From the Land of SIBAA message from SIBA to its membership
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First Things First...
7/7: Webinar: Bookseller Safety Tips with Spencer Coursen (register) 7/8: THIS! Hybrid Events Roundtable with John Cavalier, Jamille Christman and Rebecca Doel (register) 7/9: RAMP Winter Catalog Direct/Saturation Mail Info Session (register) 7/15: Deadline to nominate a video to the VIndies (here) 7/16: Deadline to sign up for RAMP "Back to School/Work" email (more info)
7/19-7/22 NVNR New Owners Retreat (register) 9/27-10/1 NVNR 2021 Fall Trade Show: Opening Doors (register)
We were pleased to see the coverage of the launch of The VIndies in this morning's edition of Shelf Awareness. There have been so many great bookstore-created videos over the past
year. We know you all have favorites. Nomimate them now!
To be eligible, videos must have been created by a SIBA or NAIBA member bookstore and must have been publicly exhibited – appearing on the store’s website, in their social media channels, or in their store newsletters
— between January 2020 and June 1, 2021. Nominations may come from independent bookstores or any fan of independent bookstores. Only one nomination per category, per store. Click here to nominate:
There’s still time to register to attend our New Owner Retreat July 19-22, evening hours. Seasoned booksellers
and special guests will be on hand to share their experiences, help you envision your future, and answer your most pressing questions. It’s a perfect opportunity to step away from the store, look at your operations, finances,
and resources for perspective, ideas, and solutions.
This event is geared for stores that have opened in the last five years and/or owners who have purchased an existing store in the last five years. The registration fee is $25 pp. Booksellers must be a member of their regional bookselling
association.
REGISTER HERE (non SIBA members should use the "guest" registration option)
Who you will meet and what they will talk about:
Karen Hayes, co-owner of Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN will discuss prioritizing profit.
Sue Lucey, co-owner of Page 158 in Wake Forest, NC will discuss mistakes, best moves, and what she’d do differently during the early years.
Josh Niesse and Megan Bell, co-owners of Underground Books in Carrollton, GA and Hills & Hamlets Bookshop in Serenbe, GA will discuss marketing.
John Cavalier, co-owner of Cavalier House Books in Denham Springs, LA will discuss daily store operations.
Stephanie Jones-Byrne of Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe in Asheville, NC will discuss author events.
Janet Geddis, owner of Avid Bookshop in Athens, GA is our closing keynote speaker, presenting on “Why I am a Bookseller.”
The ghost of Jane Austen helps out at The Haunted Book Shop.
Using apps for smoother customer service
--Angela Trigg, owner, The Haunted Book Shop in Mobile, AL
I’m always trying to streamline and take out friction points in customer service and one of the big ones for us is calling/texting folks when their book comes in or, more egregiously, when we need to remind them to pick it up.
We’re always busy, and this task falls down the priority list most of the time. My special order system (via Jira + Integromat)
sent out emails when books arrived but that’s it, and most didn’t have emails.
Anyway, I found a way to take care of calling by integrating Jira with Twilio via Integromat. While I was doing this, I also integrated the script with Manychat (for Facebook messages) and TextMagic (for texting). Now, it will call, text, send FB messages, or emails depending on their preference.
But because an automated call could be deemed impersonal, I found a way to make it fun and on-brand for us here at The Haunted Book Shop. Twilio allowed me to pick different accents and voices, and so I picked a female UK voice, and
I start with the script saying, “This is the ghost of Jane Austen calling from The Haunted Book Shop...” I made sure to get that info out in front of the script so my customers wouldn’t think
it was a spam call and I made the rest of the script match her era’s syntax. It’s on-brand not only because it’s a “ghost” but also my customers most likely are aware she’s one of my fave authors
(we have a shelf dedicated to JA merchandise).
I ran the script a week ago Saturday to remind anyone who’d had a book arrive and it worked! 3 people came in who’d had theirs sitting here for a while and now I have it set to run any time a book has 1) arrived 2) been
here for exactly 2 weeks 3) been here for exactly 30 days. Since then people have been coming in quicker than in the past. Those who’ve gotten the automated calls were extremely tickled by it. It’s now one less thing
for my staff to do as well.
To unearth the truth, she must embrace the legend within.
For eighteen-year-old Lexi, freedom is a luxury. She’s spent her life evading capture for a genetic gift that feels more like a curse. Her bulletproof immunity and monstrous disfigurement are of great interest to the secret organization,
but they aren’t the only ones. Through a chance encounter that sets off a chain reaction, Lexi is thrown into a world of myths and legends, but things are not always as they seem.
Tempest, part of The Veil Chronicles, gives readers a modern twist on ancient Irish mythology. With heightened themes of image, worth, identity, and the age-old struggle of facing the evil and weakness within ourselves, readers
will find these deeply layered worlds an enticing place where concepts are challenged, beliefs are questioned, and the impossible becomes possible.
About the Author CJ Campbell is a successful and highly popular author of award-winning fanfiction surrounding JRR Tolkien's character The Elven King, which has garnered thousands of online fans.
Growing up on her grandfather's farm in Ireland, CJ was surrounded by Irish folklore and the mysteries of the Tuatha de danann people, which has inspired this newest fantasy fiction series The Veil Chronicles.
Juneteenth is now an observed federal holiday. What does it mean for your store?
With only a few days between the announcement of June 19th --Juneteenth-- as a Federal holiday, there was little time for organizations to make plans to celebrate if those plans weren't already in the works. Bookstores posted reading
lists and window displays, and shared resources with their customers. But a window display is hardly enough.
Here are some links to resources for organizations for recognizing and honoring Juneteenth in the workplace, and some examples of how other organizations chose to celebrate. They include everything from pro-actively declaring
it a paid holiday, to matching employee donations to nonprofits working for racial equity.
The Harvard Business Review's number one recommendation? Make it personal:
Many of us have spent the last year hearing advice on how to educate yourself about DEI topics such as racial injustice in the workplace. While this is a foundational step that everyone should take, it’s time to move beyond
general awareness to personal action. Leaders should reflect and share how their personal and family histories, experiences, values, and identities connect to these events.
In Brief:
Winter Institute scholarship deadline is Friday, 6/25 Booksellers looking for financial assistance to attend the next Winter Institute have until 5pm Eastern on Friday, 6/25 to complete the scholarship application
form. Winter Institute will take place February 13-16 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Click here for more information.
Indie bookstore documentary raises money for Binc. While living out of his car during the pandemic, an Amazon-loving author filmed his journey to over 100 independent bookstores around the country, asking booksellers
a simple question: why should we shop indie? Entitled
The Bookstour , this 30-minute documentary follows a road-tripping author's transformation from Amazon diehard to indie advocate . In addition to revealing booksellers' unexpected answer to the "why shop indie?" question,
the film is donating 100% of its proceeds to Binc. You can watch the trailer here .
Reader Meet Writer Upcoming
General RMW Event information:
RMW events are held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 7:00 PM Eastern
Each event is fully moderated and hosted, with plenty of time for author Q & A. Current host is Wiley Cash, author of When Ghosts Come Home (William Morrow, 2021)
All events are recorded and available to stream at SIBA's Reader Meet Writer TV YouTube channel.
My Mistress' Eyes Are Raven Black with Terry Roberts Thurs Jun 24th 7:00pm - 8:00pm | REGISTER
Terry Roberts' direct ancestors have lived in the mountains of Western North Carolina since the time of the Revolutionary War. His family farmed in the Big Pine section of Madison County for generations and is
also prominent in the Madison County town of Hot Springs, a consistent setting in his novels. His newest book, My Mistress' Eyes Are Raven Black, is a literary thriller set on Ellis Island and is due out from Turner
in Spring 2021.
Nowhere Girl with Cheryl Diamond Tue Jun 29th 7:00pm - 8:00pm | REGISTER
Cheryl Diamond is now a citizen of Luxembourg and lives between there and Rome. Her behind-the-scenes account of life as a teenage model, Model: A Memoir, was published in 2008. Diamond´s second book, Naked Rome,
reveals the Eternal City through the eyes of its most fascinating people.
This week on Circle of Sites
Read more about SIBA's Circle of Sites Program (aka the "banner for dues" program) and find out whether your store is eligible to participate and
receive free membership dues.
This is a story of resilience, book smarts and street smarts, and an unwavering desire to preserve human dignity. An amazing memoir! -- Laura Simcox from Sunrise Books in High Point, NC Buy from Sunrise Books.
With the same page-turning, mind-blowing feeling as Educated, Nowhere Girl is the story of a family on the run, a stolen childhood, and a child's life forever altered by things outside her control. --Beth Seufer
Buss from Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC Buy from Bookmarks
Riveting, page turning, fast paced memoir of a life way too crazy to be real. Cheryl Diamond's life is definitely worth writing about! --Laura Taylor from Oxford Exchange in Tampa, FL Buy from Oxford Exchange
The moment I cracked this memoir, I knew I should fasten my seatbelt--what a jaw dropping ride it was! Nowhere Girl is so gorgeously written and impossible to put down. It is truly a tribute to human resilience. --Damita
Nocton from The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, NC Buy from The Country Bookshop
Give My Love to the Savages by Chris Stuck On Edelweiss | Buy
Stories built on foundations of unbalanced karma, the self identifying itself and male douchebaggery where (oftentimes) the inner pessimistic optimist lets the outer optimistic pessimist’s joy really bum him out, only to
then retaliate with focused blind passion. I was introduced to the term “get your poops in a group” in this collection, and that, in a nutshell, is the goal of its protagonists, though some poops do get lost here
and there.
Give My Love to the Savages by Chris Stuck (List Price: $25.99, Amistad, 9780063029972, 7/6/2021) Reviewed by Ian McCord, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia
Linda-Marie: Reading: Just finished The Revisioners by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton, a powerful, haunting novel that has opened my eyes even further on the intergenerational trauma of racism. Just started The Love Hypothesis by
Ali Hazelwood, an enemies to lovers romcom for science geeks. Watching:The Minimalists, a fascinating documentary on minimalism, featuring a bunch of good-hearted people, including two authors on a roadtrip book tour, who are being more conscious about the “stuff”
they bring into their lives. Listening: Joni Mitchell’s Blue, one of the best albums ever made.
Lucy: Reading:The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian - I’m loving this utterly charming slow-burn historical romance! Sebastian writes with a delightful wit that I find absolutely wonderful!
Listening: 99% Invisible Episode 445 “The Clinch” - This episode was wonderfully informative, and features romance authors Sarah MacLean and Alyssa Cole! It lays out a brief history of the iconic romance
cover frequently found on mass market titles, and is definitely something I think all booksellers can take something positive away from.
Watching:The Morning Show on Apple TV+ - This has been on my “Give this a try” list for awhile, and I’m happy that I finally gave it a try. I’m not sure how I feel about most of the characters, but I’m
definitely intrigued.
Nicki: Reading: Still on My Broken Language by Quiara Alegria Hudes, and The Hearing Trumpet by Leonora Carrington. Each in their way gentle, angry, and profound.
Listening: anything and everything by Miriam Makeba
Watching: old seasons of Hill Street Blues, which unlike most of my childhood tv shows has aged pretty well.
SP: Reading and listening: Iris Murdoch's The Red and the Green, set in Dublin during the Easter Rising in 1916. When she mentions a martello tower at the beginning of the book, I excitedly exclaimed to myself
"martello tower!", which neatly sums up my Joycean literary knowledge, unless Murdoch also describes a character as stately and/or plump. Watching: Continuing my rewatch of the reliably ridiculous True Blood (which has also prompted many excited exclamations, mainly of a delighted "that is SO gross!"), balanced with the reliably joy-inducing 9 to 5.
Both comedies with fangs--my absolute favorite kind.
1. Malibu Rising Taylor Jenkins Reid, Ballantine, $28, 9781524798659 2. The Midnight Library Matt Haig, Viking, $26, 9780525559474 3. Project Hail Mary Andy Weir, Ballantine, $28.99, 9780593135204 4.
The Maidens Alex Michaelides, Celadon Books, $27.99, 9781250304452 5. Sooley John Grisham, Doubleday, $28.95, 9780385547680
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1. The Bomber Mafia Malcolm Gladwell, Little, Brown, $27, 9780316296618 2. World Travel Anthony Bourdain, Laurie Woolever, Ecco, $35, 9780062802798 3.
How the Word Is Passed Clint Smith, Little, Brown, $29, 9780316492935 4. The Anthropocene Reviewed John Green, Dutton, $28, 9780525555216 5.
The Premonition Michael Lewis, Norton, $30, 9780393881554
Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Supporting independent bookstores in the South SIBA | 51 Pleasant Ridge Drive | Asheville, NC 28805
Useful Links SIBA Office Hours on Zoom by appointment. Available during regular business hours at 803-994-9530, or anytime at siba@sibaweb.com
Thank you for your interest in SIBA, Nicki Leone SysAdmin
nicki@sibaweb.com
THANKS TO OUR INKREADIBLE SPONSORS:
SIBA | 51 Pleasant Ridge Drive | Asheville, NC 28805 You have received this email because you are currently subscribed to receive general correspondence. Please click @@unsubscribe_url@@ if you
no longer wish to receive these communications.
There’s still time to register to attend our New Owner Retreat July 19-22, evening hours. Seasoned booksellers
and special guests will be on hand to share their experiences, help you envision your future, and answer your most pressing questions. It’s a perfect opportunity to step away from the store, look at your operations, finances,
and resources for perspective, ideas, and solutions.
Juneteenth is now an observed federal holiday. What does it mean for your store?
My Mistress' Eyes Are Raven Black with Terry Roberts
Nowhere Girl with Cheryl Diamond
