"What I loved about NVNR? All of it quite honestly - loved the sessions, loved the energy of the group, and loved that it was [a joint conference] to learn from other eastern seaboard booksellers."
--NVNR 2023 Attendee

At the New Voices New Rooms (NVNR) Owners Retreat in January, booksellers shared many ways they budgeted for store downtime and planned closures. One thing everyone agreed on was that with a little creativity, “downtime” — such as when your whole staff takes off to attend NVNR 2024 in August — can be turned into an event and revenue generator for your store. And indie booksellers are nothing if not creative:

• Host a sale. When Lost City Books started closing for a week every summer for staff development, they also created a “pre-closing” sale, which became an annual event that their customers looked forward to.

• Join Bookshop.org.  The next payout is in July, right when stores will need extra cash for travel expenses.

• Devote profits from your “staff picks” to pay for staff to attend NVNR. Your staff will be even more motivated to hand-sell those books, and over the course of three or four months, the sales will add up. 

• “Round up” sales at the register in support of bookseller development. Ask your customers if they would like to round up their purchase to the next dollar amount and earmark the extra money for staff development or education. Customers want to support not just their local bookstore but the people who work there. 

And of course, keep an eye on your SIBA newsletter for information about available funding:  travel grants, scholarships, and sponsorships. NVNR travel grant applications are now open. 

Registration for NVNR opens April 2.  Full event tickets are $50 off in April.
Click here to be added to the NVNR early notification list