Submitted this week on Edelweiss+ using the "send to SIBA" option. Thanks to Avid Bookshop, Bookmarks, Copperfish Books, Fiction Addiction, Flyleaf Books, Fountain Bookstore, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe, McIntyre's Books, Page & Palette, Page 158 Books, Square Books, Sotry on the Square, The Bookshelf, The Country Book Shop, and Vero Beach Book Center.
9781250198679 The Night Before 5/14/2019
"Look up page-turner in the dictionary and you will find The Night Before. Every theory I had was proved wrong." -- Amanda, Page 158 Books, Wake Forest, NC
9781501197307Riots I Have Known 5/21/2019
"A bizarre love letter to literature set in a New York penitiary. Chapman is an author to watch." -- James, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe, Asheville, NC
9781945448348Give, a Novel 6/1/2019
"a lovely coming of age story that shows an honest portrait of a family that loves each other but may not always know the best ways to show it." -- Fountain Bookstore, Richmon, VA
9781250117762Grace Will Lead Us Home 6/4/2019
"Hawes writes a well-researched and sobering account of the Charleston Church Massacre.At times intense, other times reflective, this is an account you don't won't to miss if you want to know more about this tragic shooting." -- Linda, Fiction Addiction, Greenville, SC
9781524747985The Body in Question 6/11/2019
"I picked this up at work, read one chapter and took it home to finish that night. Then brought it back to work and made my boss read it." -- Olivia, The Bookshelf, Thomasville, GA
9780525656111The Body Lies 6/18/2019
"This is a headwrecker of a book, in the best possible way." -- Jamie, Bookmarks, Winston-Salem, NC
SIBA is working hard to level the playing field and to change publishers' mind-sets.
Seven Stories listened and has become a good partner, bringing in other independent presses. (Read the PW coverage here.)
This month we have two great independent publisher promotions created specifically for the independent bookstore: Quick Reads and Prize Winners. Please take advantage of these special promotions in your store. Set up a display, email a photo to SIBA, and maybe you and your staff will win a total of $500.
Curious Iguana Books in Frederick, Md. won the first window display prize for the pilot of the newly announced Indie Playlist program. Will you win the next one?
I'll be honest. I listen to a lot of audiobooks. A lot. They are the only way I get through tedious tasks I don't want to be doing: dusting, cleaning bathrooms, sweeping, folding clothes. If I didn't have something to listen to, all of my clothes would never even make it out of the laundry basket. Marie Kondo would weep. In fact, I was listening to Marie Kondo and getting a kind of evil thrill as I balled up all my pairs of socks and crammed them into a drawer -- something she regards as cruel and unusual sock punishment. The point is, without audiobooks, I would be exactly like that aunt in Cold Sassy Tree who feels perfectly justified in sitting and reading a book while there are still dirty dishes in the sink. So thank god for audiobooks.
One of the most popular talks at last month's SIBA in the Springtime was Mark Pearson from Libro.fm, whose talk "How to Use Tech and Keep our Humanity" was an enthusiastic and playful look at the many possibilities that the often bewildering range of technical advances offer small business owners. Rather than feeling lost at sea, he encouraged booksellers to approach tech in a spirit of play and exploration, and to see opportunities, rather than obstacles. His own vision for Libro.fm ranged from the unabashedly ambitious (co-opt Alexa!) to the eminently practical (playlists, advance listening copies, special promotions)
Advance Listening Copies: A monthly list of complimentary audiobooks for booksellers, some new, some worth rediscovering. Among the book. Among the offerings on the April list are Joshilyn Jackson's forthcoming novel "Never Have I Ever," Southern favorite River Jordan's memoir "Confessions of a Christian Mystic, and the current Okra Pick title "I Miss You When I Blink."
Playlists: Libro.fm allows participating stores to create "playlists" -- the audio version of your special displays and staff picks sections. Here's an example of a playlist we created of every available book that was mentioned at SIBA in the Springtime, from James Joyce's "Dubliners" to "Caps for Sale" (it was that kind of an event!): SIBA in the Springtime Playlist
Special Campaigns: Libro.fm has put together free audiobooks for stores to gift to their customers on Independent Bookstore Day, and has created a resource library of downloads to help stores promote them.
For more information and to get your store involved, contact Mark Pearson at mpearson@libro.fm.
Submitted this week on Edelweiss+ using the "send to SIBA" option. Thanks to Bookmarks, Fiction Addiction, Flyleaf Books, Fountain Bookstore, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe, McIntyre's Books, Oxford Exchange, Page & Palette, Parnassus Books, Sunrise Books, The Bookshelf, The Country Book Shop, and Wordsworth Books.
9781101947883 Exhalation 5/7/2019
"Exhalation is a collection of engrossing, genre-defying, mind's eye-popping stories that linger deliciously long after reading." -- Stephanie, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe, Asheville, NC
9780393242140Underland 6/4/2019
" A fascinating look at the varied life under the earth’s surface. And there is so much history to be discovered there!" -- Stephanie, Page & Palette, Fairhope, AL
9781594634734City of Girls 6/4/2019
"Loved it! I finished feeling great gratitude for lifelong friendships and wanting to pass the book to all my best friends." -- Laura, Oxford Exchange, Tampa, FL
9780062834300Searching for Sylvie Lee 6/4/2019
"Dark, complicated, and engrossing, this literary thriller will capture your emotions and keep you turning pages long after dark." -- Beth, Bookmarks, Winston-Salem, NC
9781984801067The Black Jersey 6/25/2019
"A great summer read with a fast paced mystery as twisty as a downhill descent. " -- Jean, Wordsworth Books, Little Rock, AR
9780593104279The Shameless 7/9/2019
" The Shameless has it all, old characters coming back, dialogue that snaps, crackles, and pops, and a plot that twists and turns more than any alpine road...I pretty much read this in in sitting, finishing at 5am, and still got to work on time." -- Pete, McIntyre's Fine Books, Pittsboro, NC
Number of years as a bookseller: Just over one year.
Best part about being a bookseller:Talking to book lovers all day long! I love being in the store and sharing ideas with our customers.
What book(s) are you reading? Just finishedQueenie by Candice Carty-Williams, and finished the ARC for The Starless Seaby Erin Morgenstern last night-so good!
Favorite handsell on your radar for 2019:The Starless Sea
Best thing you did this year at your store: Hired a mess of wonderful booksellers and bartenders- they are a motley crew of outstanding individuals who are passionate about their work.
What are some ways you work with your community? We host 8 book clubs, host book fairs, have story time each week, host non-profit events in our event space, and are building relationships with our schools to help them buy books through us.
Do you have any community partners you work with regularly? We are developing these partnerships as we have been in our permanent location only seven weeks. We will help relaunch Young Professional of Henry County this week at a book event, and are working with local writers groups to promote their writing. We sponsor Ferst Readers (who purchase books and provide them for free monthly to children born in our country from birth to age 5, 60 books in total).
Do you have passions that carry over into your bookselling life? I’m a physician in real life; this is my side hustle, so healthcare, public health issues, and particularly women’s heath are dear issues to me. I love STEM books and want to educate my community on how important it is to read to understand increasingly complex STEM subjects.
Top priority for 2019:Letting people know we are here and serving our community. Telling our story to the world, and then inviting them in to join us.
Favorite SIBA programming benefit: I love OKRA picks, and I love attending SIBA annual meetings (especially when it’s in New Orleans!)
The onset of spring means extra hours of daylight which means more time to read! Southern independent booksellers have collected a reading list that will keep those extra hours filled: the 2019 Spring Okra Picks – a collection of the best forthcoming Southern books of the season. Every book on the list has these things in common: they are Southern in nature, they release sometime between April and June, and they have a following among Southern indie booksellers, who can’t wait to introduce them to new readers.
Stay up a little bit later and read. Put a pile of Okra Picks by your bed.
Mothers and Strangers: Essays on Motherhood from the New South by Samia Serageldin (editor) University of North Carolina Press | Paperback | 9781469651675 | 04/1/2019 | $22.00
I Miss You When I Blink: Essays by Mary Laura Philpott Atria Books | Hardcover | 9781982102807 | 04/02/2019 | $26.00
The Gulf by Belle Boggs Graywolf Press | Paperback | 9781555978341 | 04/02/2019 | $16.00
What's our presenters said about SIBA in the Springtime
"SIBA in the Springtime was my first Southern indie booksellers experience, and it couldn't have been better! There's nothing like face to face interactions with booksellers and authors I have long admired to make me want to keep writing. Thank you, Wanda and team, for hosting such an inspirational event!"
-Jolina Petersheim, bestselling author of How the Light Gets In
“The SIBA Eureka panels are an innovative and useful way to bring booksellers together in the same room to exchange best practices and hear new ideas. We’re always looking for ways to create meaningful connections with independent booksellers, and the SIBA in the Springtime meeting was definitely that.” -Michael Reynolds I Editor in Chief, Europa Editions
“I enjoyed the camaraderie, meeting the book store owners (and learning about their challenges) and meeting other authors. It was a whirlwind trip for me and I went home smiling.”
-Deb Spera, author of Call Your Daughter Home
“Loved EUREKAsiba. Dynamic indie booksellers, illuminating authors, innovative leaders of the book-world all coming together around ideas, music, meals, book-crafts, and -- of course -- books. Smart people thinking hard about how to connect books with readers and how to spread the love for indie bookstores near and far. What could be better?” -Elizabeth F. Emens, author of Life Admin: How I Learned to Do Less, Do Better, and Live More
“SIBA in the Springtime is valuable for writers, too! I loved having the chance to talk about NEVER HAVE I EVER, catch up with old friends, and make some new ones. I know from experience what motivated, passionate handsellers can do for a novel’s trajectory---and it was so encouraging to meet so many folks who had opened new indies or who are about to!” -Joshilyn Jackson, NYT and USA Today bestselling author of Never Have I Ever
“Talk about creating spaces for connection! From the bus tour to the presentations to the author dinners and reception, EUREKAsiba was an amazing opportunity to hear new ideas, learn about great books, and make new friends. I can't wait to do it again.” -Erica C. Witsell, author of Give
“We love EUREKAsiba! This is an event that packs a big punch while only requiring a short time away from the bookstore--a day packed full of insightful and diverse presentations that run the gamut from hands-on to philosophical, inspiring to informative, from booksellers, authors, and publishers from around the South and beyond! SIBA in the Springtime leaves us feeling refreshed, supported, and reconnected, ready to return to the bookstore armed with new information, new and renewed friendships, and fresh excitement for our work.” -Josh Niesse & Megan Bell, Owners of Underground Books
Everything was organized, and I felt very well attended to. Details like the gift of the writing journal were lovely. Everyone was incredibly friendly, and I appreciated the attention to timing, such as keeping talk times on track and announcing the amount of down time between talks. I loved how SIBA in the Springtime operated on both a large and small scale. That is, the TED-style talks onstage were stimulating, and offstage, the intimate environment led to warm and engrossing conversations that often carried over until the next day.
-Andrea Bobotis, author of The Last List of Miss Judith Kratt
Posted By Linda-Marie Barrett,
Monday, April 1, 2019
Updated: Wednesday, February 27, 2019
B3! Webinar: How to develop, grow, and run a successful podcast
Join us on Wednesday, May 8 at 2PM to listen to three presenters of book-centered podcasts. Annie Jones, owner of The Bookshelf and host of From the Front Porch, Mitchell Kaplan, owner of Books & Books and host of The Literary Life, and author Anne Bogel (AKA Modern Mrs. Darcy), host of What Should I Read Next? have developed very popular podcasts with a national audience. Booksellers looking to grow their store brands, reach more customers in their communities and beyond, and maybe even sell more books, will learn much listening to these experts share their best tips. Please RSVP lindamarie@sibaweb.com to attend.
Meet our presenters:
Annie Jones began living her Kathleen Kelly-dream in 2013, when she took over operations of The Bookshelf in downtown Thomasville, Georgia. Annie adores leading story time for local little ones and acting as the shop's very own Nancy Drew, determined to find just the right book for just the right person. Annie also co-hosts From the Front Porch, The Bookshelf's popular weekly podcast about books, small business, and life in the South. From the Front Porch hit its one millionth download in February 2019, and together, Annie and her co-host Chris have produced over 200 episodes. In 2016, Annie was featured as one of Southern Living magazine's 50 innovators changing the South, and in 2017, The Bookshelf was recognized as Small Business of the Year by the Thomasville-Thomas County Chamber of Commerce.
Anne Bogel is the creator of the very popular blog Modern Mrs. Darcy. Her book lists and reading guides have established her as a tastemaker among readers, authors, and publishers. Books are the foundation of her site, which has been affectionately dubbed “a lifestyle blog for nerds.” She’s the author of I’d Rather be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life and Reading People: How Seeing the World through the Lens of Personality Changes Everything. Her weekly podcast, What Should I Read Next? is devoted to book talk, reading recommendations, and literary matchmaking. She’s based in Louisville, Kentucky.
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. Books & Books was named Bookstore of the Year in 2015 by Publishers’ Weekly. Mitchell is a co-founder of the Miami Book Fair, the former President of the American Booksellers Association (ABA) and served on the Board of ABFFE, the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression. In 2011, Mitchell received the National Book Foundation’s prestigious “Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community” His podcast The Literary Life features candid conversations with Mitchell and his guests.
SIBA Discovery Show, HOME of the Binc Ice Cream Party!
Binc's Share the Good Fundraising Campaign launched April 2, and we're looking for 50 booklovers from across the country to join our community of sustaining donors. Will you help us reach our goal?
SIBA has been challenged to beat all the other regional associations by enlisting the highest number of sustaining donors during this April campaign. If we win, Binc will host an ice cream party at the Discovery Show. While that is fun, it is more rewarding to know that any amount of money you donate each month adds up to life-saving help to a bookseller.
The drive is live. Visit this link and send your support to booksellers.
Submitted this week on Edelweiss+ using the "send to SIBA" option. Thanks to Avid Bookshop, Bookmiser, Fiction Addiction, Flyleaf Books, Fountain Bookstore, Lincolns Loft, M. Judson, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe, McIntyre's Books, New Dominion Bookshop, Octavia Books, Page & Palette, Page 158 Books, Square Books, and Sunrise Books.
9781501196867 Things My Son Needs to Know about the World 5/7/2019
"One thing that Backman understands is human nature. He has got it down!" -- Stephanie, Page & Palette, Mobile, AL
9781250195524Middlegame 5/7/2019
"Weird in all the right ways. There's alchemy and time travel and psychopaths and child geniuses. There's a little bit of something for everyone " -- Jennifer, Bookmiser, Rosewell, GA
978162779043Furious Hours 5/7/2019
"Equal parts biography, history, and reporting, Furious Hours is the rare nonfiction book that actually reads like fiction" -- Sarah, New Dominion Bookshop, Charlottesville, VA
9780062393449The Important Thing About Margaret Wise Brown 5/21/2019
"Poetic, moving, and beautifully strange." -- Tyler, Avid Bookshop, Athens, GA
9781250192028Vintage 1954 6/18/2019
"Grab a good glass of wine and a comfy chair and immerse yourself in the quirky creativity that is Antoine Laurain." -- Addison, Square Books, Oxford, MS
9781328849854Costalegre 7/16/2019
"Captivating and heart-breaking, a story of a young woman just beginning to learn who she is and what she wants from the world." -- Lisa, M. Judson, Greenville, SC
It’s that time again to pick the bookseller leaders that will move SIBA forward. SIBA’s Board Members are a hard‐working bunch. Serving on the SIBA Board is both rewarding and enlightening. Consider someone today for a board position. Self‐nominations are encouraged. Anyone can nominate.
Board members do not get paid for service but all expenses incurred are covered by the organization. The position requires attendance at 3 board meetings annually (See Policy 13A: Board meeting agendas) plus a Carver training session and adequate preparation for all meetings is also required. The board seeks persons from the core membership taking into account the following: relevant Policy Governance skills (including the ability to work within group decisions, to use conceptual categories of Ends and Means, to judge performance only against previously stated expectations), relevant industry skills and knowledge, geography, and store size.
SIBA’s current Board members will assess interest among potential candidates. A slate will be determined from the potential candidates by the Board of Directors and presented for vote by the membership before the Fall Discovery Show.
This form must be complete for the nominee to be considered.
Bookseller Brian Lampkin's EUREKAsiba Talk "The Strange Kindness of Booksellers" addressed the issue of "burnout" in a most provocative way and I'm now sold on the notion that what burnout really is, is moral injury. The video Brian shared is addressing the concerns of the medical profession and in real ways, the stakes certainly are higher in the medical profession than in bookselling, but the stresses of being on the "frontline" are in many ways, quite similar.
Brian shared the video: "It's Not Burnout, It's Moral Injury" in between sharing examples from his own book selling life that he correlated to what we were hearing in the video. I found myself making correlations of my own from my own life and felt empowered to see moral injury in place of burnout. Watch the video for yourself. Share it if the message resonates.
SIBA promotes six new books every month to consumers 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 on the cover image of the ARTS Facebook page with buy links promoted to our 15,000 Facebook friends. A different member store is featured with the titles every week.
Since SIBA redesigned Lady Banks Bookshelf last year, this promotion experienced a 23% increase in audience reach(from 17K to 22.5K), and a 16% jump in engagement (from 585 to 700) in on social media, and a 10% rise in impressions, 14% rise in click throughs via email. SIBA attributes the success to a more strongly focused target audience, more active engagement with member bookstores, and a fresh, more visually appealing presence that also appeals to the reader's sense of adventure and individuality.
By promoting through Lady Banks, publishers are making an investment in SIBA member bookstores’ attention and market. SIBA works with them to select titles your customers are looking for, and then we drive those customers to your stores. It’s very worth your while to bring Lady Banks Bookshelf titles in before the month begins, and put up a display.
Posted By Nicki Leone,
Monday, March 25, 2019
Updated: Tuesday, March 12, 2019
SIBA and participating publishers are giving away the galleys and other materials below to southern indie booksellers on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you are interested simply email the publisher to request a copy. Supplies are limited, so act quickly!
N.B. These are review copies only, and not for resale.
Eat. Sleep. Read. Southern.
Home for Erring and Outcast Girls
Julie Kibler
ISBN: 9780451499332
Crown
Hardcover
$27
July 30, 2019
An emotionally raw and resonant story of love, loss, and the enduring power of friendship, following the lives of two young women connected by a home for “fallen girls,” and inspired by historical events.
In turn-of-the-20th century Texas, the Berachah Home for the Redemption and Protection of Erring Girls is an unprecedented beacon of hope for young women consigned to the dangerous poverty of the streets by birth, circumstance, or personal tragedy. Built in 1903 on the dusty outskirts of Arlington, a remote dot between Dallas and Fort Worth’s red-light districts, the progressive home bucks public opinion by offering faith, training, and rehabilitation to prostitutes, addicts, unwed mothers, and “ruined” girls without forcibly separating mothers from children. When Lizzie Bates and Mattie McBride meet there—one sick and abused, but desperately clinging to her young daughter, the other jilted by the beau who fathered her ailing son—they form a friendship that will see them through unbearable loss, heartbreak, difficult choices, and ultimately, diverging paths.
A century later, Cate Sutton, a reclusive university librarian, uncovers the hidden histories of the two troubled women as she stumbles upon the cemetery on the home’s former grounds and begins to comb through its archives in her library. Pulled by an indescribable connection, what Cate discovers about their stories leads her to confront her own heartbreaking past, and to reclaim the life she thought she’d let go forever. With great pathos and powerful emotional resonance, Home for Erring and Outcast Girls explores the dark roads that lead us to ruin, and the paths we take to return to ourselves.
The 2019 Survey Binc will be open from March 25th through April 6th.
Bookseller feedback is being sought for the 2019 Binc Survey. Bookseller input is important to the organization and will help the Binc Foundation better serve booksellers across the nation. The survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete.
Participants have the option to be entered to win a $200 gift card to the bookstore of their choice or one of four (4) $50 American Express Gift Cards, To be entered, they must submit their email address. Binc will not contact people for any other reason other than to let them know if they've won (unless you give your permission to be added to our mailing list). Binc will never share information with an outside organization.
Submitted this week on Edelweiss+ using the "send to SIBA" option. Thanks to Avid Bookshop, Bookmarks, Bookmiser, Books & Books, Copperfish Books, Fiction Addiction, Flyleaf Books, McIntyre's Books, Page 158 Books, Quail Ridge Books, Spellbound Bookshop, Story on the Square, The Bookshop, Underground Books, and Wonderland Bookshop.
9781616207588 A People's History of Heaven 3/19/2019
"Beautifully written, affecting characters, and wonderful sense of place. One of my favorites of the year so far."
9780062662835With the Fire on High 5/7/2019
"Sprinkled with magical realism and brimming with heart"
978162779043Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune 6/11/2019
"a feel-good story--and a feel-hungry story, too! "
9781984892218Orange World and Other Stories 5/14/2019
"Russell proves that no one can write south Florida quite like her. Hand this to anyone who enjoyed Lauren Groff's FLORIDA last year."
9781250192028The First Mistake 6/11/2019
"This one will keep you up all night trying to figure out what is really going on."
9781328849854Chumps to Champs 5/7/2019
"Bill Pennington's book did what I had previously believed to be impossible - made me care about the Yankees."
Inspirational Books Publishing Hosts Order Campaign in Support of Binc
"We can be beacons of light" --Aimee Cabo Nikolov
In order to introduce the new edition their lead title, Love is the Answer, God is the Cure by Aimee Cabo Nikolov, to independent bookstores, Inspiriational Books Publishing seeks to support booksellers via the Book Industry Charitable Foundation in addition to inspiring readers with this powerful memoir.
For every copy of Aimee Cabo Nikolov's book sold until 5/30/2019 Inspirational Books Publishing will donate $5 to Binc, the safety net for booksellers.
Nikolov's memoir offers an important message of hope and resilience for reader, recounting how the author overcame great adversity to ultimately live a fulfilling life.
Love Is the Answer, God Is the Cure is available from wholesalers at regular discount:
Disaster Relief Program No Longer a Pilot, Now a Regular Program Offering for Bookstores from Binc
Ann Arbor, MI – March 18, 2019 – The Binc Foundation announces their bookstore disaster relief program, which was piloted in 2017 and 2018, is now a regular program and is no longer being tested as a pilot. The Binc Foundation board made up of passionate book people, including publishers, booksellers, and Borders’ Alumni, voted at their February board meeting to make Binc’s bookstore disaster relief a program offering going forward.
The goal of the bookstore disaster relief program is to provide assistance to bookstores so they can return to normal operations as quickly as possible following a natural disaster. Binc can now help bookstores pay essential expenses if they have sustained a financial hardship due to disaster. Rent, utilities, certain repairs, and storage of non-damaged furnishings, while repairs are completed, can all be considered for assistance.
In 2017—through the generosity of Binc’s donors—Binc was able to assist six bookstores in disaster recovery from hurricane, wildfire, and flood. In 2018 Binc assisted five bookstores with recovery assistance for hurricanes, wildfires, and flood. Binc has given over $76,000 in disaster recovery assistance to bookstores since 2017.
As the frequency of natural disasters increase (since 1970, the number of disasters worldwide has more than quadrupled to around 400 a year)[1], the Binc board decided it was time to add this vital program to its assistance options. “We believe that the number of bookstores needing this assistance is only going to increase in the coming years. Our bookstore disaster recovery assistance has proven to help booksellers and their communities move forward after a natural disaster, so by changing the bookstore disaster recovery assistance from a pilot to a regular program, we are preparing for the future,” said Binc Executive Director, Pam French.
Binc board member and owner of Bank Square Books/Savoy Bookshop & Café Annie Philbrick said, “When Bank Square Books was flooded by tropical storm Sandy we received a phone call from Kit who told us she was with Binc and wanted to help. We had no idea what this organization could help with, but we quickly learned that they are an amazing team of hard workers. Over the past eight years, Binc has helped many of our employees with major life and medical issues as well. Without Binc, we would not have gotten back on our feet as fast as we did after Sandy.”
Driving to SIBA in the Springtime, I was just coming up on the outskirts of Augusta, Georgia, when the battery warning light came on in the car. Being one of those people who stresses out at nearly any indicator light, I pulled into the first mechanic I could find that was open on a Sunday afternoon. The mechanic determined that the alternator needed to be replaced. But, not having the part on hand, he sent me to the closest auto parts store to pick one up and said he'd be able to put it in if I got back before he closed.
I made it, barely:
AUTOPARTS CHAIN STORE #1:
Me: I broke down on the highway. I need to get to Atlanta tonight. I need an alternator for my 2001 Dodge Caravan. 4.2 liters, 2 wheel drive
VERY ENTHUSIASTIC YOUNG SALES CLERK: Let me check! Are you an AUTOPARTS CHAIN STORE VERY SPECIAL CUSTOMER?
Me: No.
VERY ENTHUSIASTIC CLERK: What's your phone number
Me: (gives number)
VERY ENTHUSIASTIC CLERK: I'll make you a member. (pause for much data entry) Oh. We don't have that part in stock. Let me check our warehouse...ok, I can have it for you tomorrow.
Me: No, I'm on the road now. I need it today. Do you have it in another location close by?
VERY ENTHUSIASTIC CLERK: Let me check. (pause for much clicking of search buttons). Yes! This part is available in our location across town! I can have it delivered for you tomorrow.
Me: No, I need it now. Can they hold it for me and I'll go pick it up there?
VERY ENTHUSIASTIC CLERK: OH SURE! I'll mark it as "hold" for you! What's your phone number?
ME: (gives number) Can you call them and make absolutely sure it is there on the shelf?
VERY ENTHUSIASTIC CLERK: YES! Let me do that. (ten minute phone call to other location). Yes, it is there on the shelf. I am having them hold it for you and marking it as on hold in our system. (clicks more buttons) Did you want to go ahead and pay for it now so you can just pick it up from them?
ME: Sure. I can do that. (fishes out American Express card)
VERY ENTHUSIASTIC CLERK: (hands me very long receipt 20% of which is transaction and 80% of which is a limited warranty and liability disclaimer) Here you go. THANK YOU for becoming an AUTOPARTS CHAIN STORE VERY SPECIAL CUSTOMER! Have a great day!
AUTOPARTS CHAIN STORE #2:
Me: Hi. The VERY ENTHUSIASTIC CLERK at AUTOPARTS CHAIN STORE #1 called a few minutes ago and had you hold an alternator for me.
GRUMPY CLERK WHO WANTS TO GO HOME: Do you have an AUTOPARTS CHAIN STORE VERY SPECIAL CUSTOMER account?
Me: I guess I do.
GRUMPY CLERK WHO WANTS TO GO HOME: What is your phone number?
Me: (gives number) And here is my receipt for the alternator.
GRUMPY CLERK WHO WANTS TO GO HOME: What? (stares at receipt) They aren't supposed to do that. It messes up the inventory.
Me: the VERY ENTHUSIAST CLERK didn't say anything about that. My car broke down on the highway and I need to get to Atlanta tonight. The mechanic closes in two hours, so I need to get this to him so he can install it.
GRUMPY CLERK WHO WANTS TO GO HOME: (staring at his computer) I'm not sure what to do. This is supposed to go on the truck to deliver to you tomorrow.
Me: I need it today. They said I could pick it up. Here's my receipt (waves receipt at GRUMPY CLERK WHO WANTS TO GO HOME)
GRUMPY CLERK WHO WANTS TO GO HOME: Let me get the manager.
(GRUMPY CLERK WHO WANTS TO GO HOME, manager, and two other store clerks huddle behind the counter for five minutes. GRUMPY CLERK WHO WANTS TO GO HOME returns and calls central office. But, as it is a Sunday afternoon, no one is available to help him)
GRUMPY CLERK WHO WANTS TO GO HOME: No one told me we were doing this. I have make sure our inventory is correct.
Me: But the alternator is here? They called and someone checked and said it was.
GRUMPY CLERK WHO WANTS TO GO HOME: Yes. But I can't give it out without you signing for it, or our inventory will be off.
Me: I'll sign for it.
GRUMPY CLERK WHO WANTS TO GO HOME: (calls manager over). I don't know how to do this so our stock levels aren't wrong.
MANAGER: (to grumpy clerk) Check the current inventory. (to me) I'm sorry. It will be a few more minutes. If we don't have you sign for this, then you could keep coming back with the same receipt to claim more alternators.
Me: I don't live here. I just need to get my car fixed so I can get back on the road. (briefly contemplates the viability of a career in alternator fraud but gives it up as a bad idea).
MANAGER: Let me go find the alternator.
GRUMPY CLERK WHO WANTS TO GO HOME: I need to take a picture of your receipt.
Me: Sure. (I hand him the receipt)
MANAGER: (returning with the alternator and setting it down on the counter) I really shouldn't be giving this to you, but I'm going to. VERY ENTHUSIAST CLERK at AUTOPARTS CHAIN STORE #1 did this completely wrong. It isn't our fault. Our hands are tied here.
Me: But you have a picture of my receipt. I need this alternator. I now have an hour and a half to get it installed so I can get back on the road.
GRUMPY CLERK WHO WANTS TO GO HOME: (to MANAGER) So is this policy now? No one ever told me about it.
MANAGER: Let me just print something out for you to sign. (clicks buttons for a few minutes). Here you go.
Me: (signs without reading). Okay, can I have my alternator now?
MANAGER: Yes, here you go.
Me: (clutches box. it's heavy). Do you need anything else from me? (I am ready to submit a DNA sample if it will mean I can take my alternator)
GRUMPY CLERK WHO WANTS TO GO HOME: No, you can go. THANK YOU for being an AUTOPARTS CHAIN STORE VERY SPECIAL CUSTOMER! Have a great day!
Me: Thank you. (hustles out of the store before they can change their mind.
This story has a happy ending, in that I did get back on the road and managed to reach Atlanta before midnight. Halfway through trying to convince the auto parts store to let me have the alternator I had paid for, I found myself wishing I had the guts to video the whole thing on my phone, it seemed so absurd. It also seemed like a cautionary tale on all the things NOT to do when attempting to provide good customer service, which is why I couldn't resist posting the account of it.
What did they do wrong? What would you have done differently?
Posted By Nicki Leone,
Monday, March 18, 2019
Updated: Tuesday, March 12, 2019
SIBA and participating publishers are giving away the galleys and other materials below to southern indie booksellers on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you are interested simply email the publisher to request a copy. Supplies are limited, so act quickly!
N.B. These are review copies only, and not for resale.
Eat. Sleep. Read. Southern.
The Travelers
Regina Porter
ISBN: 9780525576198
Hogarth
Hardcover
$27
June 18, 2019
The adventures of two families unfold and intertwine—across continents and generations, spanning the 1950s through Obama’s first year as president—in The Travelers, an absorbing tale of family, history, and the persistence of love.
Meet James Samuel Vincent, an affluent Manhattan attorney who shirks his modest Irish American background but hews to his father’s meandering ways. James muddles through a topsy-turvy relationship with his son, Rufus, which is further complicated when Rufus marries Claudia Christie.
Claudia’s mother— Agnes Miller Christie—is a beautiful African American woman who survives a chance encounter on a Georgia road that propels her into a new life in the Bronx. Soon after, her husband, Eddie Christie, is called to duty on an air craft carrier in Vietnam, where Tom Stoppard’s play “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” becomes Eddie’s life anchor, as he grapples with mounting racial tensions on the ship and counts the days until he will see Agnes again.
These unforgettable characters’ lives intersect with a cast of lovers and friends—the unapologetic black lesbian who finds her groove in 1970s Berlin; a moving man stranded in Portsmouth, New Hampshire during a Thanksgiving storm; two half-brothers who meet as adults in a crayon factory; and a Coney Island waitress whose Prince Charming is too good to be true.
With piercing humor, exacting dialogue, and a beautiful sense of place, Regina Porter’s debut is both an intimate family portrait and a sweeping exploration of what it means to be American today.
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The onset of spring means extra hours of daylight which means more time to read! Southern independent booksellers have collected a reading list that will keep those extra hours filled: the 2019 Spring Okra Picks – a collection of the best forthcoming Southern books of the season. Every book on the list has these things in common: they are Southern in nature, they release sometime between April and June, and they have a following among Southern indie booksellers, who can’t wait to introduce them to new readers. 
In order to introduce the new edition their lead title, Love is the Answer, God is the Cure by Aimee Cabo Nikolov, to independent bookstores, Inspiriational Books Publishing seeks to support booksellers via the Book Industry Charitable Foundation in addition to inspiring readers with this powerful memoir. 
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