Get Ready for July on Lady Banks Bookshelf! Here are our featured titles:

The Lost Country by William Gay (Dzanc Books), 978-1-945814-52-5. "Like so many fans of Gay's, I've been waiting to read this seemingly mythical work, The Lost Country, for quite some time....Gay's elegiac prose sings once again as he breathes life into his characters and mines his patch of soil with the skill of the old masters...It's a helluva good ride and I can't wait to recommend it.”-Cody Morrison of Square Books

Homeplace: A Southern Town, a Country Legend, and the Last Days of a Mountaintop Honky-Tonk by John Lingan (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), 978-0544932531. "John Lingan's Homeplace is . . . a perfectly rendered elegy for an iconic music venue that tells a much larger story: how our dreams, desperation and hope become transcribed in the landscape that surrounds us and embedded in the songs we pass down as our legacy.”-Colin Dickey, author of Ghostland

The Dying of the Light by Robert Goolrick (HarperCollins), 978-0062678225. "A mesmerizing, evocative novel brimming with passion and tragedy. [Goolrick’s] portrait of a depleted Southern family, hoping to reinvigorate itself and its magnificently neglected estate, is at once thrilling and devastating.” -Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain

Willa of the Wood by Robert Beatty (Disney/Hyperion), 978-1368005845. "A moving, atmospheric journey of hope.”-Kirkus Review

Steal Away Home by Billy Coffey (HarperCollins), 978-0718084448. "I wasn’t expecting Billy Coffey’s Steal Away Home to work the kind of number it did on me. Reading it was like sitting on the church pew, thinking the preacher wrote his Sunday sermon especially for me because it was exactly what I needed to hear that day. It brought me back to my childhood.”- J.C. Sasser, author of Gradle Bird

What Blooms From Dust by James Markert (Thomas Nelson), 978-0785217411. "In this enchanting allegory, Markert (All Things Bright and Strange) crafts an imaginative tale of the Dust Bowl . . . Markert creatively portrays the timeless battle between good and evil, making for a powerful story of hope and redemption.”-Publishers Weekly

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!

Liked what you read? Let everyone know!

• Okra Pick Nomination | Southern Book Prize Nomination | IndieNext Nomination | Edelweiss Review

N.B. These are review copies only, and not for resale.

Eat. Sleep. Read. Southern.

Title: The Holy Ghost Speakeasy and Revival
Author: Terry Roberts
Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
Pub Date: August 21st, 2018
ISBN and Price: Paperback (9781684421633/$16.99) Hardback (9781684421640/$29.99) Epub (9781684421657/$16.99) 

DESCRIPTION
Jedidiah Robbins is a man on a crusade. From town to town, his Gospel train rides the rails of 1920s Appalachia, spreading the Good News with his daughter and a loyal group of roustabouts in tow. But Jedidiah’s traveling revival company has a secret: in addition to offering the gifts of the Holy Spirit, it also delivers spirits of another kind. Prohibition is in full swing, but The Sword of the Lord train keeps the speakeasies in the towns it visits in business by providing the best that mountain stills have to offer. While beyond the gaze of federal agents, the operation eventually runs afoul of an overzealous small town sheriff and a corrupt judge, setting in motion a series of events that could land them all in chains. Told with haunting lyricism, this is the story of a preacher full of contradictions, a man for whom the way is never straight and narrow. It bends like the river, a river that leads him in the paths of a different brand of righteousness—and perhaps even to salvation.

Contact: Lindsey Johnson, Marketing Director email at marketing@turnerpublishing.com

Name: Dave Shallenberger

Store and location: Little Shop of Stories, Decatur, Georgia

website || facebook || twitter || instagram

Number of years as a bookseller: We opened 13 years ago and that's when I first became a bookseller

Best part about being a bookseller?: Interacting with superb co-workers and wonderful customers, all of whom never cease to amaze me with their friendliness, intelligence, wit, and love of the written word.

What book(s) are you reading?:
I've just about finished The Shades by Evgenia Citkowitz (6/19/18), which is superb, The Family Tabor (7/17/18) by Cherise Wolas which was also quite good, Felicity by Mary Oliver, and A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman which is just as entertaining as everyone told me.

I run our Poetry & Wine group. Next month we'll be discussing The Way Under the Way by Mark Nepo.
Just starting: The Brother by Rein Raud.

It's been a marathon, but my "Friday afternoon sitting at the bar and having a beer" book is Ron Chernow's Grant. (It's one of my favorite times of the week for two reasons.)

On deck: OK, Mr. Field by Katherine Kilalea (7/17/18)

Favorite handsell of 2017: Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder. The book, a middle-grade novel which was longlisted for a National Book Award, was creative and challenging, raising moral and philosophical questions. (What a great thing for a kids' book to do!) Laurel is local and we love her. We're thrilled that her Charlie and Mouse won the Geisel Award this year.

Picture Book
Sarabella's Thinking Cap by Judy Schachner. It's all about creativity and finding your own unique way. I always love Judy's illustrations.

Middle Grade
Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder. Laurel's newest novel was longlisted for a National Book Award and was creative and challenging, raising moral and philosophical questions. (What a great thing for a kids' book to do!) Laurel is local and we love her. We're thrilled that her Charlie and Mouse won the Geisel Award this year.

YA
Dear Martin by Nic Stone. Nic is also a local author and this is her rather stunningly excellent debut novel. I very much look forward to her future work.

Best thing you did this year at your store:
In the past year I served on the Indies Introduce and the Indies Choice / E.B. White Read-Aloud Book Awards panels. It's been a great opportunity to read numerous excellent books and converse with fellow booksellers from all over the country.

Social Media Stats (FB likes, Twitter followers, etc)
Web site: averages about 8,500 page views per month
Email newsletter subscribers: 7,742
Facebook: 8,357 likes
Instagram followers: 3,250
Twitter followers: 2,688

What are some ways you work with your community?
We're extremely engaged with our local community and always try to find more ways to do so. Little Shop hosts four storytimes each week and nine book groups each month. We send authors and hold many, many bookfairs at schools in the Atlanta area. We have our own Summer Reading Program with rewards from local businesses. About 600 kids sign up every year. We run nine weeks of (mostly) book-themed camps every summer. Little Shop has been intimately involved in the Decatur Book Festival since its inception. On The Same Page is our community-read program in which we encourage families to read the same book. We work with a number of local organizations to distribute several hundred free books to kids who might not be able to afford them. The finale features an author visit. Little Shop also installs the community Christmas Tree on our roof each Christmas season. The annual tree lighting, complete with a visit from Santa and a performance of a school choir, draws hundreds of folks.

Top priority going into 2018:
Mine is to improve the appearance of the shop. Little Shop expanded into an adjoining space about 18 months ago and we've been working on integrating the look with our established space. We've been covering our floor with pennies (4+ years and counting). One of our employees, Jason, has finished our Goodnight Moon room, complete with replicas of the paintings, a fireplace mantle, green and yellow curtains ... the whole bit! Now we'll expand the focus to the exterior, installing planters with flowers and maybe doing some painting to make our shop look more inviting.

Looking to Engage Young Readers During the Summer Break? Promote the Solo Summer Reading Program with Conroy Legacy Award-Winner Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess!

Here’s a perfect in-store opportunity for a summer reading program based on Solo by Kwame Alexander with Mary Rand Hess. Kwame Alexander, SIBA’s 2018 Conroy Legacy Award-winner, is a Virginia-based poet, educator, Newbery winner, and bestselling author. He’s a charismatic speaker with a passion for poetry and inspiring kids to read. He and Hess are leading a four-week program that readers engage with through email and facebook, and in-store programming supported by educator guides. Use this link  (which directs readers to buy at their local independent bookstore or via Indiebound.org)  to sign yourself up, and for use in social media and store websites to encourage readers to read Solo.

https://kwamealexander.com/solo-indie/

Solo, co-written with Mary Rand Hess, tells the story of seventeen-year-old Blade Morrison, whose life is bombarded with scathing tabloid covers and a constant reminder that his famous father is struggling with just about every addiction under the sun—including a desperate desire to make a rock-n-roll comeback. Haunted by memories of his mother and the ruin his father’s washed-up legacy has brought the family, Blade’s only hope is in the forbidden love of his girlfriend. But when he discovers a deeply protected secret—one that has him questioning his own identity—he’s thrown into a tailspin. Blade sets out on a journey across the globe that will change everything he thought to be true. Booklist praises, “Alexander has a history of appealing to teens of all sorts and a Newbery to his name; don’t expect this collaboration to stay on shelves long.”

Dozens of Authors and Illustrators Aid Binc’s Bank on Booksellers
Patchett, Grisham, Reynolds Decorate Piggy Banks for Charity

ANN ARBOR – Authors and illustrators are uniting to help booksellers across the country during the return of the Bank on Booksellers Piggy Bank Auction. The auction will take place online with nationwide bidding beginning on Sunday, September 9 and closing at 8:00 pm on Saturday, September 15.

In 2016, the team at Parnassus Books came together to create a unique way to support one of their fellow employees who had been diagnosed with a serious illness. The Parnassus employees used their connections to the book industry to recruit a host of celebrity piggy bank decorators for the first Bank on Booksellers. The proceeds were used to help booksellers across the country.

“Not every bookseller facing a serious medical situation can get a whole bunch of pigs together to help them out, but every bookseller has the Binc Foundation,” said Parnassus co-owner and Binc Ambassador Ann Patchett.

This year, the Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation is hoping to follow up on the 2016 Bank on Booksellers auction. The goal is to raise $25,000, according to Binc Executive Director Pam French.

“The response to the first Bank on Booksellers was stunning,” French said. “We were overwhelmed at the support the auction received from the book industry, celebrities and everyone who bid. We hope the 2018 Bank on Booksellers will be just as great an opportunity for the people who care about booksellers to show their love.”

Binc is still looking for celebrities to sign up to decorate a piggy bank which will be auctioned off to support the bookseller’s safety net. Anyone interested in signing up to decorate a pig for the auction or who would like to connect us with an illustrator or celebrity should contact Kathy Bartson at kathy@bincfoundation.org or Deb Leonard at DebLeo10@gmail.com.

“We’ve had a number of generous authors and illustrators volunteer their time to decorate piggy banks, but there are plenty of mini-masterpieces left to be painted,” French said. “We’re hoping our friends at bookstores across the country will help us reach more pig-decorators.”

Binc is incredibly grateful to the authors who make up their roster of piggy bank creators. The current list of participating authors includes:

Lucie Amundsen
Katherine Applegate
Leigh Bardugo
Mac Barnett
Andrea Beaty
Anthony Doerr
John Hickenlooper
John Grisham
A.J. Jacobs
Nina Laden
Lillian Li
Tom Lichtenheld
Grace Lin
Jim Lynch
Gianna Marino
Barbara McClintock
Ann Patchett
Chris Raschka
Brendan Reichs
 Jason Reynolds
Tom Robbins
Judy Schachner
Jon Scieszka
Philip & Erin Stead
Garth Stein
Amy Stewart
Emma Straub
Cheryl Strayed
Don Tate
​

Contact: Kathy Bartson
Development Director, Binc Foundation
(734) 471-0201 or Kathy@bincfoundation.org

About The Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation

The Book Industry Charitable Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that coordinates charitable programs to strengthen the bookselling community. Established in 1996, the core program provides assistance to bookstore employees who have a demonstrated financial need arising from severe hardship and/or emergency circumstances. Since its inception, the organization has provided over $6.5 million in financial assistance and scholarships to more than 7,300 families. Support for the Foundation’s programs and services come from all sectors of the book industry. The Book Industry Charitable Foundation’s mission is to strengthen the bookselling community through charitable programs that support employees and their families. The Foundation was imagined and built by booksellers and proudly continues to be their safety net. It is our vision to be a caring community of book people. Additional information can be found at http://www.bincfoundation.org. 

Fill Out the ABACUS Survey to Earn an Extra Spot at Winter Institute 2019!

The deadline to participate in the annual ABACUS financial independent bookstore survey is Friday, June 15. Bookstores that have never submitted to ABACUS that participate in ABACUS-17 will this year have the option of registering an additional staff person for the upcoming Winter Institute, set for January 2019 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

This year, each region with at least 35 reporting stores will receive a data aggregate specific for their own region’s respondents. This data will be provided in Excel and will include all the metrics shown in the ABACUS report. And all participating bookstores from eligible regions will also receive the regional data in their individual company performance reports. Let's make this happen for the SIBA region, folks!

What we learned the last time we received a regional report (from 2014 data):

• SIBA stores had a lower COGS and higher gross margin than ABA average
• SIBA stores had lower payroll costs than ABA average
• SIBA mid-range stores had higher occupancy and operational costs than ABA average
• With the exception of mid-range stores, all SIBA stores did better than ABA average

SIBA Board President Doug Robinson, owner of Eagle Eye Book Shop, writes this about ABACUS, "Using my Quickbooks reports, I finished the survey in about 1.5 hours. I am strongly urging all of you to participate in the survey. ABACUS is a yearly, members-only survey which gathers valuable information that can help improve a bookstore's operations...and bottom line. Input from hundreds of ABA members results in valuable data that help ABA establish the benchmarks recommended for stores to improve business operations and profitability....What do you get out of this?...You'll get the ABACUS executive summary and a customized report for your store that analyzes the financial results...and you'll be helping all indie bookstores to better understand their financial results."

ABA member bookstores can begin the submission process by going to www.ABACUSbenchmarking.com. If stores participated last year, the store account information has been carried forward. New participants will need to create an account to access the site.

Stores with questions about ABACUS can email Michael Becher of Industry Insights, the company that assists ABA in compiling and creating the annual report.

THE BOOKS YOUR COLLEAGUES ARE TALKING ABOUT

Submitted this week on Edelweiss+ using the "send to SIBA" option. Thanks to Bookmarks, The Country Bookshop, Fiction Addiction, Flyleaf Books, Malaprop's, Novel., Octavia Books, Page & Palette, and Union Ave Books.

9781476778440 When Life Gives You Lululemons 6/5/2018
"With female friendships and independence as the backbone, it's a fun story perfect for summer reading."

9781616206253 Southernmost 6/5/2018
"I could not put this book down, reading it until my eyes burned from fatigue."

9780735219090 Where the Crawdads Sing 8/14/2018
"You’ll shed a few tears as you read… some of such sadness, a few of pure joy."

9781449474256 Milk and Honey 10/6/2018
"An amazing little book of poetry. Lovely and lyrical. Brings together some complicated emotions with beautiful simplicity. Cheers me on my worst days.."

9780399574221 The Line That Held Us 8/14/2018
"Upon reading one of the best opening lines I've encountered in quite some time, I knew I needed to fasten my seat belt for another David Joy-ride. "

9780062856395 Melmoth 10/16/2018
"Melmoth is evocative and atmospheric, the perfect book for a chilly night and the turning of the seasons."

More bookseller reviews

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

LADY BANKS GETS A NEW BOOKSHELF

SIBA's most popular consumer-targeted promotion gets an upgrade

Beginning in June, SIBA is updating one of its regular promotions to better benefit its member bookstores. "Lady Banks Bookshelf" is a collection of six books that are promoted for the month on Facebook and in the Lady Banks newsletter and AuthorsRoundtheSouth.com website. Publishers pay for placement, and books click through to a page on ARTS where they can purchase the book from a SIBA member store.

What is changing?

1)  A new store will be featured each week. Stores will be notified in advance when their week is scheduled.

2) The promotion will now take users to a mobile-friendly, easily shareable page promoting both the current books and the store for the week. All books will click through to the store's website for purchase.

3) Boosted promotions will now target audiences located geographically near the store.

4) Although the promoted books will still remain constant for an entire month, the promotion will refresh its look weekly, with new images, banners, tag lines, and social media posts.

5) Stores will be able to tag and share Lady Banks Bookshelf directly with their customers. Stores can also create Lady Banks Bookshelf pages on their own websites, making it easier for customers to view all the promoted books.

Sample banner for websites and newsletters:

THE BOOKS YOUR COLLEAGUES ARE TALKING ABOUT

Submitted this week on Edelweiss+ using the "send to SIBA" option. Thanks to Avid Bookshop, Bookmarks, The Country Bookshop, Fiction Addiction, Flyleaf Books, Fountain Bookstore, McIntyre's Books, Novel., Page 158 Books, Quail Ridge Books, Sunrise Books, and Underground Books.

9780802128508 Evolution 9/11/2018
" There's revolution in EVOLUTION, for sure. There's also something very close to revelation in it too."

9780399574221 The Line That Held Us 8/14/2018
"With the Southern grit of Daniel Woodrell and the rich Appalachian cadence of Ron Rash, David Joy is the new voice of Southern noir. "

9781250166623 Bob 5/1/2018
"Friends come in all shapes and sizes and sometimes they are even green with chicken feathers"

9780062673657 All of This Is True: A Novel 5/15/2018
"Before you even pack the sunscreen, put this fast-paced, multi-tiered thriller right on top of the beach bag."

9780525522119 My Year of Rest and Relaxation 7/10/2018
"A wonderful and oddly comic story that we all probably relate more to than we'd like to admit. "

9780062665652 Scream All Night 7/24/2018
"The book is everything the best B Horror movies are- hilarious, haunting and entertaining. "

9781481470377 Ocean Meets Sky 5/15/2018
"This is one of the most stunning picture books I've seen, and it deserves every award ever. "

9781684421633 The Holy Ghost Speakeasy and Revival 8/21/2018
"quick and enjoyable read, but it includes some pretty heavy themes that kind of sneak up on you."

More bookseller reviews

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

Developing and maintaining an active, growing author event program is the key to success for most bookstores. One of the biggest challenges is getting your store on author tours, especially when you’re off the beaten trail, or in competition with a number of stores nearby. SIBA booksellers who attended our webinars with Maribeth Pelly-- How to Prepare a Press Kit for Your Store and How to Pitch Your Store to Publishers--are putting the final touches on their press kits and marketing efforts in advance of Book Expo, where they’ll attend publicist speed dating events, and meet publicists and reps at their booths and meeting rooms.