SIBA Board member Candice Huber of Tubby & Coo's Mid-City Bookshop in New Orleans was one of three panelists at last week's online event focusing on non-traditional bookstore business models: "How Novel Models are Reimagining Bookselling."

Huber was joined by Kathy Burnett of Brain Lair Books, and BrocheAroe Fabian or River Dog Book Co. to discuss novel model bookstores & why they are reinvigorating the industry. The session focused on the potential for alternative business models to be both profitable and meet the needs of the community, in an industry where profits are traditionally low and overhead is high. The talk covered some of the strengths of "Novel Model" stores, such as:

• their ability to reach communities others don't
  
• they are a creative way to exist as physical "brick and mortar" store when owning a building is not an option
  
• their business model uses lean operations, where access to capital is not a requirement
  
• they are very adaptable and able to pivot to embrace new opportunities
  
• they excel at community building and as a presence in community spaces.

Most importantly, by finding creative ways to circumvent the pitfalls of the tradition bookstore model, "novel model" stores can also provide greater opportunities for historically excluded groups, directly addressing the lack of diversity in the book industry.

The recording is now available to watch

Also available is the event slide deck which includes useful information for booksellers about controllable overhead costs and steps bookstores can take to make their operations more lean and more adaptable.

How Novel Models are Reimagining Bookselling was sponsored by About The Word: A Storytelling Sanctuary, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 2016 to support literary creatives identifying from marginalized communities across race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and emotional and physical disabilities. Find them at https://www.thewordfordiversity.org/