SIBA promotes six new books every month to readers, the customers of our member stores, in our Lady Banks Bookshelf promotion. These titles appear at the top of our weekly Lady Banks Commonplace Book newsletter, which has a circulation of over 60k. We also feature them above the fold on the homepage of Authors ‘Round the South and as the cover image of the ARTS facebook page, with buy links promoted to our 15,000 Facebook friends. Plus, we boost these titles on our Facebook page for thousands more views. A different member store is featured with the titles every week. We give SIBA member stores a heads up on each month’s featured titles, to encourage in-store and online displays.

For publishers looking to promote their new titles out to readers across the South, Lady Banks Bookshelf is our greatest value because of high visibility and engagement across multiple platforms. Contact us for more information or to get your titles on “The Shelf” in coming months.

Coming up in November:

• Dear DeeDee by Kat Meads
• Duck Duck Gator by Ken Wheaton 
• Larvae of the Nearest Stars by Catherine W. Carter
• A Palm Beach Scandal by Susannah Marren 
• Trouble the Water by Rebecca Dwight Bruff
• Stars of Wonder by Rebecca Dwight Bruff, Jill Dubin (illus.)

The session on Edelweiss's new targeted email marketing program was attended by a cadre of supporters and advocates, who credit Edelweiss 360 with generating significant sales for their stores at a time when in-person and sometimes online shopping has proved difficult for customers.

How do we get customers to buy books on our website? How do we make it easier to find things? How do we know what is most important on the site?

If there is one thing the pandemic underscored for bookstores, it was the importance of having a good webiste. Almost overnight store websites became the primary point of contact and source of sales for stores forced to operate behind closed doors. Site updates were no longer an afterthought, but high priority. Gwyn Ridenhauer of Matchbook Marketing talks to booksellers about their store websites, and booksellers chime in on suggestions for some common issues.

Shop Local NOW So You Can Shop Local FOREVER — Workman Publishing Announces 2020 Holiday Campaign in Support of Independent Bookstores

To help support independent bookstores during the critical holiday selling period, Workman Publishing Co., Inc. is introducing a consumer-focused Shop Local FOREVER marketing campaign. The campaign has three elements: Videos from prominent authors talking about what independent bookstores mean to them and why it’s important to shop local. Bulk quantities of a frameable art print highlighting the pleasures of reading, and an 11x15 foamcore poster featuring the message "Shop Local NOW So You can Shop Local FOREVER

Click here to fill out the requets form for materials

The SIBA Holiday Catalog is on the printing press and on track to ship to land in stores and on doorsteps the first week of November (exact dates depend on your direct mail and saturation mail specifications).

Also in development are the digital catalogs for stores that use IndieCommerce, IndieLite, or Bookshop.org for their e-commerce. Bookshop and the ABA are in the process of adding them to their servers.

For stores that use other ecommerce platforms, a generic digital catalog that can be customized with your own links is being created and should be ready before the end of the month.

RAMP has also created an extensive collection of social media graphics, cover art, printable downloads, and spot art from the catalog cover artist, Maria Scrivan:

2020 Holiday Catalog Resources

The American Booksellers Association is offering workshops on non-violent communication and de-escalation, two skills that are important for business owners in a climate where issues of public safety and a polarized political climate can create tense situations between store staff and customers. The workshops are free to ABA members but space is limited, so sign up as soon as possible.

Q4 Top 10 Things to Know About: Non-Violent Communication & De-escalation Workshop

The Center for Anti-violence Education will present a workshop on the importance of non-verbal communication, common communication practices that fuel conflict between individuals, and the stages of escalation. This session will cover a range of de-escalation techniques that are particularly relevant in the context of our current political and social environment and issues that may arise related to customers refusing to wear masks, racism, or political friction. Participants will have an opportunity to pool their own expertise of lived experiences and practice non-violent and de-escalation skills through relevant scenarios in breakout groups. Issues that arise from racism will be addressed in both sessions, but a BIPOC session will offer a space for BIPOC booksellers to discuss those issues more fully.    

• BIPOC Members Only: Friday, October 23, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET.  This session is specifically designed for BIPOC booksellers. Register here 

• All Members Welcome: Tuesday, October 27, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET. Register here

Note: These sessions have limited capacity. Registration will be open on a first come, first served basis, but the recording of the sessions will be available on BookWeb for one week following each session.

Non-Violent Communication & De-escalation Companion Workshop: Physical Empowerment Self-Defense 101

The Center for Anti-violence Education will offer a basic self-defense workshop through a trauma-informed lens to provide practical ways to respond to the spectrum of violence, from footwork and blocks to active shooter tips. This workshop will cover self-defense and the emotional aspects of self-defense, as well as concrete steps to take in order to stay safe when under threat. 

• All Members Welcome: Thursday, October 29, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. Register here

October 13, 2020

American Booksellers Association Launches National “Boxed Out” Campaign

The time is now for a conversation about consumer choices, the challenges of small business, and the threat of monopolies.

(New York, New York) 20% of independent bookstores across the country are in danger of closing. Today, the American Booksellers Association launched the “Boxed Out” campaign to draw attention to the high stakes indie bookstores face this holiday season in the age of Amazon and Covid-19, with a social media campaign and installations, the first was revealed in Washington, DC, today and the rest will debut tomorrow in New York City and Los Angeles.

When these independent bookstores close Covid will be listed as the cause of death, but the pre-existing condition for many may be listed as Amazon. The brown boxes that have become ubiquitous in building lobbies and on porches are “boxing out” bookstores and other small businesses all across the country, resulting in the loss of local jobs, local sales tax, community, and support.

Allison K Hill, CEO of ABA says, “People may not realize the cost and consequences of ‘convenience’ shopping until it's too late. More than one indie bookstore a week has closed since the Covid-19 crisis began. At the same time, a report forecasts that Amazon will generate $10 billion in revenue on October 13 and 14 during its Prime Day promotion. Connecting these dots, it’s clear to see convenience has a cost and a consequence. Closed indie bookstores represent the loss of local jobs and local tax dollars; the loss of community centers; and the loss of opportunities for readers to discover books and connect with other readers in a meaningful face-to-face way.”

“Boxed Out” was designed by DCX Growth Accelerator, the agency behind the “Palessi” prank for Payless shoes, which was one of the biggest activations of 2019 and won them Silver Agency of the Year from AdAge. This campaign’s signature “Boxed Out” installations are located in New York at McNally Jackson in Manhattan; Café con Libros, Community Bookstore, and Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn; Book Soup in West Hollywood; and Solid State in DC.

To tangibly demonstrate how our world is overtaken by those ubiquitous cardboard Amazon boxes, DCX created bespoke cardboard coverings to overtake each storefront. Piles of cardboard boxes spill out of these now-cardboard buildings, quipping “If you want Amazon to be the world’s only retailer, keep shopping there,” and cardboard books further bring the campaign message to life: “To Kill A Locally Owned Bookstore.”

Indie bookstores across the country are participating in #BoxedOut via social media, posters, and DIY displays. The following indies are officially helping to launch the targeted Twitter campaign: Bookshop Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA; BookBar, Denver, CO; Books & Books, Miami, FL; Avid Bookshop, Athens, GA; Raven Bookstore, Lawrence, KS; Watermark Books & Café, Wichita, KS; Source Booksellers, Detroit, MI; Moon Palace, Minneapolis, MN; Left Bank Books, St. Louis, MO; Word NY, Brooklyn, NY; Word NJ, Jersey City, NJ; Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, VA; Village Books, Bellingham, WA; Green Apple Books, San Francisco, CA; Loyalty, Washington, DC; Skylight Books, Los Angeles, CA; and Literati Bookstore, Ann Arbor, MI.

A Small Business Majority survey in August indicated that without additional funding, 26 percent of small business owners will not survive past the next three months, and nearly one in five say they won’t make it longer than four to six more months.

This week the House antitrust subcommittee released its report on Amazon, Facebook, Apple, and Google detailing the anticompetitive behavior of the companies and recommending a number of reform measures.

Choosing a locally owned business generates three times as much economic benefit for the local region as shopping at a chain, as noted by a study by American Independent Business Alliance. The 2019 Civic Economics “Prime Numbers” study reports that approximately 28 percent of all revenue of indie bookstores immediately recirculates in the local economy. This translates into a massive local impact advantage of 610 percent over Amazon (which recirculates only 4 percent locally). Buying local also means less packaging, less transportation, and a smaller carbon footprint.

In a recent Los Angeles Times Op-Ed Hill said, “The same way our votes in the upcoming election will shape our country’s future, where we spend our money this holiday season will determine the communities we find ourselves in come 2021.”

You can find your closest indie bookstore at IndieBound.org.

About ABA Founded in 1900, the American Booksellers Association is a national not-for-profit trade organization that works to help independently owned bookstores grow and succeed. Our 1,750 bookstores act as community anchors; they serve a unique role in promoting the open exchange of ideas, enriching the cultural life of communities, and creating economically vibrant neighborhoods. Contact Caroline Andoscia, Andoscia Communications - caroline@andoscia.com Dan Cullen, ABA - dan@bookweb.org

A number of the educational sessions at last month's New Voices New Rooms dealt with the art of hosting and running a successful event, virtual or otherwise. Those sessions are now available to view:

Event Management: Press Kits

Killer Author Pitches

Event Management: Successful Virtual Events

Event Disruptions

SIBA staff and two board members attended the American Independent Business Alliance’s Building Equity in the Local Economy virtual conference  last week. AMIBA’s first “Local Economy” conference centered on racial equity as a local economy driver. Spread over two days and featuring multiple BIPOC speakers on issues central to the conference’s topic, the gathering also included numerous opportunities to engage with other attendees and the speakers at small breakout sessions. The experience was so inspiring and brimming with actionable ideas that SIBA attendees met for a debrief to discuss continuing this important work. 

Among other initiatives in development, look for a Racial Equity Challenge from SIBA in January 2021, modeled on the Racial Equity Challenge from Food Solutions, New England.

We were struck by this quote shared by Katie Frank from Zingtrain. It was part of Zingerman’s draft vision for 2030 in a section penned by one of their Staff Partners, Betty Gratopp. May it inspire you as well:

“We deliberately practice starting at yes. Until principles tell us otherwise start at yes.  Until thoroughly investigated; start at yes.  Until numbers tell us otherwise; start at yes.  When your mind screams no, start at yes. If it makes us uncomfortable; especially start at yes. Something wonderful may be about to happen! We believe if we start at yes our creative canvas is blank and lends to more creative open-minded conversations. We believe by saying yes, our creativeness and innovation levels will increase and once momentum begins it’s easier to keep momentum than gain momentum. Yes becomes a tool to practice being open to ideas.” 

Learn more about AMIBA

Resources from the conference:

Poems shared at the beginning and end of each day’s session: 
The Why of Small Business | Book referenced by MaryAnn Howland

• Virtual Panel Discussion on Black Economic Empowerment
• Racial Equity Challenge from Food Solutions New England
• Madison, Wisconsin, regional economic development diversity conference : 
• White privilege symposium, Iowa
• ZingTrain presentation
• Links to Zingtrain resources: zingtrain.com/products.  Don't forget that all resources are 20% off with code “community2020” !
• Carol Dweck book mentioned by Katie/Zingerman
• Common Good Collective