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).

John Cavalier, of Cavalier House Books in Denham Springs, Louisiana, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance. His term is from 2020-2023.

John Cavalier is the co-owner of Cavalier House Books and the Looziana Book Co. in Denham Springs, Louisiana, both of which he owns and operates with his wife, Michelle. Cavalier House Books is a general interest new and used store specializing in large school / institutional orders and school book fairs. Looziana Book Co. is a regional wholesaler / distributor of books that share the history and culture of Louisiana. John is very active in his community and serves as community organizer for Denham Springs' flood recovery efforts as well as serving on the board of the Denham Springs Merchants Association and the Livingston Parish Small Business Council. John is a staunch advocate for independent business, distributed economies, emergency preparedness and climate resiliency. The top industry priorities that he hopes to share with his colleagues and the SIBA board are the shared imperative for emergency preparation and resiliency in our businesses and communities, our need for an omni-channel approach to generating sales through technology as well as the need to encourage new business models across the industry.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 3, 2019

SIBA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO RETIRE AFTER 30 YEARS; 
SEARCH ANNOUNCED FOR SUCCESSOR

The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance announced today, September 3, that Executive Director Wanda Jewell will retire in June 2020.  Wanda says that “Serving as SIBA’s executive director for the past 30 years has been the honor of my life."

"I am so proud of all we have accomplished together," Wanda said in a letter to core members. "SIBA is seen as forward-looking, innovative, and smart – an organization willing to take risks without being risky. I treasure the reputation we have earned."

SIBA president Kimberly Daniels Taws recently shared the Board’s heartfelt thanks to Jewell, saying “Wanda ushered Southern booksellers into the digital age working tirelessly to give everyone the skills to thrive. Her ‘try anything’ attitude has led to fun,  silly times, but mostly to great innovations including the board's adoption of policy governance. We are grateful for all that Wanda has given SIBA. She has epitomized the heart of the organization by her energy, dedication, passion and creative nature."

Taws highlighted some of Wanda’s many accomplishments over her three decades of work at SIBA in a letter to the membership and outlined the upcoming search process. The board has hired The Nexus Institute principal Nanette Blandin to help begin the search. “Nanette is highly recommended by those who have worked with her at the American Booksellers Association in the past. In 2014; she led the search for the ABA’s Chief Financial Officer position and, in 2018, she was the outside consultant to ABA's Governance Review Committee which was tasked with evaluating the effectiveness of ABA's governance and making recommendations for improvement.” says Taws in her letter. The board has set up ample time for SIBA members to give feedback at the upcoming Discovery Show in Spartanburg and will be naming a Search Committee within the month.

Questions about the search can be directed to Kimberly at kimberlyddaniels@gmail.com or Nanette at nblandin@thenexusinstitute.com

A letter from the SIBA Board

Dear fellow SIBA members,

As she mentioned in her letter to all of us, Wanda will be retiring a little less than a year from now. I hope that you join me in thanking Wanda for sharing her exceptional energy and innovative mind with us for three decades.

One thing is for certain… Wanda Jewell has been a central character in Southern booksellers’ lives for a long time. In particular; I want to thank Wanda for ushering Southern booksellers into the digital age by working tirelessly to give us the skills and capabilities to thrive. I want to thank her for her innovation and policy governance support and her passionate work to increase the awareness of Southern Independent bookstores importance within our industry and communities. Many of our author friends thank her for giving them a platform.

Wanda has been extremely generous with the time frame of her departure. She will continue to serve as ED until June 2020. We have ample time for a thorough search and graceful transition process. To facilitate this, the board has hired The Nexus Institute principal  Nanette Blandin to help begin our search. Nanette is highly recommended by those who have worked with her at the American Booksellers Association in the past. In 2014; she led the search for the ABA’s Chief Financial Officer position and, in 2018, she was the outside consultant to ABA's Governance Review Committee which was tasked with evaluating the effectiveness of ABA's governance and making recommendations for improvement.

Nanette will be at the Discovery Show in Spartanburg to interview our membership and stakeholders and will help us to look at the priorities, characteristics and vision for this position and SIBA in the years to come. The board will formally introduce her at the SIBA annual meeting but please consider signing up here for a one-on-one private and confidential session with Nanette to give us some feedback.

A Search Committee will be named within the month and the group will start meeting this fall to begin the search process.

Transition periods can be exciting opportunities; and I am excited for both SIBA's future and Wanda’s new chapter as a grandmother-plus!

Thank you again Wanda for all of the fun we have had together and booksellers please contact me, any of our board members or Nanette if you have questions. 

Kimberly Daniels Taws 
SIBA President

Would you like to begin a festival in your town? It's a lot of work, but can add another dimension and revenue stream to your bookstore, deepen your relationships with community partners, publishers, and authors, and foster a greater appreciation for reading and author interactions in your region and beyond. Listen to four veterans discuss the book festivals they initiated or partner in, and learn some great tips on how to do it right and have fun doing it. Please rsvp lindamarie@sibaweb.com to attend.

Presenters:

Jamie Rogers Southern is the Operations Director of Bookmarks, a literary arts nonprofit organization in Winston-Salem, NC. Bookmarks' annual Festival of Books & Authors is a four-day celebration of reading and writing in Winston-Salem. Jamie oversees almost all areas of the festival, including programming, authors, working with hotels, and many other logistical elements, as well as putting together the festival's printed program and press release.

John Evans opened Lemuria Books in 1975, a store nationally known for specializing in signed first editions, with a First Editions Club that's been going strong for over 25 years. John is one of the founders of The Mississippi Book Festival, a nonprofit launched in August 2015 on the State Capitol grounds, which draws thousands to its annual "literary lawn party" and book lovers' celebration.

Mitchell Kaplan founded Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida in 1982 and has since opened numerous locations including stores in Key West and the Cayman Islands. Mitchell is a co-founder of the Miami Book Fair, which now extends to eight days of events. The first Miami Book Fair took place in 1984. Since then, it has become recognized as the nation's finest literary festival.

Catherine Bock is the adult buyer and inventory manager at Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN. She's now the main point-person for Parnassus' role as the official book supplier for the Southern Festival of Books. She is also in charge of book sales at the Music City Food and Wine Festival, and assists with the SCWBI's annual conference. 

Are you enthralled by authors in conversation, or an event planner looking for inspiration, or a fan of authors of a similar genre coming together to discuss their craft? Maybe all three? Check out our AUTHORinteraction Events on Friday, (9/13) of our #SIBA19 Discovery Show and plan your time accordingly. You can find our full schedule of events here.

9AM: Pat Conroy - Our Prince of Scribes

Moderated by Jonathan Haupt, Executive Director of the Pat Conroy Literary Center, the four featured writers will share from their relationships with Pat Conroy, and discuss his influence on their writing lives.

Ashley Warlick, The Arrangement (Penguin)

Ron Rash, The Risen (HarperCollins)

George Singleton, Staff Picks (LSU Press)

John Lane, Neighborhood Hawks (UGA Press)

10AM: Too Good to be True Fiction Authors Panel

Moderator: Sally Brewster, co-owner of Park Road Books in Charlotte, NC 

Rita Woods, Remembrance (Forge Books)

Sarah Loudin Thomas, When Silence Sings (Bethany House)

Jordan Farmer, The Poison Flood (G. P. Putnam's Sons)

Lawrence Reid Bechtel, A Partial Son (BQB Publishing)

Diane Chamberlain, Big Lies in a Small Town (Macmillan)

Patti Callahan Henry, The Perfect Love Song (Thomas Nelson)

11AM: Read Early, Read Often Childrens’ Authors Panel

Moderator: Mary Ruthless, owner of Foggy Pine Books in Boone, NC

Victoria Schwab, Tunnel of Bones (Scholastic Press)

Camille Andros, From a Small Seed: The Story of Eliza Hamilton (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)

Frank Sileo, Snitchy Witch (Magination)

Deborah Wiles, Anthem: The Sixties Trilogy (Scholastic Press)

Mike Lowery, Everything Awesome About Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Beasts (Orchard)

Shanda McCloskey, T-bone the Drone (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

2PM: We Need True Stories Non Fiction Authors Panel

Tracie Harris-Fain of the Book House in Mableton, GA

Les Standiford, Palm Beach, Mar-a-Lago and the Rise of America's Xanadu (Atlantic Monthly Press)

Tom Clavin, All Blood Runs Red (Hanover Square)

S. C. Sam Gwynne, Hymns of the Republic: The Story of the Final Year of the American Civil War (Scribner)

Allan Cheney, Crescendo: The Story of a Musical Genius who Forever Changed a Southern Town (W Publishing)

Michael Buffalo Smith, The Road Goes on Forever: Fifty Years of The Allman Brothers Band Music (1969-2019) (Mercer University Press)

3PM: Cold Mountain Book Series 

Charles Frazier, author of Cold Mountain, and financial supporter of Hub City Press's Cold Mountain Book Series, will moderate a discussion with the authors of the first three books in the series.

Jessica Handler, The Magnetic Girl

Mark Barr, Watershed

Carter Sickels, The Prettiest Star

4PM: Writing for the Young Adult Authors Panel

Moderator: Sally Bradshaw, owner of Midtown Reader in Tallahassee, FL

Mindy McGinnis, Be Not Far From Me (Katherine Tegen Books)

Helene Dunbar, We Are Lost and Found (Fire)

Jill Criswell, Beasts of the Frozen Sun (Blackstone Publishing)

Jenn Bennett, The Lady Rogue (Simon Pulse)

F. C. Yee, The Iron Will of Genie Low (Abrams)

UPDATE: Deadline to order imprinted holiday catalogs has been extended to August 29

Sell even more books this holiday season with the store-branded email newsletter. SIBA is partnering with Shelf-Awareness to provide members with an email-newsletter edition of its holiday catalog. Now the breadth of gift-worthy titles selected for the SIBA Holiday Catalog can land directly in the inbox of each of your book-loving customers with the Shelf Awareness powered e-newsletter.

Each e-newsletter issue links to your bookstore site and social media pages. The wide selection of adult and children’s titles from your regional holiday print catalog can be linked directly to your e-commerce for easy on-line purchasing.

Shelf Awareness is serious about security and privacy and protects customer information, using industry best practices to help ensure confidentiality, availability, and integrity of that information. Shelf Awareness has taken measures to become GDPR compliant, the strict privacy and data handling requirements established by the European Union and will not use subscriber lists for any purpose other than delivering the agreed upon "Powered by Shelf Awareness" mailings developed with your regional association.

August 29: Deadline to order Imprinted Catalogs
September 19: Deadline to order non-imprinted catalogs

Sign up for the SIBA Holiday Catalog | More info

“We’ve seen very, very impressive growth, with significant sales increases in certain titles featured on the Indie Next List. The unsubscribe rate is virtually nonexistent. Those consumers are hearing about titles that indie booksellers are recommending, and it is having a clear impact on sales”–Oren Teicher, ABA CEO
praise for the Indie Next List  e-newsletter, powered by Shelf Awareness

“A customer came in yesterday and pointed to her smart phone which had a specific book from the Shelf Awareness email catalog pulled up.  She bought the book as a Christmas gift for her nephew & then found another book from the shelves.  Success!! 
Thanks to everyone at Shelf Awareness for the new idea and sharing it with our customers.  We look forward to the subsequent emailed catalogs & similar success.”– Peter Schertz, Owner Maria’s Bookshop, Durango, Colorado
Praise for the MPIBA Holiday E-newsletter,
Powered by Shelf Awareness

“The response we get from the SIBA catalog is overwhelming! We have customers coming into the store even after the holidays with copies of the catalog marked with their notes and wishes!” 
John Cavalier, Cavalier House Books, Denham Springs, Louisiana

Bookstores for sale in Franklin, NC. From the listing:  “Ever dreamed of owning 2 well-established bookstores in the heart of Franklin? Here is your opportunity to purchase one turnkey business established in 1983 including 2 bookstores, inventory, fixtures, names of businesses (Books Unlimited & Unlimited Books for Kids) and clientele. Books Unlimited features thousands of book titles from Best Sellers to Regional Authors. In addition, Books Unlimited also carry many great gift ideas including Calendars, Games, Music, Journals and so much more. Unlimited books for kids is separately located in its own store front. Unlimited Books for kids is totally designed around the young reader in mind. Both locations are tenants on Main street in Franklin, NC." 

More info: https://navicamls.net/displays/?n=253&i=3199552&k=R1DRMEY53BR2

Please contact Suzanne Harouff, suzanne@booksunlimitednc.com for more details.

Macmillan Publishers Offers Expedited Shipping for Independent Bookstores, Effective Immediately

Macmillan Publishers is pleased to announce that we will implement expedited shipping for independent bookstores, effective immediately. Under this program, shipments to ship-to locations within the continental United States that have standard ground shipping times of three business days or greater from our Gordonsville warehouse will be made by two-day air. To be eligible, orders must be on a returnable basis, equal or exceed an invoice value of $100, and be placed electronically directly with Macmillan or through your Macmillan sales representative. 

Expedited shipping will not apply to out of stock items or in circumstances that make expedited shipping beyond our reasonable control. 

For those ship-to locations that are typically reached within two days or less under standard ground shipping methods, no changes to their current daily ship schedule will be made. 

Please note that new release orders will be dispatched as per our normal schedule to provide availability in time for publication date. Author event orders, B2B orders, orders placed via phone, fax, mail and/or other orders requiring special handling or processing time will not be expedited. 

For questions, please contact your Macmillan Sales Representative.