How can a dedicated bookseller claim to hate tradeshows? They offer great ideas to improve a bookstore, offer sessions on running stores more effectively, and compare programs with other stores. Publishers and vendors show off the upcoming books and sidelines to make a store profitable and beneficial to a community.

So why do I hate trade shows, particularly after writing about how much I love them? Because I don’t have a physical bookstore. True, I had an arrangement with a coffee shop in Clarksburg, and it did very well. But it was “boutique” size, and as I was negotiating a larger partnership with the coffee shop owner, he went out of business.  I couldn’t take over the lease and packed up as well.

I’m a member of bookseller associations that put on trade shows a couple of times a year, and have attended some of them over the four years I’ve been in business. The trials and tribulations of finding affordable space in a sustainable community have been difficult in these economic times. I hated to go to the shows because I felt like I was explaining why I couldn’t be in business, rather than getting into discussions about making the business better. I wanted to talk about what was working, submitting bestseller nominations, offering staff or customer recommendations, and all the fun stuff that makes bookselling so exciting and rewarding.

But now, the hated part about going to a trade show is almost over. I begin moving into a store that I can call my own, or at least lease. A friend of mine, who started her own business at the same time, had to close. She owns the building and is trying to sell it, but in the meantime, I will maintain the property to keep the value up. We’ve worked out a great lease that helps both of us, and gives me roughly 1,300 square feet to grow. I don’t have much for a budget, but enough to get open.

There’s a dispute with the state highway over rights to put up a street sign, but we’re working on it. Otherwise, the store is located in the Clarksburg Historic District, and the building is the original 1730’s trading post built at the crossing of two Indian trails. The building expanded over the years and added a Post Office, where my granduncle was postmaster. There’s a lot of great history, and the style of the store reminds one of the general stores of long ago. The style won’t change and there will be a bit of a challenge to incorporate a bookstore, but it should be an unusual experience. The center of the store will have movable displays to accommodate book groups, signings, and other activities. There’s a lot to do, but I expect to open at the end of April or beginning of May.

If I’m still sane, I’ll be looking forward to the next trade show!

I’m always amazed at how much traffic is generated when a business like Borders declares bankruptcy. Most of the pundits who are flooding the media with statements and speculation have been talking about the bookstore giant for years. I suppose the facts of the debt vindicate some of the speculation, but as a bookseller, I’ve been weighing the economic impact of all factors in the book industry, including Borders’ condition.

There’s a lot of sideline speculation about the future of the print book and bookstores. E-books, online purchases, and cultural changes are important factors, but the big story today is Borders. The question I’ve been asked is how Borders’ bankruptcy will affect independents as well as independent publishers. Simply, it’s anything from great to a total disaster.

First, Borders is declaring Chapter 11, which means they will still exist during and after the process is complete, and they will still be a major competitor to the independent bookseller. The independents near a closing Borders will have an opportunity to attract those customers. The Borders near my store isn’t closing, but I could be hiring an employee or two. Sadly, the employees losing their jobs will suffer greatly.

The good news for a number of independents is additional sales, but there is also the relationship with publishers. We now know the level of debt faced by some of the big publishers. They will probably get something out of the bankruptcy process, but will have to deal with those losses as well as lower distribution to a much reduced reseller footprint. I’ve been in the business for nearly 30 years, and my speculation for independents is that selection and distribution will not change significantly. I’m willing to bet that publishers will refocus their efforts to support independents. There’s a list of independent publishers that were invested in Borders, and the amounts don’t look good. If they begin to fail, I wonder if the big publishers will pick them up. There aren’t as many independent publishers as I thought, but it’s significant.

The basic rule of success in retail is high turnover of merchandise. That’s the advantage for the independent, because the small store has to be focused on inventory and what the customer wants. In recessions, we can use the same space to sell lower priced used and remainder books, and sidelines, to maintain or increase high turnover and margin. Borders and B&N are so large, all they can do is reduce inventory. Reduced inventory means paying for unused space, and Borders tried sidelines that ultimately didn’t work.

Independents will still close, not because of Borders’ bankruptcy, but from the struggle of online competition and e-books. I’m optimistic. Publishers succeed by signing successful authors, and would be foolish to cut back. Booksellers succeed with a good selection of books from publishers and focusing on customer service. Those that adapt to changing times will succeed and there are opportunities for success. I believe reading will increase among all ages with the advent of e-books. Young adults are hooked into technology and I think having a book in that format will encourage them to pause their video game and texting (maybe not) to read a few pages. Some are concerned that authors will lose readers because a Borders store will close. There will be some loss, but I can’t imagine people will stop reading, they will find another way to buy their books. As long as people want to meet authors, and book groups want someplace to meet, there will be brick and mortar bookstores.

Borders Stores Closing List

Borders Bankruptcy Filing

The bookseller conference, Winter Institute 6, is my first for this trade show. I've been to other national and regional shows, but Winter Institute focuses on education and is far more intense. Other conferences generally split time between education sessions and exhibit halls of vendors with preview books. The Winter Institute has a Galley Room of preview books (see my other blog and the home page), but the conference is scheduled with five tracks of three sessions each for the entire day. It's a lot to absorb and you miss a lot of the sessions, but you can't help but be excited about the future of bookselling. Bookselling has never been easy, but it's not impossible. This is a long blog about the sessions, so get comfortable.

Briefly, Tuesday night was a wonderful reception at Politics and Prose. Wednesday breakfast was an interview with Jim Lehrer and Karen Mills of the SBA about small business programs. This was followed by legislative meetings on Capitol Hill and a reception at the Library of Congress.

Thursday began with a breakfast presentation by Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor. His motivational speech, and antics, talked about connecting to imagination through entertaining displays and activities. The hard part is employees and getting the right personality for your store. Most of his suggestions are part of a successful store, but he was able to take ideas to a higher level. His book, The Retail Doctor, is available in April.

Thursday's education sessions:

Ideas That Work: Communications, Events, and Displays for Great Children's Departments
Getting Political: Creating the Change You Want to See
The New Reality: Alternative Business Models for Independent Bookstores
Creating Killer Events for Small Business

Saving Time and Money With Edelweiss

Edelweiss is an online interactive set of publisher catalogs that helps booksellers create a more efficient operation. It sorts book information among the publishers and allows the buyer to import the order into the store's Point-of-Sales (POS) system. Edelweiss allows the bookseller to share information with other stores and customers, as well as print a .pdf file for a display. It links with social media and has up to date information from the publisher. The order can be auto-mapped to the store's categories and locates local books and authors. I was concerned Edelweiss replaced sales reps, but it's just the opposite. Reps can leave notes about books and specials, and view the order so it cuts down on meeting time. It's a free service (a big plus) unless you want sales tracking, which is a subscription with Above the Treeline.

Lunch was speed dating with sales reps who pitched their new titles. We sat at preassigned tables and every few minutes, the gong would sound and the reps moved to the next table. It was very noisy, but lots of fun.

What Really Drives Choice In The Children's Book Market?
Linked By Passion: Growing Sales Through Local Retail Partnerships
New Business Models Through Strategic Thinking
New Adventures In Book Buying: Working with Reps Near and Far 

Adding A Cafe To Your Bookstore

Bookstores looking for an additional source of revenue, typically turn to an in-store cafe, wine bar, or snack stand. While food service does provide a higher margin, there's a lot of planning and issues to consider. Top priorities are allocating space, permits, and health inspections. If you serve or sell wine, you have to follow age restrictions. Food preparation means higher workers comp insurance because of risks. Some of the tips offered were to prepare food in-house to control quality and freshness. It's also easier to do cookbook tie-ins to the menu. Cafe's also attract new customers who stop for a meal, and end up shopping for books. A signature dish, chocolates, sweets, and pastries are additional attractions. Perishable items take time to determine daily quantities to avoid loss. Offers to swap the competition's coffee for the cafe coffee is key to change customers buying habits.

Non-Book Rountable / Children's Roundtable
Frontline Booksellers Roundtable / Small & Mid-Size Store Roundtable
Large-Store Rountable / Buyers Roundtable
Event Planners Roundtable

E-Commerce Roundtable

Since I don't have a store yet, the E-Commerce Roundtable made sense. Topics included using Google Analytics and e-mail lists. Some suggested a weekly newsletter, but my customers have asked for a monthly newsletter with occasional special notices. Some of the booksellers who attended the Winter Institute had to close their stores for the conference. Their customers appreciated the special note of why the store closed and how the conference would benefit them. Posting unique merchandise and local books provides an advantage to the big box websites. Community outreach and partnerships with organizations add to the store loyalty and support. Tips included personal e-mail response and notes in the shipment, online gift wrapping service, and a "How to Buy" FAQ.

I did a quick run through the Galley Room before going to the Author Reception, then had to leave early for a dinner with fellow members of NAIBA, a regional organization of independent booksellers.

Friday's education sessions:

IndieCommerce Overview
Cost of Goods Sold 101
The Indie City Index
Exploring New Partnerships Between Indie Booksellers and Authors

Efficiency 101: Getting Your Act Together

It's more than organizing or delegating. The first topic is to track time spent on each task, including breaks. Write down processes for organization, sales, planning events, etc. Evaluate these reports to determine what can be improved, delegated, or eliminated. Google calendar and docs can make it easier for employees to keep track of ongoing projects and events. Schedule items based on your energy level during the day. The biggest issue is e-mail and how to stay on top of it. The best answer is to get rid of it quickly. Take old e-mail and put it in an archive file. If you don't access the file, delete it. I'll keep customers order e-mails in a folder for a few months in case there's a question or dispute.

Lunch was part 2 of speed dating with sales reps.

Efficiency 201: Accomplish More by Working Less
How to Sell E-Books
How to Buy Your Way to Success
Making Nonfiction Sexy

Consultation Station

This track is set up with a variety of companies that pertain to operating a store, especially for start-ups. I reserved time with Paz Associates and Anthology, but was able to have walk-up discussions with others. Paz Associates is a consulting firm that offers classes on starting a bookstore and provides services for booksellers. I showed them the space I'm planning to lease, the expenses, and current finances. We're concerned about the finances, but optimistic about the community and the store layout. Anthology is a Point-of-Sale system and I've been in talks with them for the past year. I ran through some of my final questions and gave them my latest set up. I had an opportunity to meet with Franklin Fixtures about book specific fixtures. They are the elite of retail fixtures and my investment depends on financing. I briefly talked with NACS about their list of vendors used by college stores. I met with Basil POS software that offers a much lower cost point-of-sale that is internet based. That would allow me to set up a portable, off-site, register as long as I had internet access. New decision to be made.

Free for the Asking: Marketing With PR & Social Media
How to Spend Your Way to Success
Buying, Selling & Merchandising Used Books
Consultation Station, continued

How to Sell E-Books (Repeat)

My ebook sales have been very disappointing, even with the addition of Google ebooks. Marketing consists of social media, newsletters, and in-store. I've used these methods, with no benefit so far. This was an open discussion, so suggestions came from the audience as well as the moderators. The best start is in-store, becoming a resource for customers by pointing out the various devices and compatibility. Conversations in the form of store events with experts, educate the customers to ebooks and downloading on the website. Marketing ebooks can use the same techniques as print books, but it's getting the customer accustomed to using the website.

The closing reception featured authors from small press sponsors, including a signing with Ralph Nader. That wrapped up Winter Institute 6 and next year it will be in New Orleans. It was very exhausting, but I come away full of ideas and excitment over what can be accomplished in bookselling. I was especially happy to see so many people like me who are starting their stores, or planning to open soon. I "extended" the conference by visiting One More Page in Arlington, Va. who opened the same day as the conference. We were supposed to be joined by Janet from Avid Bookshop in Georgia, but she had a last minute change in plans. Janet has a website and is trying to open a store, which is my situation. Bethanne Patrick, aka @thebookmaven on Twitter, met us since she lives near One More Page. It was a fun meeting and we shared notes and experiences. Eileen, One More Page's owner, has fascinating un-conventional display fixtures, sells wine and food items, and has a well curated selection of books. It's a wonderful store, and I look forward to following her progress.

The Winter Institute is a bookseller conference that brings publishers and authors together for a few days to talk about new books. This is similar to other national and regional conferences and trade shows, but the Winter Institute is an intense series of educational sessions for booksellers. There are five tracks of three sessions each, or fifteen sessions each day. Since I can only go to three each day, it means I have to get reviews of the other sessions from other booksellers at the breakfasts and luncheons. I should mention that the meals are also filled with presentations and publisher reps talking about their books. The Winter Institute ended Friday and I'm now coherent enough to report on the author reception after Thursday's sessions.

I had to leave early for a dinner with fellow NAIBA members, but met with a number of authors. These books are previews of releases for 2011. Some titles will display as not yet printed, others will be pre-orders, and many will be available as Google e-books. Remember to buy Google e-books through this website to have the order count for me. There were about 60 authors in attendance, so this is a long list.

David Allen, Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, Penguin

Tom Angleberger, Horton Halfpott, Amulet (Abrams Books for Young Readers)

Dean Bakopoulos, My American Unhappiness: A Novel, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
I read his book before Wi6 and enjoyed it very much. I commented about it on Twitter and he remembered them and thanked me for my early support. It probably helped that I was wearing a button with my Twitter name on it. Dean is a former bookseller and professor at Iowa State University.The link to this title says it's out of print, but it will be released June 7, 2011.

Rye Barcott, It Happened on the Way to War, Bloomsbury

Sophie Blackall, The Crows of Pearblossom, Abrams Books for Young Readers

Sarah Blake, The Postmistress: A Novel, Berkley Trade

Judy Blundell, Strings Attached, Scholastic Press

Noah Boyd, Agent X, Morrow
I didn't meet him at the reception, but picked up this book in the Galley Room. The Galley Room is where booksellers can pick up Advanced Reviewer Copies (ARC's) to preview new releases.

Victoria Brown, Minding Ben, Voice (Hyperion)

Bonnie Jo Campbell, Once Upon a River: A Novel, W. W. Norton

Marcia Clark, Guilt By Association, Mulholland Books (Hachette Book Group)
I wanted to meet her, mostly for the celebrity aspect, but I hear it's a good book. I didn't get an ARC and will try to get a copy from Mulholland.

Jennet Conant, A Covert Affair: The Adventures of Julia Child and Paul Child in the OSS, Simon & Schuster

Doreen Cronin, The Trouble with Chickens, Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins Children's Books)

Michael Crummey, Galore: A Novel, Other Press

Lauren DeStefano, Wither, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
The first book in the Last Chemical Garden Trilogy. Due March 2011. I managed to get a copy from the Galley Room.

Laura Duksta, You Are A Gift to the World, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Glen Duncan, The Last Werewolf, Knopf (Random House)

Carol Edgarian, Three Stages of Amazement: A Novel, Scribner (Simon & Schuster)

Jennifer Natalya Fink, Thirteen Fugues, Dark Coast Press

Alison Fitzgerald, In Too Deep: BP and the Drilling Race That Took It Down, Wiley
Even though Alison Fitzgerald is an investigation reporter in D.C., I couldn't imagine her getting involved in a story about the scandal. It sounds sexist, but the media appears, with rare exception, to assign the field investigation to men. It turns out nearly all the investigation took place through the large amount of documentation. Alison Fitzgerald won the Polk award for her coverage of the financial crisis and government rescue of the banking industry. Stanley Reed is a specialist on the Middle East and the oil industry. He's covered BP for more than a decade.

Jennifer Fosberry, My Name Is Not Alexander, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Francisco Goldman, Say Her Name: A Novel, Grove Press

Katherine Greider, The Archaeology of Home, PublicAffairs (Perseus Books Group)

Heather Gudenkauf, These Things Hidden, MIRA

Dan Gutman, The Genius Files: Mission Unstoppable, HarperCollins Children's Books
I picked this up in the Galley Room, but couldn't get to the author's table. It looks like a book my niece will enjoy. I'm thinking there's going to be some controversy over ad placement and encouraging children to eat fast food. This is a story about Coke McDonald and his twin sister, Pepsi. A new series that should be as good as any of his multiple publications.

Deborah Harkness, A Discovery of Witches: A Novel, Viking
Another Galley Room pick. This is book one of the All Souls trilogy. The second book will be out in 2012. A Discovery of Witches is a contemporary novel with history, magic, romance and suspense.

Rachel Moore Hawkins, Demonglass: A Hex Hall Novel, Hyperion Books for Children
You can tell Rachel Hawkins enjoys writing her stories. All authors do, but I'm trying to get a better understanding of young adult novels. I spent time at the reception asking these authors about age range and details of their books. Rachel had a glint in her eye that may explain why some of her former high school students thought she was a witch.

Tayari Jones, Silver Sparrow, Algonquin Books
I really regret missing her at the reception and not getting her book. I recently followed her on Twitter and wanted to talk with her about some of the conversations. She posted a great blog for those who still enjoy the bookstore experience.

Melissa Kantor, The Darlings Are Forever, Hyperion Books For Children
A pre-teen, early teen novel as told to me by Melissa. A story of three high school girls growing up and trying to keep their friendship together. It's a refreshing change from the vampire, witches, zombie stories of late.

Mark Kurlansky, World Without Fish, Workman

Alice LaPlante, Turn of Mind, Atlantic Monthly Press

Janet Lee and Jim McCann, Return of the Dapper Men, Archaia (Diamond Book Distributors)
Jim looked very dapper, and Janet used a special two-nibbed pen to sign the book. I fell in love with the book after discovering Steampunk in 2010 with Cherie Priest's Clementine. This is a beautifully illustrated book by Janet Lee, and a wonderful story for young chiildren. I mention Cherie Priest because I asked Janet and Jim if they knew any distributors of Steampunk merchandise, and they suggested I talk to Cherie. I also spent an inordinate amount of time talking with the Diamond Book rep. We've been talking for a few years about setting up an account and a grahic novel store display, if I ever open a store. That looks like it will happen very, very soon.

Tom Lichtenheld, Cloudette, Holt Books for Young Readers
A delightful story about a small cloud from an author with a big imagination. Similar to the Little Engine That Could, it's a great motivation story for young readers.

Clarence Lusane, Black History of the White House, City Lights Publishers

Kee Malesky, All Facts Considered: The Essential Library of Inessential Knowledge, Wiley
So I ask Kee Malesky what knowledge is inessential, and she says it's the different way people think about facts, faith, and interpretation of history. What is essential to one person, is inessential to someone else. If that's hard to follow, I'm sure Kee will explain it in her book.

Jennifer McMahon, Don't Breathe a Word, Harper Paperbacks
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, having received it a few weeks before the conference. I made a point to meet Jennifer and tell her about it. When I first saw the cover, I thought it was young adult, but started to read it in preparation of Wi6. Jennifer agrees about the cover, but it is not young adult, given the opening pages. It's a story about a missing girl, fairies, mysteries, and suspense. The chapters switch back and forth, between the missing girl's life and fifteen later, when her brother and his girlfriend start to find clues to her disappearance.

Walter Dean Myers, Carmen, Egmont

Joseph O'Connor, Ghost Light: A Novel, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Another frustrating miss to meet an author. Joseph O'Connor, an Irish author, writing about Edwardian Dublin, which is one of my favorite settings. It's amazing how time flies when there are so many authors at one time. I did get the book from the Galley Room, but wanted to get it autographed.

Tea Obreht, The Tiger's Wife: A Novel, Random House

Bob Phibbs, The Retail Doctor's Guide to Growing Your Business, Wiley
I haven't read his book, but he gave a presentation at one of the Wi6 breakfasts and it was incredible. A lot of common sense that people tend to forget, and some great tips to improve the customer experience at a store. I could blog on this alone. I took a moment to get Bob to sign my book, and told him about a marketing idea of mine, which he loved and wants to hear the results. He was also kind enough to answer a display question I've been mulling over. I'm looking forward to reading his book.

Hannah Pittard, The Fates Will Find Their Way, Ecco Books

Beth Revis, Across the Universe, Razorbill (Penguin Books for Young Readers)
I picked the book up in the Galley Room, and didn't get to the author, but I regret that now. Some of my friends on Twitter were talking about a preview of this book, and I reviewed it for them. It seemed a bit confusing at the beginning about how old Amy, the primary character was, but the general story didn't seem significantly different from other space travel novels. My review turned off a few of my friends, and I forgot about it until I came across the book at Wi6. I wish now I talked with her to get a better feel for the story, but I will read it. If I'm wrong, I'll do a hard handsell and apologize to Beth. This is her first novel.

Nina Revyor, Wingshooters, Akashic Books

Veronica Roth, Divergent, Katherine Tegen Books (HarperCollins Children's Books)

Jennifer Sattler, Chick 'n' Pug, Bloomsbury Children's Books

John Sayles, A Moment in the Sun, McSweeney's

Gary D. Schmidt, Okay For Now, Clarion Books (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

Daniel Seddiqui, 50 Jobs in 50 States, Berrett-Koehler Publishers

Caitlin Shetterly, Made For You and Me, Voice

Rachel Simon, The Story of a Beautiful Girl, Grand Central Publishing

Maya Soetoro-Ng, Ladder to the Moon, Candlewick

Curt Stager, Deep Future, Thomas Dunne Books (St. Martin's Press)

John Stephens, Emerald Atlas, Knopf Books for Young Readers

John Milliken Thompson, The Reservoir: A Novel, Other Press

Jon and Pam Voelkel, The Jaguar Stones, Book Two: The End of the World Club, Egmont
I had to stop at the table and meet this couple. For one thing, they were dressed in safari clothing. Secondly, they had a pair of authentic pith helmets sitting on top of the books. Jon explained how and why pith helmets were created. These young reader books sound adventurous and fun. I was able to pick up the first book in the series, Middleworld. When they sign their books, Jon stamps it with an Aztec symbol of their names. I might be able to get them from Vermont to D.C. for a signing.

Binyavango Wainaina, One Day I Will Write About This Place, Graywolf Press

Tim Wynne-Jones, Blink & Caution, Candlewick

November 26, 2010. This is the first time I ventured out on a Black Friday. My brother saw some great deals at Pep Boys and I needed some of the items for my car. 6:30am and we hit the shopping center that has a WalMart, Target, Home Depot, Borders, etc. It was like those scenes of power outage lootings. We worked our way to Pep Boys to find a crowd there also. The free spotlight (a bonus for me) was already gone, as were the free spark plugs. Bummer. But I did get oil, filters, and wiper blades I needed for the car. Free, almost free, and home by 8am.

I've never liked Black Friday, and now Cyber Monday, because it promotes manic consumerism. Items that people would not normally buy are wisked off the shelves by a mob (non-violent) at ridiculous prices. I realize this is a great marketing tool for retailers looking to make their year on the busiest part of the shopping season. The idea is to present loss-leader items at or below costs, with manufacturers offering rebates to compensate. Stores attract customers with these deals in the hope that you'll buy more profitable merchandise as well. I could compare the type of shoppers, but that's another separate topic. What bothers me about this particular weekend is the rebate "scam".

Rebates are offered year-round, but are an integral part of this madness weekend. It's technically not a scam and all rebates are legal offers, but there's a reality to why it profits manufacturers. Instead of discounting the price, a customer has to pay full price and mail-in a rebate to get their money back. Manufacturers quickly discovered roughly 8% of rebates were redeemed. That means 92% of customers paid full price and never realized the bargain, leaving full profit to the manufacturer.

Recently, the redeem rate has gone up. Now, there are complicated conditions on the rebate coupon in order to reject your submission. Take Pep Boys as an example. A good company and reputable in my opinion. I bought 2 sets of oil and filters, as described in their ad. The rebate coupon states, if you read it carefully, you must have an original coupon AND original receipt for each purchase to qualify for the rebate. The customer and cashier need to be aware that multiple receipts have to be printed. This is possible with computer registers that store recipt information, even after the transaction is complete.

We arrived an hour and a half after Pep Boys opened, and the cashier and manager didn't know about the consitions. Imagine how many customers don't know their rebate won't qualify. If they notice, they can go back and have additional receipts printed. I don't blame Pep Boys completely, but they will have to deal with the customer, not the manufacturer. They printed two receipts for me, and the manager had to go to an unused register to print six receipts for my brother.

If you're out there today, be careful of traffic, be patient and realize you won't get all the items you want, and recognize the sale is based on rebates with varying conditions. The sad part of all is that small businesses are left out. This is big chain marketing. Small Business Saturday has been created this year by American Express. Support your local business this weekend, and especially this Saturday. We're the character and support of your community.