Posted By Nicki Leone,
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
Updated: Tuesday, December 12, 2017
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MEET THE BOOKSELLER!
Mary Ruthless, Foggy Pines Books, Boone, NC
foggypinebooks.com | facebook | twitter | instagram | email
 Name: Mary Ruthless—Born and raised in the mountains of western North Carolina, I was always an avid reader. I taught myself to read at age 3 because I was too impatient to wait for someone else to read me a story. I was never without a book growing up and my love for reading only grew with each book I read. I received my BA in English Literature from Appalachian State University in 2011 and went on to manage the small bookstore that was in town at the time. When the owner decided to move on and focus on her own writing, I bought it and turned it into Foggy Pine Books. I have a 10 year old son, Liam, who also harbors a deep love of books; 2 dogs, Anya and Athena; and a cat, Smoke.
Store and location: Foggy Pine Books—Boone, NC
Number of years as a bookseller: 4 1/2 years—3 at Black Bear Books after college, 1 1/2 at Foggy Pine Books
 Best part about being a bookseller?: This is such a tough question because I love everything about being a bookseller—from reading new books to putting them in the hands of excited readers. My favorite part, however, is being able to talk about literature all day long. I love engaging with my customers, making recommendations, and learning about new authors from others. I get stopped all the time around (our very small) town because someone recognized me as "the book lady" and just had to tell me about the book they're reading or to ask me about a title in the store. It's humbling and exciting to know that those little conversations about books that I love so much also matter to the people having them with me.
What book(s) are you reading?: Future Home of The Living God by Louise Erdrich, The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty, A Gathering of Shadowsby V. E. Schwab, Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff, The Heart Forger by Rin Chupeco
 Favorite handsell of 2017: The Bear & The Nightingale by Katherine Arden — brilliant and beautiful novel set in medieval Russia with excellent characters and plenty of fairy tale-type magic.
Best thing you did this year at your store: I did a lot of great things this year (wink wink) but I think the best decision I made was to switch my bestseller display from the NYT bestsellers to the Southern bestsellers. My customers engage with the display much more and many of the "Southern Only" titles really catch their eye. It has boosted my bestseller sales and gives my customers a sense of place as soon as they step in the door.
Top priority going into 2018: My top priority for 2018 is to establish the store in our new location which includes: customer retention, community visibility, expansion of titles offered, and hiring new employees. We're looking to open in the new space by mid-January and it's definitely the most important thing on my to-do list right now.
Favorite SIBA programming benefit: Other than the annual trade show (because it's the most obvious answer), the Okra Picks are hands-down my favorite benefit. I look forward to the bookmarks/cards that come in the mail with each new batch and I love arranging the new Okra Pick display, writing shelf talkers, and hand selling them to my customers. Then, I get to start in on another round of reading great Southern literature so I can nominate the next Okra Picks.
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR 2018 PW AWARDS
for Bookstore and Sales Rep of the Year
 Publishers Weekly seeks nominations for the 2018 Bookstore of the Year and Sales Representative of the Year Awards. The winning independent bookstore and sales representative will be featured in an upcoming issue of Publishers Weekly magazine and honored in a ceremony to be held in New York City in spring 2018.
Finalists for both awards will be named in January at Winter Institute 13 in Memphis, Tenn.
Authors, booksellers, publishers, distributors, and others with ties to the book industry are invited to nominate their favorite bookstores and sales representatives for the PW Bookstore of the Year and PW Sales Rep of the Year Awards. (Please note that candidates cannot nominate themselves, nor can family members nominate them.)
Please email nominations by January 8, 2018 to: Judith Rosen at PWawards@publishersweekly.com. No nominations or letters of recommendation will be accepted after that date.
Criteria for the awards:
PW 2018 Bookstore of the Year: Publishers Weekly will honor an independently owned bricks-and-mortar bookstore in the U.S., which has been in operation for at least four years. In your nomination, please note what makes the bookstore special and to provide contact information, including your name and industry affiliation. This letter will be read by the judges to help determine which bookstore wins the 2018 award. Bookstores that have previously received the award cannot be nominated, nor can sister stores of past winners.
PW 2018 Sales Rep of the Year: We welcome nominations for outstanding telephone and house reps as well as independent sales representatives. Please include an example of the rep's commitment to excellence, as well as contact information, including your name and industry affiliation. This letter will be read by the judges to help determine which sales representative wins the 2018 award. Sales representatives can only win the award once.
BRILLIANT BOOKSELLER OF THE WEEK:
Importing Book-Giving Traditions from Other Countries and giving it a personal twist.
The Jólabókaflóð tradition began during World War II after Iceland gained its independence from Denmark; at the time, paper was one of the few commodities that was not rationed.
More info here
 THE BOOKS YOUR COLLEAGUES ARE TALKING ABOUT
Submitted this week on Edelweiss+ using the new "send to SIBA" option. Thanks to Bookmiser, Bookmarks, Books & Books, Copperfish Books, Octavia Books, Page 158 Books and Fiction Addiction.
The Promise | 9780062471710 | February, 2018
Furyborn |
9781492656623 | May, 2018
Sky in the Deep | 9781250168450 | April, 2018
Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow | 9780316508889 | October, 2017
Everybody's Welcome | 9781524771652 | October, 2018
Dreaming in Chocolate | 9781250089076 | February, 2018
I Was Anastasia | 9780385541695 | March, 2018
Rosie Colored Glasses | 9780778330691 | February, 2018
Everless | 9780062653659 | January, 2018
The Armored Saint | 9781501962417 | March, 2018
Foolish Hearts | 9781627799379 | December, 2017
Close to Home | 9780143131052 | March, 2018
Tangerine | 9780316556347 | April, 2018
The Cardboard King | 9781524719371 | June, 2018
If your store does not have an Edelweiss+ account and need help setting one up, contact Linda-Marie.
In last week's issue: Holiday Catalog resources
Is your membership current?
Your name: @@first_name@@ @@last_name@@
Your store: @@employer@@
Your member type (store/staff): @@member_type@@
Your membership expiration: @@membership_exp_date@@ *
**if your member type says "staff" then your expiration date is whenever your bookstore's membership expires.
Renew here | Booksellers Benefits Package
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Thank you for your interest in SIBA,
Nicki Leone
SysAdmin
nicki@sibaweb.com
Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance
3806 Yale Avenue, Columbia, SC 29205
803.994.9530
Fax: 309.410.0211
www.sibaweb.com
#siba18: Fall Discovery Show
Sept 13-15 THU-SAT | Tampa, FL
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