An Interview with Sally Bradshaw, Owner of Midtown Reader in Tallahassee, Florida

 

Store and location: Midtown Reader, Tallahassee, Florida 

 

Number of years as a bookseller: Just under two years!

 

Best part about being a bookseller?: The remarkably interesting people that come into our store. 

 

What book(s) are you reading?:  I’m reading There There by Tommy Orange.  It’s sad and beautiful. I’ve also binge-read Ruth Ware’s four mysteries this summer.  And now I’m also reading an ARC of November Road by Lou Berney, and really enjoying it.

 

Favorite handsell of 2018:  Oh gosh, I’m still selling Trevor Noah’s book.  I can’t stop talking about it.  But for 2018 I guess I’ve sold a lot of Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann. It’s just a stunning story that so few people know.  And it reads like fiction.

 

Best thing you did this year at your store:  We hosted James Patterson in February, and we expanded to an upstairs space and have partnered with a local cupcakery to provide cupcakes and coffee! Yum!

 

Social Media Stats (FB likes, Twitter followers, etc): 2964 FB likes/3015 follows; 841 followers on twitter/540 likes; 1295 followers on Instagram

 

What are some ways you work with your community?  We recently partnered with the Holocaust Education Research Council to host their quarterly book club and to highlight books in our store that help teach the Holocaust; we donate books to the Children’s Home Society “Giving Library” over the holidays – we put up a book tree, match every book purchased then deliver to CHS; we’re involved in multiple education/literacy charities, volunteering for United Way’s Read United in schools; and our Authors in Schools program has brought several terrific middle grade and lower school authors to Tallahassee over the past year including Cassie Beasley and Katherine Applegate.  We also partner with Word of South literary and music festival in Tallahassee each spring.  And we’ve worked with the Tallahassee Senior Center and Westminster Oaks retirement community to bring authors to their members as well.  And, finally, we host an author series with the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper.

 

Do you have any community partners you work with regularly?  See above.

 

Do you have passions that carry over into your bookselling life? I have bookselling passions that carry over into my private life.  I think my husband, children, and friends are a little tired of how often I recommend good reads to them!  I do feel really strongly about connecting people and advocating for civil discourse. We’ve tried hard to create a space where people who are very different and may have different interests and beliefs can find common ground based on a love of reading and learning.

 

Top priority for 2018: Continuing to expand our customer base and visibility as a new bookstore.

 

Favorite SIBA programming benefit:  SIBA fall Discovery show– it’s AMAZING. The programs and information are so informative– especially for new booksellers. The staff is terrific, and the interaction with other booksellers so helpful.

 

 

Geek Out at the #SIBA18 Discovery Show! Sign up for an Escape Room Experience!

After taking off in Asia, Western Europe, and the West Coast, escape rooms are popping up across the country. Will Shortz, the crossword puzzle editor for The New York Times, says it makes sense that escape experiences have become the puzzling trend of the moment. "If you were a brainy person 20 or 30 years ago, it was looked down upon. Nowadays, nerds have some of the biggest incomes in the U.S. and want to get together to geek out."  Now you have an opportunity to geek out at #SIBA18! 

Escape rooms are real-life team-based puzzle games, where you are locked in a room and have to solve puzzles together to get out.  Once your team solves the mystery or reaches the end of the time limit, you're "set free.”  

Escape rooms aren’t just problem-solving exercises. They’re fun and engaging, and encourage working together to crack codes, solve puzzles and follow clues. Studies have found that those who play games are better learners. Think what this could do for your team!

Want to sign up your team for an hour? Or get on the schedule to be part of a team? Contact wanda@sibaweb.com and get ready for some fun!

REGISTER FOR #SIBA18     CHECK OUT SCHEDULE OF EVENTS     SEE CONFIRMED AUTHORS

THE BOOKS YOUR COLLEAGUES ARE
TALKING ABOUT

Submitted this week on Edelweiss+ using the "send to SIBA" option. Thanks to Avid Bookshop, Bookmiser, Fiction Addiction, Fountain Bookstore, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe, Page & Palette, Page 158 Books, Quail Ridge Books, Square Books, The Country Bookshop, The Oxford Exchange, and The Story Shop.

9781335145161 Shadow of the Fox 10/2/2018
"A phenomenal beginning to what should be a fantastic series!"

9781524799205 How to Love a Jamaican 7/24/2018
"A stunning debut--Arthurs' style is highly fine-tuned and intuitive as playing by ear."

9780062856395 Melmoth 10/16/2018
"With its echoes of Mary Shelley and Frankenstein's menacing creature, Melmoth reads deliciously like an 18th-century Gothic novel."

9780440000785 Vox 8/21/2018
"a stand-out in the recent wave of feminist dystopia literature. "

9781501167942 Southern Discomfort 10/2/2018
"Tena tells her story with laughter, tears, and courage, and it is a story that I guarantee you will want to hear. "

9781619022348 The Wildlands 9/4/2018
"I just fell into the story and couldn't put down this tense and heartbreaking novel."

More bookseller reviews

If your store does not have an Edelweiss+ account and need help setting one up, contact Linda-Marie

 

Longleaf Services

Longleaf Services is a not-for-profit affiliate of UNC Press. We provide customer service and order fulfillment services for 15+ university presses, incl. UNCP, Georgia, LSU, Vanderbilt, Virginia, and West Indies, amongst others. Ask us about order consolidation options and Fall '18 special offers.

http://www.longleafservices.org/

Register for #SIBA18

See the full exhibitor list

 

Blackstone Publishing

A true pioneer in the industry, Blackstone Publishing offers authors a unique, full-service experience. From print production, to recording audio, to distribution, Blackstone Publishing's 35 years in the industry exemplifies our uncompromising dedication to superior content, award-winning authors, and eye-catching packaging. Indie show Special: 50% off SRP, Free Shipping, Net30 days, and returnable!

http://www.blackstonepublishing.com/

Register for #SIBA18

See the full exhibitor list

 

Magic Time Literary Agency

Author advocates who are passionate about literature and represent award-winning and bestselling authors from around the country. Focusing on creation of national tours, many authors achieve bestseller status through heartfelt representation. It is a great honor to partner with booksellers to create meaningful events with libraries, universities, nonprofits, and professional and civic organizations.

 

http://www.magictimeliterary.com/

Register for #SIBA18

See the full exhibitor list

 

Barron's

Fall Discovery Show Special!!! FREE FREIGHT on a minimum of 35 copies.

https://barronseduc.com/

Register for #SIBA18

See the full exhibitor list

 

Matchbook Marketing

Matchbook is a marketing firm dedicated solely to independent bookstores. Sign up at our booth and receive $100 off any website package and/or $200 off our coop-based Dec/Jan print newsletter for first-time participants.

https://welovebooksellers.com/

Register for #SIBA18

See the full exhibitor list

 

A Stellar SIBA Revival in Southern Pines! 

On Friday, July 20, booksellers from McIntyre’s Books, Quail Ridge Books, and The Country Bookshop gathered for a SIBA Bookseller Revival.  SIBA Board member Kimberly Daniels Taws presented with Josh Floyd of IngramSpark, giving an overview of how bookstores are utilizing Ingram Sparks’ services in various ways. Kimberly and her team shared their experiences working with local authors, and their approach to publishing with IngramSpark. They help local authors publish their own work, or publish for them. Their services include project management, local expertise, and quality book production. The Country Bookshop has published two authors under their imprint, with plans for more. They also offer authors resources to DIY.

Ingram Sparks’ Josh Floyd explained how his program works in bookstores across the country in ways similar to Kimberly’s, from being a part of a program offered to authors, to becoming the printer for a bookstore’s imprint. He praised Eagle Eye Book Shop of Decatur, GA for their success with offering marketing services to authors.

Josh also offered samples of store and business-branded journals, produced by IngramSpark, and an example of a calendar that stores could replicate if they wanted to do a store or community calendar.

Booksellers spent the afternoon brainstorming for next year’s Independent Bookstore Day, NC-Piedmont Style. Look for some great things to happen for the twelve indie stores participating!

Praise from attendees:

"This revival session was jam-packed with good information. My coworker felt we picked up more in that short period that was useful to our store going forward than any other education we participated in this year. It was intimate enough that we felt we had meaningful participation and had opportunities to ask questions/ hear from our fellow booksellers. In short, we look forward to attending our next one!”--Keebe Fitch, McIntyre's Books, Pittsboro, NC

"I thought the revival was terrific.  Josh gave a really valuable presentation on using Ingram Spark for setting up a bookstore publishing program. Having Kimberly's first-hand experience with it made it even more useful. I couldn't scribble notes and ideas down fast enough. Equally valuable was the opportunity to network with a few other stores in our area. With inspiration from Josh's presentation and the ability to brainstorm on the spot we were able to flesh out a whole campaign for promoting our stores, NC authors, and Independent Bookstore day through next year! Something that would have taken months of emails otherwise and wouldn't have been half as good (or fun). Thanks to SIBA for giving us this opportunity - and to Ingram for a great program, continued support - and lunch!”--Sarah Goddin, Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NC

"Thank you to everyone who came to the revival. We missed those of you who couldn’t join us! Josh did a fantastic job representing IngramSpark, a company that is truly changing the game of what is possible for our stores.” --Kimberly Daniels Taws, The Country Bookshop, Southern Pines, NC

SIBA Book List on Immigrants and the Refugee Experience

SIBA wants to help readers of all ages better understand the plight of refugees and immigrants as they seek to make new homes and rebuild their lives. We've built on the efforts of Avid Bookshop’s Manager of Children’s Books, Hannah DeCamp, to offer member stores and consumers a book list on the timely topic of refugees. Our list includes titles from Avid's "Books for Kids Featuring the Immigrant or Refugee Experience” as well as titles recommended by publishers. We're continuing outreach to publishers and will keep adding to the list. If you know of a title you’d like us to add, please email lindamarie@sibaweb.com. Consider using the SIBA list on your e-commerce site to prompt awareness of this issue, and purchases for donation to schools, libraries, and those working with immigrant communities. Thank you for your help!