Join us for our March Madness event at Gottwals Books in Byron, GA on March 12, 10-3PM! From 10 AM-noon, owner Shane Gottwals will present: Managing Growth: Think Bigger About Your Business. Session description: How do you grow a business in 2020? What's more, how can you grow a book business in 2020? Join Shane to discuss some principles for maximizing payroll labor, position yourself for long-term rental/real estate benefit, determine the feasibility of warehousing/storage, know when it's time for expansion (or contraction), and a variety of other topics.

Noon-1:00 PM: Author Luncheon. Lunch is free to attendees.

The afternoon will include a store tour and further discussion and networking on bookseller issues.

Shane Gottwals was born and raised in Macon, GA. He earned a B.A. in English from Mercer University, spending a portion of his college years at Oxford University in England. He met his wife, Abbey, at Mercer. They have four children and live in Warner Robins. In 2007, the couple opened Gottwals Books which has become one of the largest used & new bookstore chains in the United States. He is frequently asked to speak at book industry conferences, and he is a notable go-to for bookstore consulting. He currently serves on the boards of Covenant Care Adoption Services, Robins Regional Chamber of Commerce, Central Fellowship Christian Academy, and Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance.

Link to register for this event and other March Madness Bookseller Series events. These events are free to booksellers who are current members of their regional associations.

Join us for our March Madness event at Horton's Books & Gifts in Carrollton, GA from 10-3PM on March 10. The day begins with the educational session: Pop-ups at Performance Venues. Horton's Dorothy Pittman and Tim Chapman, Director of the Center for the Arts, will discuss how they've been partnering successfully on events.

From noon to 1PM, booksellers will enjoy lunch with a visiting author, and the afternoon will include a store tour and further discussion and networking on bookseller issues.

Georgia's oldest bookstore, Horton's Books & Gifts has been in business since 1891. Founded by a former school teacher, N. A. Horton's offered school song and miscellaneous books as well as Bibles, sheet music, stationery, wrapping paper, and paper bags. He advertised, "I sell for cash, but will take eggs or chicken for school books when parties can't pay the money." Antique shelves and displays showcase new books and gift items while store cats Mayah, Poe, and Dante are always on hand to help customers choose the right book or gift.

Link to register for this event and other March Madness Bookseller Series events. These events are free to booksellers who are current members of their regional associations.

Join us for our March Madness event at Oxford Exchange in Tampa, FL on March 9 from 10-3PM. From 10 AM-noon, Bookstore & Programming Director Laura Taylor will present “Independent Bookstore Day- and a Bookstore Passport Program.” Session description: The collaboration between Independent Bookstores is our greatest weapon against big box stores. Join other booksellers to brainstorm and put into place an innovative regional bookstore passport program which would engage and inspire our local customers to seek out Independent Bookstores wherever they are. All discussions about Independent Bookstore Day and ways to feed and support your local bookstores will be encouraged!  

From noon to 1PM, booksellers will enjoy lunch with a visiting author, and the afternoon will include a store tour and further discussion and networking on bookseller issues.

Laura Taylor is going on her 7th year at Oxford Exchange and her 6th year running the buying and programming of the Bookstore.  She has a varied background as a retail small business owner in Asia, as well as several years as a Chef. Oxford Exchange is a unique owner operated Restaurant, Shop, Bookstore, Private Event Space and Design Studio.    

Last week SIBA hosted the B3! webinar "Bringing Used Books into the Mix for Higher Sales and Profit." Megan Bell and Josh Niesse from Underground Books in Carrollton, GA and Hills & Hamlets in Serenbe, GA , Cathy Graham from Copperfish Books in Punta Gorda, FL, Frank Reiss of A Cappella Books in Atlanta, GA, and Shane Gottwal's from Gottwals Books (franchising nationwide as "Walls of Books") of Macon, GA and beyond presented their best tips. Because all the presenters began as used booksellers adding in new books, stores transitioning in a similar way will also find this webinar quite informative.

Josh noted the "incredible variety of approach to including used books" among the panelists. He and Megan prefer to buy book collections from private homes rather than allowing folks to bring boxes of books to the store. These bulk purchases help the unit price go down. Although he and Megan emphasize being selective, when they find aesthetically interesting but damaged books, like children's books, they may take them off the owner's hands for free, and then use what they can from these books to create journals, buttons, and more for sale in their stores. They hold a quarterly sidewalk sale to clear out inventory, and these days are often record sales days.

Although Cathy's store is moving towards 70% new and 30% used, they do quite well with used books in genres like mystery and romance, and have a separate antiquarian book section. They are quite selective about what they bring in, Cathy emphasizing that "more isn't better" and they only buy "gently-used" books. She loves the "cool factor" of beautiful and retro antiquarian books, and mentioned a growing trend in younger customers appreciating and purchasing antiquarian books.

Frank cautioned that "it's a challenge to do both (new & used books) well." He noted that they are very different from each other. The aesthetics and price margins for used books appeal to him, but he's always considering the allocation of labor costs, as well has how to best merchandise them. He advised booksellers looking to add used books to "respect how much time used books can take...if you're going to do both, then have a lot of focus." He agreed with Cathy's comment about younger customers being drawn to used books, saying, "Young people do seem to be getting into old books in a way that surprises me, and is gratifying."

Shane's buying philosophy is one of bringing in as much product as you can in categories that do well for you. His buyers are serving multiple stores and selling online, with the ability to store overstock in a warehouse, which is different from the other presenters. He suggested keeping used books separate from new books in the store, at least initially. He also believes online sales of college textbooks is a lucrative market for new stores wanting to start selling used.

Questions from attendees including paying for used books with credit and/or cash, charging for shipping, online sales and pricing, and whether adding used books undermines new book sales.

View the webinar.
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Additional resources are Cathy Graham's tips and pitfalls when adding used books to your new book inventory, Josh and Megan's Used Book Sorting Chart, and tipsheet on evaluating used book values, and Shane's 2017 Winter Institute presentation on bringing used books into your inventory. All are available in our Peer Brain Trust under Working with Business Resources.

One of the highlights for many booksellers at our Discovery Show is the Education Track. Booksellers and industry experts share their best practices, with room for Q & A to address individual store concerns. This year offers a rich variety of sessions of interest to buyers, owners and managers, and frontline booksellers. Because you can’t be everywhere at the same time, we’re recording many of them for later viewing. Handouts will be available through our Peer Brain Trust after the show.

Here are Education Sessions on Friday to attend or check out later:

9AM: Ingram Insights

Join Ingram as they take a deep dive into their exclusive indie programs, like Booklove and Indie Vault, and explore their latest ipage features. Learn more about the hottest titles from their distribution partners, and also learn how to self-publish like a pro from the Ingram Spark team. 

9AM: Are you working "on" your business or just working "in" it? 

(For owners and managers/Advanced session). 

Whether you have employees or not, the only way to reliably grow your business is to develop systems that let you slowly free up your time from working "in" your business to working "on" it. Systems range from simple documentation so you can delegate work to productivity tools to automation technologies. Led by Shane Gottwals, owner of Gottwals Books, and Jill Hendrix, owner of Fiction Addiction

10AM:  Independent Bookstore Day: Celebrate with Success

(IBD) has grown from a handful of bookstores in California to a national celebration involving over 575 stores and, in some cases, city wide celebrations. Participating bookstores see an increase in sales, increased foot traffic and increased brand awareness. This session will offer attendees an overview of the program and tips from booksellers who have figured out how to make the most of IBD. Panelists will offer information on how to order and make the most of the IBD exclusive merchandise; how to organize and publicize your store's party to bring people into your store; and how to use social media strategically to increase sales and community participation. Join ABA staff and IBD superstars for this not to be missed conversation.

11AM:  Rewarding Returns

Keep your inventory fresh, your shipping costs down, and your credits flowing with best practices in your returns department. Learn from two veteran booksellers on their successful approaches, and from a publisher rep who will discuss returns from the publisher perspective. Panelists are Doug Robinson, co-owner of Eagle Eye Book Shop, Donna Paz Kaufman, partner of The Bookstore Training Group of Paz & Associates, and co-owner of Story and Song Bookstore, and Leslie Jobson, Manager of Field Sales at the Ingram Content Group

4PM: The Art of the Pitch – Handselling Books to Customers

Listening to customers, discerning their needs, and suggesting the best match is an art form that, when mastered, results in bigger and better sales. As we head into the biggest retail season of the year, what better time to listen to these veterans share their tips and tricks to profitably connect with your customers? This session is for new booksellers learning the ropes, and veterans who seek a fresh look at handselling. Panelists are Doni Kay, sales representative at Penguin Young Readers, Angie Tally, children’s buyer at The Country Bookshop, and Pete Mock, book buyer at McIntyre’s Books.

4PM: Romancing the Indie Bookstore

Panelists will discuss how independent bookstores can bring in new readers and engage current readers in a new way through new or expanded romance sections. The growing diversity of romance novels and the way they are packaged in trade paperback format and marketed to appeal to both a younger and broader audience creates an opportunity for independent bookstores. Panelists are Cindy Hwang, Vice President and Editorial Director (PRH), Kelly Justice, Fountain Bookstore, and Erin Galloway, Deputy Publicity Director (PRH).

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.

Please rsvp lindamarie@sibaweb.com to attend the webinar.

Based on a True Story: Fiction, Memoir, and Authenticity, a EUREKAsiba talk by Erica Witsell

Where is the border between autofiction and memoir? Who has the right to tell which stories? Erica Witsell will discuss the limitations and freedoms of both genres, the works that inspired her, and her own novel’s transformation from memoir to fiction. She will also explore the question of authenticity in the age of identity politics and sectionality.

Witsell’s talk is part of SIBA in the Springtime (SITS) & EUREKAsiba, a program of bookseller education in an intimate format, designed to emphasize creative and innovative solutions to running a business. SITS takes place Monday, March 18 –Wednesday, March 20, at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Atlanta Airport. Here’s a link to REGISTER!

Small Presses Present Their Spring & Summer Lists

On Wednesday, Feb 20 at 2PM EST, SIBA is hosting “Small Presses Present their Spring & Summer Lists,” 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 on 2/20: Michael Reynolds, Editor in chief of independent publisher, Europa Editions, Carin Siegfried, the Mid-Atlantic field sales representative at Macmillan, Emily Midkiff, editorial assistant and marketing director at Month9Books, Meg Reid, Director of Hub City Press, and Lynn York, publisher of Blair. Please RSVP lindamarie@sibaweb.com to attend.

Edelweiss collection of presented titles

More information on our presenters:

Michael Reynolds is the Editor in chief of independent publisher, Europa Editions. He is the recipient of numerous industry awards, and has served on the jury for the PEN/Heim Translation Fund, the Gutekunst Prize for Young Translators, and the foreign jury of the Strega Prize. He is a regular speaker at the Columbia School of Journalism’s Columbia Publishing Course, and at publishing and translation conferences in America and internationally. He is the founder of Bookselling Without Borders, a scholarship program that diversifies the culture of reading by building bridges between the American bookselling community and the international book industry. He is also an author and a translator whose published translations include three historical mysteries by Carlo Lucarelli, and Viola Di Grado’s prize-winning novel, 70% Acrylic 30% Wool.

Carin Siegfried began working with books at the ripe old age of 17 with her college job in the Davidson College campus library and her summer job at the Vanderbilt University Bookstore. After graduation, she worked at Bookstar (a B&N), as a bookseller and shipping & receiving supervisor. She next moved to Ingram Book Company as a junior buyer and then decided to pursue work as an editor in New York. After five years in editorial at St. Martin’s Press, Carin got a job in sales at Baker & Taylor. After that, she worked as a freelance editor until she could move back to the New York area as the sales manager for Soho Press. She founded the Charlotte chapter of the Women's National Book Association and has served as the National President of the WNBA. She is currently the Mid-Atlantic field sales representative at Macmillan and lives in Montclair, New Jersey.

Emily Midkiff loves reading so much so that she got a PhD in children’s and YA literature. You don’t have to call her Dr. Midkiff, though. She just did it for the books! Emily especially adores fantasy and science fiction storytelling. She was a professional princess at a children’s theater for nine years, cosplays at fan conventions, and makes appearances at every available Renaissance Faire to fool everyone with her trusty goat puppet. At Month9Books, Emily applies her love of story to the roles of editorial assistant and marketing director.

Meg Reid is the Director of Hub City Press in Spartanburg, South Carolina. A book designer and editor, she also writes extensively about all areas of design. She holds an MFA in Nonfiction from University of North Carolina Wilmington, where she served as Assistant Editor of the literary magazine, Ecotone, and worked for the literary imprint Lookout Books.

Lynn York is the Publisher of Blair. In January 2018, the nonprofit Carolina Wren Press acquired the titles of John F. Blair, Publisher. The resulting press, based in Durham, NC, is named Blair. She is the author of two novels:  The Piano Teacher (Plume, 2004) and The Sweet Life (Plume, 2007), a Booksense Notable Book.  She holds a BA in English from Duke and an MBA/MA from University of TX Austin. She has taught workshops at Duke’s Osher Institute, NC State University, High Point University, and elsewhere. She has served on the Board of Directors of the NC Arts Council, the NC Art Society, and Carolina Wren Press.

A Year of Education with SIBA

SIBA kicked off 2018 with EUREKAsiba in Atlanta. Modeled on TED-talks, this daylong series of presentations by booksellers, industry experts, musicians, and writers offered booksellers insights on a range of topics including “Taking Your Social Media to the Next Level” (Sarah Benoit, JB Media Institute), “Is Profit a Dirty Word?”(Jill Hendrix, owner of Fiction Addiction), “A Self-Published Author Walks into Your Store...What Do You Do?” (Gordon McClellan, DartFrog),  “Sensual Marketing: Creating Intimacy Through Storytelling” (Gwyn Ridenhour, Matchbook Marketing), and “Big Mouth: Big Marketing” (Kelly Justice, Owner of Fountain Bookstore). Over 50 SIBA booksellers attended the inaugural EUREKAsiba. Registration for EUREKAsiba in 2019 opens on January 1st. Mark your calendar and save the date for March 18-20 in Atlanta!

SIBA enlisted Maribeth Pelly, event planner at Booktowne and independent marketing consultant, to present in two extremely popular webinars: “How to Pitch Your Store to Publishers” and “How to Prepare a Press Kit for Your Store.” As a bonus, Maribeth coached attendees at Book Expo, before their Publicist Speeddating events.

SIBA partnered with Sarah Benoit of JB Media Institute, who offered a three-month course “Social Media and Content Marketing” to SIBA booksellers. Those who attended, including SIBA staff,  raved about how it improved their social media efforts. We’ll keep you posted when another course opens.

In 2018 SIBA offered the following webinars:

• Creating Community: Developing and Maintaining an Authors in School Program

• Inventory Activism

• Non-Traditional Bookstores: Hybrids, Pop-ups, and Non-Profits

• Getting your Staff on Edelweiss

• Bridging the Divide and The Open Discussion Project

• Creating and Managing a Successful Online Sales Campaign

• Avid Bookshop's Favorite Bookstore Forms, Documents, and Procedures

• Partner with IngramSpark to Enhance Your Publishing and Marketing Services to Authors.

• Priya Parker on the Art of Gathering for Booksellers.

• The Art of the Pitch: Handselling Books & Sidelines to Customers

Many of these webinars were recorded. You can watch Maribeth Pelly’s webinars, and see some handy checklists for press kits here. Recordings of our other webinars are here, at the bottom of the page. We’re looking forward to presenting more webinars in 2019, beginning with Book Subscription Services on January 9, 2019. If you’re interested in attending, please email lindamarie@sibaweb.com to reserve your spot. Attendance at any SIBA event-online or in person-gets you B3! points, which translate into $$ you can use towards future SIBA programming, to pay for tickets, registration fees, and more.

Much of our educational programming is made possible by SIBA booksellers, who present their best practices, tips, and great ideas to other booksellers. Thank you to everyone who presented in 2018. You offered so much and we really value and appreciate your time and effort. We’d love to hear from booksellers about any topics they’d like us to address in 2019. Please share your ideas by emailing lindamarie@sibaweb.com.

Priya Parker on the Art of Gathering for Booksellers: a fresh look on how to approach author events, book clubs, staff meetings, and more. 

B3! Webinar with Priya Parker, author of "The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters"

Time: Wed, Oct 31 at 2pm via Zoom.

In The Art of Gathering, Priya Parker argues that we rely too much on routine and the conventions of gatherings when we should focus on distinctiveness and the people involved. At a time when coming together is more important than ever, Parker sets forth a human-centered approach to gathering that will help everyone create meaningful, memorable experiences, large and small, for work and for play.

Drawing on her expertise as a facilitator of high-powered gatherings around the world, Parker will discuss what works, what doesn't, and why. For booksellers hosting author events, book clubs, community gatherings, staff meetings, and more, this webinar offers an opportunity to hear from an expert, ask questions, and receive advice to enhance and improve this area of your business.

Please lindamarie@sibaweb.com to attend.