms. Hannah, away from the shop, but she was steadfast in her loyalties). I did, fortunately/unfortunately, spend all my money at the five bookshops we visited, but luckily on Tuesday I was refueled with ideas and enthusiasm to go back to my bookselling life with enough EUREKA moments to recoup my investment (plus, I have all those cool books)! Quick note of thanks to Southern Fried Karma for hosting our bus tour!
Back to the hotel for a dinner celebrating the Southern Book Prize. We got to hear from Will Walton (oh, you remember, you fell in love with him when he hosted a dinner in Tampa and of course, you read his books) and Jo Watson Hackl, our kids prize winner! Jo spoke about how her own upbringing in a ghost town inspired her debut novel, Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe, and also outlined the many resources she has available for helping kids delve deeper into her work and the world at large. Seriously, from treasure hunts to a classroom empathy exercise – this is an author after my own heart.
Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on Tuesday morning, we entered the ABA’s session on pre-order campaigns. My biggest take away here is that you’ve got to be creative! Through the ABA’s hard work, the pubs are getting behind us and supporting pre-order campaigns with swag, signed copies, and exclusives but we must engage our customers with pre-orders in the same way we would with in stock handselling. Did you know that up to 30% of a book’s total sales can come from preorders? Yeah, we gotta get in on that. Second take away, complete the ABACUS form, you guys! Oren and Joy went through the data with us and it is so helpful! The percentage breakdown allows you to assess what is happening in other stores, and ideas that may boost your business (like the growing percentage of nonbook, which does make my heart die a little, but facts are facts). We also had lunch with the ABA for the spring forum. The access we have to the heads of this national organization is unparalleled and during this event we have the opportunity to advocate for new ideas, to get questions answered, and to find new ways to be involved. Whether you want to be on the Indies Introduce team, are looking to host a Well-Read Black Girl book club, have questions about how indie commerce sites work, it is all open to discussion here.
But what you really came here for were the Eureka talks, right? We heard from twelve speakers (and two musicians!) full of enthusiasm and innovation. Our TBRs exploded, our ideas grew and were challenged, we laughed, we cried, we were validated by the very idea of moral injury (f*ck burnout, am I right?). I couldn’t possibly summarize it here for you. Many of the talks were recorded and will be shared, but there is definitely something about the experience of being there in the room with an engaged group of your peers that defies summary. So, here’s the part where I urge you to join us next year! I’ll be there, along with another group of inspiring speakers in our industry. I promise you will experience one of those EUREKAsiba moments; it happens to all of us (I mean, John bought a button maker immediately after seeing how much fun and profit the owners of Underground Books had with theirs!). I think I’m reaching my word count max here, but I’ll tell you this one last thing: books! The event is capped by author signings and a dinner that includes talks and readings (and this time, a game of Never Have I Ever) that is a great way to wrap up. You will leave so ready to recommend all the books and implement all the ideas – your customers and staff won’t know what hit ‘em!
We want to help you pocket some hundreds, as in dollars. Help us recruit new exhibitors to the #SIBA19 Discovery Show, and for every first-time exhibitor that pays full price to exhibit that credits your store with bringing them in, both the bookstore and the exhibitor will receive $100 towards their show expenses. Let your favorite vendors know how much you’d love to see them in Spartanburg in September and make your plans to be there. For every new vendor you recruit, there’s $100 in it for you.
Here's a link to the exhibitor information you can share with your favorite vendors:
(Be sure and put the name of your bookstore where indicated on p.3 of the Exhibitor Show Package & Registration Form.)
There is no limit to the number of first-time vendors you can collect $100 each for getting to the #SIBA19 Discovery Show!
Meanwhile, go ahead and get yourself registered as well. Register Now!
Vendors can participate as well. Any vendor that gets a bookstore to the Discovery Show that has never been before can each enjoy $100 towards show expenses.
Julie Murphy is a potty-mouthed Southern belle who was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, but found her home in Fort Worth, Texas. She’s never seen Star Wars, but has yet to meet a made for TV movie she didn’t love. When she’s not writing, Julie can be found cruising Costco for free samples, watching Sister Act 2, stalking drag queens on Instagram, obsessing over the logistics of Mars One, and forever searching for the perfect slice of cheese pizza. She lives with her bearded husband, two vicious cats, and one Pomeranian that can pass as a bear cub. DUMPLIN’, her second young adult novel, was featured in #Trio16 and made into a delightful film on Netflix. I could not be more excited to have Julie Murphy join us in Spartanburg, South Carolina with her first middle grade story: Dear Sweet Pea.
Stress Less: Bookstore owner creates blog for small business entrepreneurs
In SIBA country, Jill Hendrix is a familiar and much-appreciated presence. Owner of Fiction Addiction in Greenville, SC; creator of the successfully "Booked for Lunch" author reading series, past president of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, and frequent presenter at SIBA in the Springtime, The SIBA Discovery Show, and EUREKAsiba, Jill has been a generous in sharing her entreprenurial experience with her fellow booksellers.
This past month, she has taken that generosity to the next level and launched a blog on a topic near and dear to her heart: Less Stress and Entreprenurial Success:
"My goal is to transition entrepreneurs -- whether you have employees or not -- from working "in" your business, to working "on" your business. I believe small business ownership can and should:
be a joyous activity, not a stressful one
give you the freedom to craft a work schedule around your personal life, rather than the other way around
be a stable platform you can build on to achieve financial security for yourself and your family.
To do this, you simply need to develop great systems for your business. And I'm a systems nerd! There's nothing I like more than creating, implementing, and tweaking systems."
The blog is dedicated to sharing ideas and tools that have worked for her in both making her business a success, and making her life easier. So it covers everything from financial planning to rock climbing to her search for the perfect time management system.
Her posts end with a brief "take action" section of things you can do right now, and often a "Further Reading" section of books, podcasts, and articles that she has found useful.
Cindy Dach's "Time Management 101 for Booksellers"
Booksellers all across SIBA territory attended Cindy Dach’s “Time Management 101 for Booksellers B3! Webinar.” Cindy Dach is the co-owner of Changing Hands Bookstores and First Draft Bookbar in Tempe and Phoenix, Arizona. In her presentation, she shared techniques for time management, planning, and organizing daily tasks, all with an eye toward completing big-picture projects. She voiced a frustration common to many retail managers and store owners--books on time management and organization don’t address well the needs of frontline retail businesses, in which constant interruption, schedule juggling, and time-lining numerous programs from procedures manuals to bookfairs are common challenges. She did her own research and found tools that worked for her, her stores, and her employees. As she shared these tools with webinar attendees, she emphasized that everyone has to find what works for them, as no one tool works well for everyone or every store. In her stores she’s had to change tack from time to time when it became obvious that some personality types weren’t able to make good use of internal communication platforms or organizational tools. She’s also worked with employees to help them adjust to necessary changes and then witnessed their productivity and work/life balance increase dramatically. For those who missed out on Cindy’s presentation, or want to see it again and take more notes, here’s a link to view.
Submitted this week on Edelweiss+ using the "send to SIBA" option. Thanks to Avid Bookshop, Bookmarks, Copperfish Books, Fiction Addiction, Flyleaf Books, Fountain Bookstore, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe, McIntyre's Books, Page & Palette, Page 158 Books, Square Books, Sotry on the Square, The Bookshelf, The Country Book Shop, and Vero Beach Book Center.
9781250198679 The Night Before 5/14/2019
"Look up page-turner in the dictionary and you will find The Night Before. Every theory I had was proved wrong." -- Amanda, Page 158 Books, Wake Forest, NC
9781501197307Riots I Have Known 5/21/2019
"A bizarre love letter to literature set in a New York penitiary. Chapman is an author to watch." -- James, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe, Asheville, NC
9781945448348Give, a Novel 6/1/2019
"a lovely coming of age story that shows an honest portrait of a family that loves each other but may not always know the best ways to show it." -- Fountain Bookstore, Richmon, VA
9781250117762Grace Will Lead Us Home 6/4/2019
"Hawes writes a well-researched and sobering account of the Charleston Church Massacre.At times intense, other times reflective, this is an account you don't won't to miss if you want to know more about this tragic shooting." -- Linda, Fiction Addiction, Greenville, SC
9781524747985The Body in Question 6/11/2019
"I picked this up at work, read one chapter and took it home to finish that night. Then brought it back to work and made my boss read it." -- Olivia, The Bookshelf, Thomasville, GA
9780525656111The Body Lies 6/18/2019
"This is a headwrecker of a book, in the best possible way." -- Jamie, Bookmarks, Winston-Salem, NC
SIBA is working hard to level the playing field and to change publishers' mind-sets.
Seven Stories listened and has become a good partner, bringing in other independent presses. (Read the PW coverage here.)
This month we have two great independent publisher promotions created specifically for the independent bookstore: Quick Reads and Prize Winners. Please take advantage of these special promotions in your store. Set up a display, email a photo to SIBA, and maybe you and your staff will win a total of $500.
Curious Iguana Books in Frederick, Md. won the first window display prize for the pilot of the newly announced Indie Playlist program. Will you win the next one?
I'll be honest. I listen to a lot of audiobooks. A lot. They are the only way I get through tedious tasks I don't want to be doing: dusting, cleaning bathrooms, sweeping, folding clothes. If I didn't have something to listen to, all of my clothes would never even make it out of the laundry basket. Marie Kondo would weep. In fact, I was listening to Marie Kondo and getting a kind of evil thrill as I balled up all my pairs of socks and crammed them into a drawer -- something she regards as cruel and unusual sock punishment. The point is, without audiobooks, I would be exactly like that aunt in Cold Sassy Tree who feels perfectly justified in sitting and reading a book while there are still dirty dishes in the sink. So thank god for audiobooks.
One of the most popular talks at last month's SIBA in the Springtime was Mark Pearson from Libro.fm, whose talk "How to Use Tech and Keep our Humanity" was an enthusiastic and playful look at the many possibilities that the often bewildering range of technical advances offer small business owners. Rather than feeling lost at sea, he encouraged booksellers to approach tech in a spirit of play and exploration, and to see opportunities, rather than obstacles. His own vision for Libro.fm ranged from the unabashedly ambitious (co-opt Alexa!) to the eminently practical (playlists, advance listening copies, special promotions)
Advance Listening Copies: A monthly list of complimentary audiobooks for booksellers, some new, some worth rediscovering. Among the book. Among the offerings on the April list are Joshilyn Jackson's forthcoming novel "Never Have I Ever," Southern favorite River Jordan's memoir "Confessions of a Christian Mystic, and the current Okra Pick title "I Miss You When I Blink."
Playlists: Libro.fm allows participating stores to create "playlists" -- the audio version of your special displays and staff picks sections. Here's an example of a playlist we created of every available book that was mentioned at SIBA in the Springtime, from James Joyce's "Dubliners" to "Caps for Sale" (it was that kind of an event!): SIBA in the Springtime Playlist
Special Campaigns: Libro.fm has put together free audiobooks for stores to gift to their customers on Independent Bookstore Day, and has created a resource library of downloads to help stores promote them.
For more information and to get your store involved, contact Mark Pearson at mpearson@libro.fm.
Submitted this week on Edelweiss+ using the "send to SIBA" option. Thanks to Bookmarks, Fiction Addiction, Flyleaf Books, Fountain Bookstore, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe, McIntyre's Books, Oxford Exchange, Page & Palette, Parnassus Books, Sunrise Books, The Bookshelf, The Country Book Shop, and Wordsworth Books.
9781101947883 Exhalation 5/7/2019
"Exhalation is a collection of engrossing, genre-defying, mind's eye-popping stories that linger deliciously long after reading." -- Stephanie, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe, Asheville, NC
9780393242140Underland 6/4/2019
" A fascinating look at the varied life under the earth’s surface. And there is so much history to be discovered there!" -- Stephanie, Page & Palette, Fairhope, AL
9781594634734City of Girls 6/4/2019
"Loved it! I finished feeling great gratitude for lifelong friendships and wanting to pass the book to all my best friends." -- Laura, Oxford Exchange, Tampa, FL
9780062834300Searching for Sylvie Lee 6/4/2019
"Dark, complicated, and engrossing, this literary thriller will capture your emotions and keep you turning pages long after dark." -- Beth, Bookmarks, Winston-Salem, NC
9781984801067The Black Jersey 6/25/2019
"A great summer read with a fast paced mystery as twisty as a downhill descent. " -- Jean, Wordsworth Books, Little Rock, AR
9780593104279The Shameless 7/9/2019
" The Shameless has it all, old characters coming back, dialogue that snaps, crackles, and pops, and a plot that twists and turns more than any alpine road...I pretty much read this in in sitting, finishing at 5am, and still got to work on time." -- Pete, McIntyre's Fine Books, Pittsboro, NC
Number of years as a bookseller: Just over one year.
Best part about being a bookseller:Talking to book lovers all day long! I love being in the store and sharing ideas with our customers.
What book(s) are you reading? Just finishedQueenie by Candice Carty-Williams, and finished the ARC for The Starless Seaby Erin Morgenstern last night-so good!
Favorite handsell on your radar for 2019:The Starless Sea
Best thing you did this year at your store: Hired a mess of wonderful booksellers and bartenders- they are a motley crew of outstanding individuals who are passionate about their work.
What are some ways you work with your community? We host 8 book clubs, host book fairs, have story time each week, host non-profit events in our event space, and are building relationships with our schools to help them buy books through us.
Do you have any community partners you work with regularly? We are developing these partnerships as we have been in our permanent location only seven weeks. We will help relaunch Young Professional of Henry County this week at a book event, and are working with local writers groups to promote their writing. We sponsor Ferst Readers (who purchase books and provide them for free monthly to children born in our country from birth to age 5, 60 books in total).
Do you have passions that carry over into your bookselling life? I’m a physician in real life; this is my side hustle, so healthcare, public health issues, and particularly women’s heath are dear issues to me. I love STEM books and want to educate my community on how important it is to read to understand increasingly complex STEM subjects.
Top priority for 2019:Letting people know we are here and serving our community. Telling our story to the world, and then inviting them in to join us.
Favorite SIBA programming benefit: I love OKRA picks, and I love attending SIBA annual meetings (especially when it’s in New Orleans!)
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Beginning in May, SIBA's Okra Picks program calendar has been updated to give booksellers and publishers more time to promote each season's titles and to allow for active pre-order campaigns for the forthcoming books. Accordingly, nomination deadlines for each season have been pushed back by two weeks. The new Okra Picks schedule is as follows:
Julie Murphy is a potty-mouthed Southern belle who was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, but found her home in Fort Worth, Texas. She’s never seen Star Wars, but has yet to meet a made for TV movie she didn’t love. When she’s not writing, Julie can be found cruising Costco for free samples, watching Sister Act 2, stalking drag queens on Instagram, obsessing over the logistics of Mars One, and forever searching for the perfect slice of cheese pizza. She lives with her bearded husband, two vicious cats, and one Pomeranian that can pass as a bear cub. DUMPLIN’, her second young adult novel, was featured in #Trio16 and made into a delightful film on Netflix. I could not be more excited to have Julie Murphy join us in Spartanburg, South Carolina with her first middle grade story: Dear Sweet Pea.
Stress Less: Bookstore owner creates blog for small business entrepreneurs
Advance Listening Copies
Playlists
