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NCIBA Looking to Create "California Bookstore Day"
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NCIBA Board Member Pete Mulvihill, co-owner of Green Apple Books, came to the last board meeting with a proposal that had everyone buzzing with enthusiasm. Based on the success of the annual Record Store Day national promotion, Pete proposed a similarly-modeled Bookstore Day, offered either regionally in northern California or nationally under the auspices of ABA. The board's positive response to the idea led to Pete writing up a proposed description of the event for publishers and sending to contacts at most major houses for feedback. Their excitement about the idea was clear in email responses, and that led to a a series of BEA appointments with interested parties. At BEA, Pete and Hut met with several houses and received pledges of support from everyone we talked to. Conversations with the ABA made it clear that they would support a pilot program produced by NCIBA, and further discussions led to the belief that we should invite Southern California booksellers to participate and create California Bookstore Day. Before going any further, you all should read the first part of Pete's letter to publishers; it explains the basic model and how it might work. Be aware that the examples of items that publishers might produce are made up but illustrative of the kinds of things that might be produced. Record Store Day (RSD) is a remarkable event for music stores. Musicians and their publishers release a number of limited edition CDs and/or LPs to be sold only in indie music stores on RSD, mostly older singles or new or live material. The effect is dramatic.
At Green Apple Books, for example, we typically sell about $200/day in LPs, but on RSD, it's over $1,000 (and sales of books go up, too). And music sales are only 2% of our business, and we're not listed on the RSD website (not primarily a record store). I spoke with Amoeba Records In San Francisco a few weeks ago, and they had roughly 750 people lined up before their 10am opening for a chance at more than 300 RSD limited edition releases. Amoeba said it's their busiest day of the year outside of Black Friday - triple the sales of a normal Saturday. Praise for RSD by musicians, studios, record store owners, and consumers is plentiful here.
Clearly, audiophiles care deeply about music and highly value limited releases. We know from experience that this is true of readers, too.
Enter Bookstore Day.
Your role would be to create something wordbased
that is limited, unique, and only available for sale at NCIBA (now including SCIBA) stores on a certain day. We're thinking print runs of 100 - 1,000 depending on anticipated demand, perhaps a total of 10-15 items (Note: this number could increase) from a variety of publishers for the trial run. Not every bookstore will get everything they order, of course. The goal is that demand exceed supply, after all.
While each house offers unique editorial and design strengths, imagine one-off items like the
following:
● (signed?) copies of the book poster or dust jacket from Murakami's recent release in Japan
● a broadside of a Michael Chabon essay with appropriate artwork
● an Adam Johnson story, with a gorgeous letterpress cover, and a simple staple binding
● an anthology of short stories by NorCal authors with a cover designed by a favorite illustrator
● A canvas bag featuring art from your favorite children's book
● the first chapter of a forthcoming Stephen King book with editor's notes printed
● a Nabokov story with a pressed butterfly
● Anything that's unique in packaging and limited in availability. Think numbered and signed items
to create chatter and inspire that collecting sensibility.
Get the idea? At our meetings, publisher representatives immediately began thinking of ideas of their own, which was the intention and crucial to the success of the project. We made it clear that any items created could not be offered to Amazon, and that was not an issue for anyone. We also asked them to consider, when thinking of what they might produce, whether customers would line up outside a bookstore for an hour before the store opens on a Saturday morning to make sure they got what they wanted. If not, maybe that item isn't right.
This is literally a month-old concept at this point, so it
is very much a work in progress. We don't have a firm date, although we want to do it in 2014, and the NCIBA board hasn't yet formally approved it. We have talked terms with publishers, but nothing definite has been set, other than the strong likelihood that items will be sold non-returnable.
But Bookstore Day is being talked about now, and we wanted to keep booksellers apprised of the idea and the progress made to date. This will not work without participation of bookstores, and we envision participants being asked to promote the event as a whole along with their individual plans for the day. We also believe that the local author community, including children's writers and illustrators, can be tapped to promote and participate, and we will certainly seek your help in involving them.
We welcome feedback, ideas, comments, whatever - send them to hut@nciba.com. We will keep everyone updated as things unfold and (hopefully) move forward.
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Fortune Magazine Sheds Light on Amazon's History of Sales Tax Avoidance
| | The June 10 edition of Fortune features a must-read cover story titled "Amazon's War on Taxes." It's the most comprehensive and factual account of Amazon's longtime and aggressive efforts to avoid collecting sales tax that the NCIBA office has yet seen, thanks to the research and reporting done by writer Peter Elkind, assisted by Doris Burke. 
We would urge booksellers to purchase a copy if they don't already sell the magazine in their store (unfortunately, you can't read it online without subscribing to Fortune). it would also be a great piece to share with interested customers.
One of the most satisfying aspects of the story is Elkind's inclusion of some of Amazon's most blatent misrepresentations over the years. This small excerpt is a perfect example of Jeff Bezos at his misleading best:
"In later years, he would argue that it was 'not fair' that Amazon should have to collect taxes where it lacked a physical presence because 'we're not actually benefiting from any services that those states provide locally.' Never mind that it was only customers who would pay the taxes (and those customers do benefit from state services) - or that startups in other industries have always had to collect on their sales." Good reading - check it out.
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New Book Awards Page On NCIBA Website
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We are working on a number of changes on our website, and the first new piece is in place. We've created a separate Book Awards page that includes not only information about the awards and winners past and present but also information about submissions and the awards nominating and voting process. Additionally, we solicited and received links to digital marketin  g material - interviews, videos, press coverage and the like - for several of this year's winning titles. Currently, we have online links to materials for Season of the Witch, The Orphan Master's Son, God's Hotel, and Vietnamese Home Cooking, with (we hope) more to come. Special thanks goes to Simon and Schuster, which created banner ads that can be used on store websites or in e-newsletters and slit cards for in store use to promote this year's nonfiction winner, Season of the Witch. The links, along with other promotional pieces about the book, are all posted on the new Book Awards page. The publisher also forwarded a thank-you note from author David Talbot, which you can read below. |
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Author Thanks Booksellers For Book Award
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"I'm thrilled that my book Season of the Witch has been honored by the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association. There is no group more important to the future of books and reading in America than independent booksellers. When I'm not working on my own books, I spend much of my time trawling the aisles of independent bookstores. Curated with love and care, these
bookstores always provide surprises and delights that no online shopping experience can supply. Thank you, NCIBA, not only for my award, but for all the heroic work you do, day in and day out, to keep the joys of reading alive."
- David Talbot,
author of Season of the Witch: Enchantment,
Terror, and Deliverance in the City of Love
(Free Press, $16)
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Praise From Readers of "Hut's Place"
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Now in its seventh month, Hut's Place continues to offer subscribers free weekly news about hot titles hitting the independent bestseller lists and new books on indie bookstore shelves. The column is an ideal way for bookstore customers to keep abreast of popular new inventory, books being recommended by independent booksellers, and occasional news about the book world. And if they receive a sample column from you and choose to join the mailing list, they will be coming to your store to purchase books of interest.
Here are recent notes sent in from a few Hut's Place subscribers, including one from an independent bookseller.
"Since joining the mailing list for Hut's Place, I've purchased a number of great books based on the recommendations; in fact I go to the site every time I need a new book."
"Just wanted to send a shout out to Hut's Place for giving me good ideas every week in my quest for good books...now that, as a former librarian, I no longer have the luxury of being in the know when it comes to books."
"I just read this week's column and wrote down 3 books to read!"
"I used this list of best books of the year to buy some books for (husband) Craig. Very cool!"
Dear Hut,
I always smile when I read your concise and informative newsletter. Thank you for firmly and cleverly reinforcing thoughts that indie booksellers need to remember to say every day (1) Customers can pre-order and (2) out of stock means.....out of stock! How many times have we heard "Oh, then I'll just order it from Amazon" (One wonders where these folks learned sensitivity, but that's another question...) My daily reading list includes Shelf Awareness (both editions) and multiple pub emails, but I never skip reading your news.
Best,
Cheryl McKeon
Book Passage Ferry Building
Here's a link to a recent column, which also includes a link to back issues if you'd like to get a sense of what Hut's Place is about. If you like it and want to forward a copy to friends, neighbors or customers with a short note from you, we'd be most appreciative. Let them know they can subscribe for free by clicking the Join Our Mailing List button in the column.
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CLASSIFIEDS
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BOOKSTORES FOR SALE
THE WORKS BOOKSTORE, TEA & COFFEEHOUSE
The Works Bookstore, Tea & Coffeehouse is an independent, full-service retail establishment in the heart of beautiful Pacific Grove. Located on a busy downtown corner The Works consists of a fully equipped tea/ coffeehouse of approximately 1100 square feet directly connected to a 1200 square foot bookstore/gift shop.
This well-established business was completely remodeled to its present condition approximately 71/2 years ago. All new coffeehouse equipment, lighting, carpeting, paint and an ADA approved restroom were provided at that time. The Works is also proud to announce that it was recently presented with the award for "Retail/Coffeehouse Business of the Year", for 2012. With a new 5-year straight lease and with good community support and the support of many visitors who come to the Monterey Peninsula from all over the world this business is well-established and is self-sustaining.
For more information please contact Robert Marcum 831-915-2194 (cell) or e-mail spressoman@gmail.com.
667 LIGHTHOUSE AVE., PACIFIC GROVE, CA 93950
831-372-2242
www.theworkspg.com
STINSON BEACH BOOKS FOR SALE
At the heart of the commercial and cultural life of the Marin County coastal village of Stinson Beach for over 30 years, Stinson Beach Books is for sale, inventory, fixtures, building, everything. The gross sales exceed $200,000 per year, the building, located in the middle of Stinson Beach's commercial area on Highway One, includes a residential studio upstairs. The owner is willing to train the buyer. This entire life style opportunity is offered at $700,000.
For further information and a tour, Contact Chris Harrington, Broker Associate at Oceanic Realty, DRE #00870768, at chris94970@gmail.com or call at 415 250-0822
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Rep Directory Update: Corrected Fax # for Anna-Lisa Sandstrum
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We mistakenly printed the wrong fax number for Chronicle books sales rep Anna-Lisa Sandstrum in our 2013 Rep Directory. Please make a note of the correct number: 415.537.4470.
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Poster Reminds Customers That Books Make Great Gifts All Year Round
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The NCIBA has done a new color printing of its poster touting books as gifts that's available free to any interested bookstore member. The message is simple - books make great gifts for any person and any occasion; to date, more than 75 stores have requested and received posters.
The impetus for the poster's creation came from the notion that, although book buyers may spend less on themselves in tough times, they will usually not shirk on spending when purchasing a gift. So why promote books as great gift ideas only during the holiday season? Book customers purchase gifts all year round, so let's remind them that books are the perfect answer.
The poster, measuring 11x17 and printed on card stock, can be ordered for free by emailing hut@nciba.com. Or use the concept to create your own messaging and let us know what you come up with.
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