The NCIBA in Pictures
Trade Show Exhibitor Info Now Posted
The 2009 NCIBA Trade Show Exhibitor Packet (306KB PDF) is now available to all interested parties. We also have printed copies in the NCIBA office; contact us if you need one mailed or faxed. The packet includes forms for Author Autographing Trade Show Program Advertising requests.
New NCIBA Bookstore Blogs Page
We now have a page with the latest posts from blogs written by NCIBA members. Check it out!
Top Shelf Picks
We are sending the list weekly to booksellers, and we are also posting the information on our bestsellers page. There you’ll also find the week’s Top Shelf list — 10 recommended new titles from an independent bookstore.
IndieBound.org Affiliate Program Grows by Leaps and Bounds
The IndieBound.org Affiliate Program is unique in that it links to not one, but hundreds of independent bookstore websites. And this week the program, which pays generous commissions to bloggers, authors, and other website owners on sales their sites refer to independent bookstores, launched the first of several planned enhancements.
“The IndieBound.org Affiliate Program is the best way for bloggers to express their commitment to free speech, diversity, and shopping local,” said ABA Chief Marketing Officer Meg Smith.
“In light of the recent news about Amazon, many prominent bloggers are reconsidering where their links for book sales go,” added IndieBound Outreach Liaison Paige Poe. “A lot of them have recently signed up for IndieBound’s Affiliate Program.”
IndieBound.org Affiliate Program improvements introduced this week include:
- Affiliates can now link to any page on IndieBound.org, such as the Indie Next List, the results of a book search, or their Wish List. Previously, affiliates could only link directly to specific titles for sale.
- When a consumer follows an affiliate’s link, IndieBound.org sets a session cookie in their browser. This cookie ensures that the affiliate receives credit for additional sales generated through the visit, not just for the landing page.
- The URL syntax for affiliate links has been simplified, making it easier for affiliates to code their own links, or automate the process of creating links on their blog or website.
- Affiliate IDs are now connected to user accounts on IndieBound.org, making it easy for affiliates to update their own contact and payment information.
Future improvements will include:
- Attractive, flexible JavaScript widgets that can display Indie Bestseller Lists, the Indie Next List, the affiliate’s Wish List, or any custom list of books. These widgets will be available soon in a variety of shapes and sizes with a completely customizable palette of colors.
- Plug-ins for WordPress, TypePad, and other blogging platforms.
- Integrated sales reporting on IndieBound.org. Affiliates will be able to review detailed reports of traffic and sales their links have generated.
The IndieBound Affiliate Program passes sales through IndieBound.org to bookstore websites participating in the ABA E-Commerce Solution. “In order for the affiliate to receive credit for any sales that result, the bookseller’s site must track the affiliate’s data and report it back to IndieBound.org,” Web Content Coordinator Matt Supko explained. “Currently, ABA E-Commerce Solution sites are the only websites capable of doing this.”
Visitors to IndieBound.org who do not follow affiliate links also have the option to buy through other e-commerce-capable independent bookseller websites. All ABA Member stores appear, along with links to their websites, on the Indie Store Finder map, in the site search, and elsewhere on IndieBound.org.
Questions about the affiliate program should be addressed to Project Manager Patti Neske at patti@bookweb.org or (800) 637-0037, ext 6653. Questions about IndieBound should be addressed to Paige Poe at paige@bookweb.org or (800) 637-0037, ext 6668.
News Search Links
Northern California Independent Booksellers 2009 Book of Year Awards
Honoring books published in 2008 and written or illustrated by Northern California authors and artists
The second annual Book of the Year awards, presented by members of the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association (NCIBA), have been announced. The 2009 awards honor local authors and a children’s book illustrator whose books were published for the first time in 2008.
Independent booksellers representing 200 stores in the region voted for their favorite titles from a Finalists ballot created by bookseller committees.
FICTION
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (Dial)
NONFICTION
The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems
Van Jones (HarperOne)
POETRY
My Vocabulary Did This to Me: The Collected Poetry of Jack Spicer
Jack Spicer (Wesleyan University Press)
CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
Steinbeck’s Ghost
Lewis Buzbee (Feiwel & Friends)
CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATED (Award to illustrator)
One
Kathryn Otoshi (KO Kids Books)
REGIONAL TITLE
Towers of Gold: How One Jewish Immigrant Named Isaias Hellman Created California
Frances Dinkelspiel (St. Martin’s)
See the poster created for the awards and being displayed in bookstores. See a list of finalists in all six categories.
IndieBound for iPhone: Shop indie everywhere you go!
After months of hard work, we’re proud to announce indie bookstores’ first entry into the mobile universe. IndieBound for iPhone spotlights three of IndieBound.org’s most popular features: bookseller recommendations, book search, and the Indie Store Finder. Here’s a full list of features:
- Browse indie bookseller recommendation lists (The Indie Next List, The Kids Indie Next List) and bestseller lists (The Indie Bestseller Lists)
- Search for books from a comprehensive database of in-print titles
- Review detailed book information
- Buy books online from indie bookstores
- Find local, indie bookstores nearby, or across the United States
- Find other independently-owned businesses, like coffee shops, movie theaters, and bicycle stores
IndieBound for iPhone is available as a free download through the App Store. It is also compatible with iPod Touch (Internet connection required). More info and download link.
South Bay Indie Bookstores Get Ink
Noting that residents of the greater Santa Cruz area are blessed with a “small-town gold mine of a literary scene,” Metro Santa Cruz recently profiled five area independents and how they are capitalizing on the Buy Local movement to attract and retain business.
NCIBA Providing Advance Word on San Francisco Chronicle Sunday Book Reviews
The NCIBA is now receiving advance word of reviews and features appearing in the Sunday Book Review, thanks to Book Editor John McMurtrie. We are sending the list weekly to booksellers, and we are also posting the information on our bestsellers page.
Education Workshop Videos from NCIBA Trade Show!
Thanks to the expertise of producer Aaron Lyon, the NCIBA is offering videos of three education sessions from the 2008 trade show. Our workshops on Building a Graphic Novel Section, Understanding Co-op, and Print on Demand for Booksellers are on our new trade show page.
Bookstore Directory Published
The NCIBA has just published the Northern California Directory of Independent Booksellers 2008, a 32 page, pocket-sized guide to member bookstores organized by region—San Francisco, East Bay, South Bay, North Bay, Central Valley/Gold Country/Sierra Nevada, and Southern California. For a free copy of the guide, with your mailing address; supplies are limited.
A directory of stores is also available on this web site, including maps to each store location.
Our New “Shop Local” Poster
See it here (26K PDF). The poster available in both 8 1/2″ x 11″ and 11″ x 17″ formats. To order, email or call 415-561-7686.