e-Newsletter March 27, 2015

In This Issue




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Laura Ayrey
Executive Director
MPIBA

435.649.6079 office

435.649.6105 fax  

 


Association Information
Send publisher catalogs, author information,  
ARCs, and publicity  
to Laura:

3278 Big Spruce Way  
Park City, UT 84098

 

  

 

 




Kathy Keel
Project Manager
MPIBA
970.484.3939
970.484.0037 fax
800.752.0249 toll-free


Administration/Projects
Send project-related
questions (Fall Discovery Show, Winter Catalog, Reading the West Book Awards, Website)
plus bills, invoices,
and payments to:


MPIBA Administration
c/o Kathy Keel
208 E. Lincoln Avenue

Fort Collins, CO 80524

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





Mark Your Calendar!


Fall Discovery Show (Trade Show) 2015
October 8-10, 2015
The Renaissance
Denver Hotel








Spring Meeting Recap! 
Mary Wolf from Collected Works Bookstore in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with Jonathan Evison, author of THIS IS YOUR LIFE, HARRIET CHANCE! from Workman Publishing/Algonquin Books
The American Booksellers Association, booksellers from the MPIBA region, and authors met in Fort Collins, Colorado, on Tuesday, March 24, for an exciting and energizing day of presentations and book industry news, followed by a wonderful Author Reception at Old Firehouse Books.

Please see articles below for ABA's exciting presentation: "Exploring New Markets," MPIBA's session: "The Best Thing I Did This Year in My Bookstore" (including the "Wiggle-Worm" program from The Bookworm of Edwards), an invitation to join Book Club Hub, and more!

Thank you to Susie Wilmer and her fabulous staff at Old Firehouse Books for their help in organizing this event and for hosting the Author Reception at the bookstore.

Thank you to Macmillan/St. Martin's Press, Penguin Random House/Viking, Simon & Schuster, W.W. Norton & Company, and Workman Publishing/Algonquin Books
for sponsoring the authors for the Author Reception.

Please visit our Spring Meeting Recap web page for more photos and information.  

 

ABA Session:
"Exploring New Markets" 
Joy Dallanegra-Sanger and Oren Teicher
from the American Booksellers Association  

Increasing Sales to Existing Customers:

  • Valentine's Day cards and/or other holiday cards/birthday cards. Send cards to your best customers every year. Include a small store credit and a thank you for their business.
  • Pop-up bookstores at a customer's workplace - for a short time and tailored to that customer's needs.
  • "Secret Password Sale" - if the customer says the password during a three-day period, she/he receives a percentage off one item.
  •  Read more ... 

Reaching the Millennial Market:

  • Book clubs hosted by staff in their 20s. Start a Comedy Book Club and invite local young comedians to read the same title and perform a five-minute "riff" on the title. This gives the comedians valuable performance epxerience and raises the profile of literature and the store among millennials.
  • Stay open later to cater to the "going out" crowd.
  • Expand authorless events to include social events such as speed dating, DJ nights, and community interests such as CASs. Host author events in hip places; one ABA bookstore hosts drinks with an author in a local bar, calling the event "Pints & Pages."
  • Read more ...

Reaching Generation X:

  • Offer free downtown delivery for customers who are at work.
  • Offer free gift wrap.
  • Keep all web content and social media content updated.
  • Offer extra benefits for special orders. One bookstore offers 50% off any coffee drink when the special order customer comes in to pick up the book.
  • Read more ...

Reaching the Baby Boomer Market:

  • "Friend of the Grandparents" program includes a book-of-the-month club for grandchildren, a curated shower, baby gifts, etc. Also ask grandparents to provide birthdates and interests of grandchildren so you can send reminders of the child's approaching birthday, including titles suggestions for that child.
  • "Friend of the Bookstore" program offers special discounts, preorders, and an appreciation evening. Help to feed the meters during the event.
  • "Women of a Certain Age Discount Mondays" linked with visits by experts on finance, health, skin care, etc., for WOACA.
  •  Read more ...

Reaching Young Readers:

  • ALWAYS say "Yes" when a teacher wants to do an event or provide kids' programs to the store.
  • Create projects like BookSmartArt once a month that are easy, season-based art and craft projects, ehich take about an hour. Charge $3-$5 depending on the craft.
  • Create a Teen Advisory Board. Have teens apply to join and then have a hand in marketing and hosting events for teens.
  • Read more ...

Reaching a Diverse Customer Base:

  • Look for data on your community composition. Don't assume you know who is in your community. Schools often have this information.
  • Have diverse staff to better reflect your community.
  • Host a bilingual story time for children. As it becomes popular, increase selection of Spanish/other bilingual titles.
  • Create in-store displays for various cultural groups in your community.
  • Read more ...

Reaching Online Shoppers:

  • Be creative with your shipping options, including discounts and special programs.
  • Continue to integrate the online and in-store experience.
    • In-store displays with signage that reads, "As Seen on Our Website"
    • In-store signage that advertises the store website.
    • Post store hours and directions prominently on your homepage.
    • Keep webpage content fresh!
    • Read more ...

 

 

MPIBA Session: "The Best Thing I Did This Year"
Erin Mazza, Stephanie Schindhelm, and April Gosling
from Boulder Book Store in Boulder, Colorado

Partner with your library: 

Anne Holman, The King's English in Salt Lake City, Utah, reported that one of the best things they did this year was to partner with the library, particularly for their YA and middle grade events.

 

Create a storytime with local authors: 

Liesl Freudenstein, Boulder Book Store in Boulder, Colorado, shared that children's authors in Boulder asked if they could have a storytime at Boulder Book Store, so this summer Liesl is organizing a summer storytelling and read-aloud program.

 

Create a storytime video: 

Christopher Green, from The Bookworm of Edwards in Edwards, Colorado, reported that the bookstore has recorded a wildly popular storytime on YouTube called "Wiggle Worms." (See video and article below.) 

 

Marking discounted books: 

Vicki Burger, Wind City Books in Casper, Wyoming, decided that since books in their sales gondola were not moving, they would put the original price on the book and the new price, as opposed to a percent off, and the books began to sell.

  

"March Madness" sale: 

Macdonald Bookshop in Estes Park, Colorado, had a "March Madness" sale that involved selling one sale book at 30% off, two books at 40% off, and three or more books were 50% off.

 

Excitement about Reading the West: 

Lisa Ekelman from The Bookworm of Edwards in Edwards, Colorado, gave an enthusiastic testimony about being on the Reading the West committee and participating in reading adult submissions.

 

Book Trails camp update: 

Sue Krall from Off the Beaten Path Bookstore in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, shared some details about the Book Trails book camp, a week-long day camp for elementary kids in Steamboat Springs and now in Edwards/Vail, Colorado, that are book-themed sessions held at ranches donated by the owners. During the wintertime, there are after-school and days off from school opportunities to encourage the love of reading.

 

Collaborate to secure bigger author venues: 

Claudia Maceo from The Twig Book Shop in San Antonio, Texas, segued into their relationship with the library as an event venue that is free when partnered with a non-profit or the library accepts their event as one of their programs. They are also looking into forming a literary series with the new Tobin Center for the Performing Arts for author tours..

 

Using an iPad with Square: 

The Bookworm of Edwards also shared that using an iPad and Square has solved some book fair processing issues.

 

Link book clubs and readers together: 

Nicole Sullivan from BookBar in Denver, Colorado, invited booksellers to participate in Book Club Hub (see article below) that can link readers and bookstores. She distributed a handout regarding the details.

 

-Thank you to Claudia Maceo for providing this article. 

  

 

Bookworm's "Wiggle Worms"
Wiggle Worms - Intro 
 

"Wiggle Worms":  A YouTube Storytime Channel from The Bookworm of Edwards  

  

Favorite stories are available on demand from The Bookworm! Visit their  YouTube channel by clicking the video link above to see and hear the Wiggle Worms, hosted by Bookworm bookseller Franny Gustafson. Gather ideas to create your own YouTube channel and encourage future young readers in your community.

 

 

Book Club Hub  
 

It's Free.
It's Easy.
It Benefits Booksellers.
It Benefits Customers.    

So why wouldn't you join? Tap into your local book club market, then sit back and enjoy the benefits of driving book club traffic to your store or website.

 

Visit www.bookclubhub.org to register.

Contact Nicole Sullivan at BookBar in Denver, Colorado, with questions or suggestions: [email protected] 

 

MPIBA Solicits Literacy
Grant Applications 
Steve Metzger and Jessie DeLoy
from The Bookies in Denver, Colorado

MPIBA Online Literacy Grant Application 

  

MPIBA has awarded over $100,000 to non-profit literacy groups over the last 27 years. If booksellers or others know of a deserving group that would benefit from a literacy grant, please direct them to complete the on-line only Literacy Grant Application by clicking the link above.

 

Grants are announced and awarded at the Fall Discovery Show in October, and they are funded by literacy donations from the prior year's Show. 

  

 

Enthusiastic Booksellers  
and Authors Mingle at  
Old Firehouse Reception
Karin Barker from The Bookworm of Edwards in Edwards, Colorado,
with J. Ryan Stradal, author of KITCHENS OF THE GREAT MIDWEST
from Penguin Random House/Viking
Kirstin Valdez Quade, author of NIGHT AT THE FIESTAS
from W.W. Norton & Company, with Danielle Foster
from Bookworks in Albuquerque, New Mexico 
Rinker Buck, author of THE OREGON TRAIL from Simon & Schuster,
with Lisa Ekelman from The Bookworm of Edwards
in Edwards, Colorado 
Tiffany Quay Tyson, author of THREE RIVERS
from Macmillan/St. Martin's Press, with Nicole Sullivan
from BookBar in Denver, Colorado