Trade Show

NCIBA Trade Show — Oct. 27-29, 2011 in Oakland

Late, but Worth the Wait

 

Authors Include Brian Selznick, Adam Mansbach, Philippa Gregory and a Rabble-Rouser Named Moore

Thanks to a snafu with the Oakland Marriott, this year’s trade show will be held on Thursday, October 27 through Saturday, October 29 in Oakland. That’s later than we wanted, but we’re making the best of it and hope you can join us.

And we’re planning to make it worth your while. In addition to our normal events, we’ve booked two special author talks, one with  Michael Moore and another with Philippa Gregory. Add to that a Children’s Breakfast that includes Brian Selznick, Marla Frazee, and Maureen Johnson and an Adult Breakfast with Adam Mansbach, Karl Marlantes, and David Guterson, and we’re off to a good start.

Our Attendee Registration packet can be found here (434K PDF), but here’s a preview of the three-day schedule of events.

As usual, Thursday is Education Day, but we’ve added a couple of new wrinkles to the schedule. The ABA will offer sessions on Children’s Bookselling and Working with the Small Business Administration, and we’ll also offer workshops on both e-book and Facebook marketing, a panel discussion on Edelweiss, and a small press Rep Picks presentation. In addition, we’ve created a new lunchtime event — the Author Buzz Lunch — that will feature seven authors talking for 3-5 minutes each about their new books being published in early 2012.

Normally, we follow our last two education sessions with our Annual Membership Meeting, but this year we are offering Tea with Philippa Gregory from 4 to 5pm prior to the member gathering. The event will cost $10 but will include books for all attendees.

We’ve flopped our Author Breakfasts, so the Children’s Breakfast will take place on Friday from 8 to 10am. Even though this is the first “official” notice, there is already buzz about Brian Selznick’s appearance, so the breakfast  promises to draw a packed house. The show floor is scheduled to be open from 10 to 4, but we may close a bit early in order to begin our large publisher Rep Picks session early, perhaps by 3:30.

That’s because we are expecting Michael Moore to arrive and speak at 5:00 or so; the exact timing hasn’t been finalized. He will talk about his new collection of autobiographical essays, Here Comes Trouble: Stories from My Life and has agreed to answer questions. Because of this extremely special event, we are moving the start time of our popular Author Reception from 6 to 6:30pm. The rest of that function stays the same — 25 terrific authors signing and meeting booksellers, and plenty of free food and drink.

Saturday is more good stuff. Our Author Breakfast features Adam Mansbach, David Guterson, and Karl Marlantes. As with the Children’s Breakfast, all attendees will receive signed copies of the authors’ books.

Then it’s on to the show floor, where we’ll hold our annual Cookbook Celebration in the early afternoon. Booked to appear and serve food from his new book Mourad: New Moroccan is Sausalito chef Mourad Lahlou.

Speaking of the show floor, we are talking to Xerox about their participation as an exhibitor, which would include having an Espresso Book Machine at their booth. We’re also seeing an uptick in small publishers and self-published authors, all of whom want to connect with independents. We’ve had conversations with them about the importance of distribution, competitive terms, and a professional product, so don’t be surprised if you find a hidden gem or two at the tables.

The theme of this year’s show is One More Bookseller, and we’ll be talking to owners and managers about sending at least one additional staff member to the show, preferably someone who hasn’t been for several years, or ever. We know that for some of you, the trade show is old hat. But for someone who hasn’t experienced what the show offers, it should be informative, energizing, and a lot of fun.

We’re also going to try an experiment by asking booksellers to invite one or two key book group leaders to the show on Saturday — think of it as kind of a backstage pass for a few of your preferred customers. And if your guests see a book they like, they can turn to you to order.

More to come, including our registration packet in a couple of weeks, but we hope this gets you to mark the date. If you want to reserve hotel space now, before the room block sells out, call the Marriott  directly at 510-451-4000 and say you’re with NCIBA. The rate is $139, plus tax.

2010 Trade Show Highlights

More than 900 booksellers, authors, exhibitor personnel, and other industry professionals gathered in Oakland for our annual NCIBA trade show — three days of information, elucidation, conversation, and socializing. The mood was upbeat, and cautious optimism seemed to be the prevailing attitude heading into the critical holiday selling season.

This was the second year of having the show floor open on Friday and Saturday. Last year, bookseller attendance was similar on both days, but this year’s attendance skewed much more to Friday. As with 2009, over 400 orders were placed during the two days, and sales rep Nancy Suib was among several who commented on brisk business.

“I barely had time to take a breath on Friday,” Suib noted with pleasure. “I was talking to booksellers and taking orders almost non-stop.”

Thursday’s education workshops were all well-attended, and we’ve got write-ups below on four of the sessions for those of you who weren’t there. At the annual membership meeting, Lynne Almeida, the owner of Spellbinder Books in Bishop, was awarded this year’s Debi Echlin Outstanding Community Bookstore prize. Following the meeting, author Justin Taylor talked about his new book, The Word Made Flesh: Literary Tattoos from Bookworms Worldwide, and booksellers voted for their favorite tattoos from a series of blow-ups from the book.

Friday’s breakfast, featuring Amy Sedaris, Walter Mosley, and Brock Clarke, received only one complaint from the 100+ attendees: “Too short!” All three authors got raves, but none of them used their full 20 minutes of time, leaving attendees happy but wishing for more.

On the floor, in addition to author signings, booksellers found several bonuses throughout the day — a visit from Michael McClure at the UC Press booth on behalf of his forthcoming book Of Indigo and Saffron: New and Selected Poems; a cheese tasting at Chelsea Green’s table with Gordon Edgar, cheese buyer for Rainbow Grocery and author of Cheesemonger: A Life on the Wedge; and a gathering of Soho mystery authors (fresh from Bouchercon in San Francisco) hosted by Karel/Dutton. In addition, Lonely Planet set up a martini bar for our Rep Picks session, which pleased the 75 booksellers in attendance.

Friday night’s Author Reception was our biggest ever, as 30 writers gathered to sign books and connect with more than 120 attendees. Great food (love those lamb chops!) and wine donations from authors Evan Goldstein (Daring Pairings) and Mark Oldman (Oldman’s Brave New World of Wines) added to the festivities.

On Saturday morning, authors Paul Zelinsky, Jon Scieszka, and Richard Peck spoke to a sold-out room of children’s booksellers and others, and our afternoon Cookbook Celebration proved to be a hit with everyone on the show floor — attendees and exhibitors alike. Many folks claimed it was the best food ever offered.

From the 400 orders placed at the show, six lucky bookstores won cash prizes in our annual Order Raffle. Stores winning $100 each included Margie’s Book Nook (Susanville), Bookshop West Portal, Green Apple Books, and The Warming Hut (all San Francisco). The two $300 winners were Phoenix Books (Los Banos) and Arkipelago Books (San Francisco).

As for the facility, the City Center Marriott was in the midst of what they’re calling a hotel-wide “refresh.” Most sleeping rooms had been refurbished, as had top floor meeting room AJ Topper’s (now known as the Skyline Room), but the restaurant and other public areas were still being worked on. The good news — hotel staff promise a snazzy new look and feel in 2011.

Speaking of 2011, the show is scheduled for October 27–29 next year, again in Oakland. Costumes, anyone?

Trade Show Education Programs Prove Diverse and Dynamic

By Zachary Chouteau

As in the past, Thursday’s Education Day programs were a popular aspect of the NCIBA’s annual show. From bloggers specializing in bookselling to the impact of the new Health Care legislation, the Random House-sponsored seminars tackled trends truly affecting today’s independent booksellers. Here are highlights from four of the sessions.

New Kids on the Blog

With social media absolutely exploding as a way to get the word out about your business, it’s become crucial for booksellers to use all the tools at their disposal. And one way to do this that many booksellers haven’t tried yet is partnering with a book-loving blogger to spread the word.

Thursday’s Meet the Bloggers session covered this topic in detail, led by a panel that comprised California bloggers Trish Collins (Hey Lady), Caitlin Martin (Chaotic Compendiums), Sarah Sammis (Puss Reboots), Laura De Leon (I’m Booking It) and Pam van Hylckama Vlieg (Bookalicio.us). They offered unique insights on partnering with bloggers, choosing the right blogger for your store, and other nuggets of wisdom that a full room of attendees soaked in during the 75-minute session.

The details of a partnership between a blogger and store may vary quite a bit, but it’s generally about creating a win-win synergy that pays off for both sides.

“The blogger helps promote in-store events, consults on how to use social media or even helps the store run that portion of the marketing effort,” explained van Hylckama Vlieg. “Bloggers have great ideas for events, and they can start and run book clubs and do fun release-date parties. The blogger can write out shelf talkers and put them with the books, and this ‘third-party’ recommendation sometimes encourages buying more than staff picks.”

As for what a blogger might want out of the relationship, booksellers will be happy to see that large sums of money are apparently not on the wish list.

“Generally bloggers request a link back from the main bookstore site,” said van Hylckama Vlieg. “If it’s possible, priority in signing lines and maybe a few minutes with the author for an exclusive interview. We would like to have a shelf where we can showcase our favorite books of the moment. And if the store has an employee discount that is also a bonus!”

Collins chimed in that some of the thing she’d ask for would include possible items like her own shelf talkers, her own shelf (like other bookstore employees have), preferred seating at events, the option to take home galleys the bookstore receives, 10% off of all book purchases, and a place to put her business cards or bookmarks.

She hastened to add that she would normally request some but not all of these perks, and both Collins and van Hylckama Vlieg stated that from their perspectives bloggers normally partner with only one store exclusively.

“Maintaining a relationship with one bookstore would be enough for any blogger,” Collins added with a smile.

“I think the important thing to remember is not to grab the first blogger that walks into the store,” says van Hycklama Vlieg, who began blogging at Bookalicious in January 2009. “You should interview the blogger the same way you would if hiring an employee. Spend some time watching their blog and see if they seem like a good fit. This should be a relationship that is mutually beneficial.”

She added that it’s okay to check on their traffic numbers, and determine whether or not you agree with most of their viewpoints.

Caitlin Martin stated that bloggers can not only drive business to your website and shop, but are a great resource for web content (republishing their reviews for example) and for ‘shelf talker’ copy. She also said that the best first step in reaching in working with a blogger is to familiarize yourself with their blog.

“What kinds of books do they review? Some bloggers review all kinds of books from literary fiction to horror novels to non-fiction,” she explained. “Others specialize — for instance, there are a lot of bloggers that review only young adult fiction. Be sure that the blogger’s interests fit with the kinds of books you sell. After that it’s a matter of contacting them — most bloggers provide a contact email address on their blogs and we’re all really approachable.”

Healthy Advice on the New Health Care Reform

The new health care laws have sparked ample curiosity in booksellers, so NCIBA brought in insurance expert Patrick Burns to shed some light on the new law—and how it will impact indie stores.

He began by sharing some eye-opening information on one of the main reasons reform was apparently needed—Americans becoming far less healthy over the past quarter-century. Forty-five percent of U.S. adults now have chronic illnesses, which relates to the fact that 75% of Americans are overweight.

Because of this fact, one suggestion Burns made to indie booksellers was implementing a wellness program that encourages such practices as healthy eating and regular fitness. While the intricacies of the new legislature make it difficult to provide booksellers with other ‘one size fits all’ advice, Burns did have some tips on cutting costs under the new ruling.

Among his suggested strategies are capping salaries at $25,000 and full-time employees at 10 or less, which will keep you eligible for tax credits under the new law. Burns also recommended checking the demographics of your group, as having an older staff will save you money under the new legislation as well.

Yet another possible approach mentioned by Burns was considering dropping your employee health coverage altogether, as low-wage workers will then be eligible for government subsidies with their coverage.

In a general sense, Burns recommends being aggressive about staying on top of the new legislation—both its benefits and legal requirements.

“You really need to keep up with the ins and outs to ensure that you receive the benefits of the law, as well as avoid the penalty areas,” he explained. “Some benefits are the tax credit for small business health plans and the expanded coverage. But also note that expanded benefits mean more cost to employers and employees. The law was signed this year; there already are new requirements and benefits, so be proactive and talk about it soon.”

As for getting up to speed on the new legislation, he encouraged booksellers to explore the many resources at the National Association of Health Underwriters, or reach out to him at patrick@burnsemployeebenefits.com.

Improved IndieCommerce Site Arrives

Following lunch, a special session took place that was presented remotely from the ABA’s Tarrytown, NY offices via Skype video. It featured their Technology Director, Matt Supko, sharing some news on the updated IndieCommerce product—ABA’s platform for member sites that market and sell books online.

The in-person aspects were handled by the ABA’s Oren Teicher, and a show of hands revealed that perhaps a third of the bookselling audience currently use IndieCommerce. While the upgrades technically involve a content management system upgrade from Drupal 5 to Drupal 6, Supko took the time to explain how new functionality would improve the customer service experience.

Already a significant improvement over the previous BookSense selling platform—with “extremely customizable features that can really get your store’s unique personality across,” according to Supko—Indie Commerce has grown even more appealing with the new features that went live on October 17. The highlights for now, he said, were in the areas of the search capability and checkout experience.

For starters, the search ‘algorithm’ (formula) has been overhauled and revamped, resulting in a far more ‘user-friendly’ system. While the previous version was based entirely on keyword matching and the book’s sales history, the improved tool takes numerous factors into account—including ‘local store inventory,’ which can boost sales of books you have in stock.

As for the upgraded ‘checkout’ features, it’s now easier than ever for customers to do a ‘pay at store pickup’ of a book, and combine Givex/credit card payments. Additional improvements include the ease of storing e-books and print books in the same shopping cart, and a ‘ship as available’ option upon final checkout. Yet another plus is the ability for non- and not-for-profit customers to order books tax-free by entering their tax-exempt ID number.

On a final note, Supko expressed hope that Google Editions would be available by Christmas, which he stated would “bring a huge change to how e-books will be sold by independent sites.”

Co-Op Publishing Rep Panel Packs the House

An afternoon of session entitled Reps Talking Co-op packed a meeting room with booksellers anxious to learn more about the always-crucial topic, and seasoned reps were on hand from Random House (Ron Shoop), Macmillan (Gigi Reinheimer), Penguin (Wendy Pearl) and Scholastic (Roz Hilden) to share tips and insights. Bookseller Heather Lyon, of Chico’s Lyon Books, ably coordinated the panel and added some of her own thoughts on the subject as well.

A quick show of hands revealed that small portions of the audience were either brand-new to the concept or had advanced knowledge, while the bulk of the attendees were somewhere in the middle—pursuing the easily available co-op dollars that Lyon refers to as the low-hanging fruit. Lyon in fact stated that the co-op dollars she earned pursuing just that ‘fruit’ was almost equal to her total store profits last year!

The panel began by looking at some smart ways for beginners to delve into co-op efforts. Shoop stated that co-op is “best managed by someone fully dedicated to the task. It’s not a part-time thing.” Hilden explained that while there are few ‘one-size-fits-all’ solutions in co-op, a wise approach to start might be taking your top 10 publishers and building a program around them. “Start with 10, and grow from there,” she remarked.

Lyon agreed that the entire concept of co-op is too complex for a universal approach, but added that there were common denominators to the easiest co-op opportunities: Get prior authorization from your rep; submit your claims promptly; and “just do it!”

While not much appeared to be new with policies at the four publishing houses, Shoop did state that the “submission process at Random House Adult has never been easier. The fruit is hanging lower than ever.” And Penguin’s Pearl noted that “everybody is offering newsletter co-op now” and that she’s seeing many store newsletters go completely online.

2008 Trade Show Videos

• Introduction
• Booksellers Talking Co-Op
• Building a Great Graphic Novel Section for Kids and Teens
• Print-on-Demand: An Opportunity
• Gregory Xavier Robillard talks about his book Captain Freedom