How to use this Page

Lynne:

Yes, the bookseller is dependent on Random House and groveling is a trait of an unhealthy dependence.

I am mostly talking about relationships with other people in the book world not necessarily the publishing world.

Relationships with the used bookstores in your community, the book artists in your community, the special collection librarian of the nearest university, the illustrators, the fine press printers, graphic designers,small presses. All the different disciplines where the book plays a major role. If you can network them together and connect these vibrant book pieces a viable business would emerge that will draw people to it.

You carry the books you want to carry, the ones you like the best, and blend all the space you save by carrying only the books that you want, into a multi-use destination. Coffee, art, exhibits all can be there safely. Yes, the big box retailers sell coffee, but this is a different coffee experience. It won’t be a matter of offering “what they DON’T offer to make folks go the extra block and seek out my store”

You can offer your customers the option to order any book they would like; new copies, used copies, collectible copies;and have it at there door in a couple of days (not your door their door) and make money. You can have your coffee shop too selling coffee that is roasted in your region.

And if you really have a desire to specialize in an area.

Pick it and then go deep.

Take some of that space that you saved by only carrying books you like and transform it into you’re specialty space.

Let’s say we like turtles.

Start with a selection of the turtle books in print -this selection will go from children’s picture books to the most academic and scholarly books out there, you know like the scientific ones where you can’t even read the title but you know it is about turtles. Then you offer used and collectible books on turtles and art and artist books that have turtle themes.

You serve turtle sundaes in the coffee shop and show turtle movies in the kid section.

Not all people like turtles but the concept just might be interesting enough to draw them into the shop to see what is going on and once their in our chances of selling them something increases greatly.

If you really want to go with it. You rotate that specialty section quarterly.

Then we will have that “unique complexity” that cannot be mass produced.

Frazer. None of what I envision or talk about is possible without “HARD F–KING WORK” and personal relationships with the people that patronize your shop. Those two variables are inherent in any strategy or process to battle back against the forces that are trying to crush this trade. It sounds like the ABA is providing some big time services to independent bookstores all over this country and for that all booksellers in all segments of the trade are grateful.

I am not sure what constitutes “wild” but when you say
“The answer is not to evolve in different ways, be creative, come up with wild new paradigm-shifting ideas” but I am afraid if we don’t think outside the box a bit we might continue to lose ground.

Respectfully

Michael

Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing ™: Michael, some good ideas. I like the idea of rotating the specialty section. I just don’t think it can be all about books anymore, any more than it can be selling a variety of buggy whips (old, new, antique, rare) to bring business back in. Also B&N has a same-day delivery option. 

What a useful, idea-filled column. And once again, it has generated lots of intelligent, thoughtful feedback — including further smart retail strategies and observations. Well done Lynne. Your blog is a “must-read” for independent book sellers.

Great post and conversations. One of my thoughts on running a crime fiction bookstore is to murder one of the customers. No publicity is bad publicity, right?

For a sane idea, I have wondered about the feasibility of delivering books to phoned-in orders. I remember a Barnes and Noble commerical showing someone disappointed with the nasty weather outside, ordering a book online, and everything was better. Of course, he didn’t get the book for two days, but that wasn’t in the commerical. What if you could have a new book delivered to your door on impulse?

Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing ™: Oh, Phil, you are such a stitch. Too bad Auntie is already dead, we could kill her, that’s how mad I’m getting! Phoned-in orders… hum… isn’t B&N doing same day delivery in urban areas? Remember, the big guys can afford to take a financial hit and deliver books to your door at a loss (for a while) in order to grow market share. I don’t think you can go head-to-head with B&N or Borders. Their pockets are too deep and they can out last you, financially.

Wicked Witch: Why are people so silent about your idea to rent space and bring down expenses? That makes such good sense to me.

Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing ™: Hum… I don’t know. You are right, no one has said a word. Maybe they don’t want to sacrifice shelf space, but perhaps they haven’t weighed how many books they would have to sell to equal the rental income each month. Dunno. I’ll ask?

No one likes those ideas?

Most people are very choosy who they let “sleep in their bed” : renting space to defray expenses, no…never; “tenants” are a pain in the butt - and more importantly for successful businesses, space is always at a premium.

Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing ™: Hi, Clive. Welcome back. I’d be HAPPY to cuddle-up with a paying tenant. [Hey, quit stealing the blankets!] I’m toying with the idea of cubicles for a public relations person (with a little barter thrown in) and a tutor for middle-school children (not those thievin’ high-school kids who don’t read anyhow!) I am also considering leasing space to writers’ workshops or bridge clubs. Maybe I’ll put a long library table in the back. Thinking. Thinking.

I’ll be opening my revamped “pretend” bookstore, TreadWaters, next week.

Stay tuned!

There are some great suggestions here, and more that arrived via personal email, a number of which I plan to steal borrow. Keep ‘em coming. I’ll cherry pick the ones I like and give you credit.

Watch for my Grand Opening/Under New Management notice soon.

First hire?  T. T. (Terrible Ted), the cat from hell, as in-store personal greeter and flea bearer.

Lynne:
Greetings from Grand Rapids. I admire and am grateful for your passion for independent bookstores. On my “Halsey’s Typhoon” book tour, I’ll be at the Tattered Cover in Denver on January 26 and Powell’s in Portland, Oregon on February 8, so I’ll have an opportunity to observe and inquire about what makes them tick. Inevitably, my co-author, Bob Drury, and I have to do the Borders and B&N gigs, but there is a special pleasure to doing the indy stores where one meets real hardcore book lovers. Stay warm . . . here it’s 20 degrees and snowing!
Tom

Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing ™: Hi, Tom! That’s right, you are on your book tour. Did I read that Halsey’s Typhoon is hovering at 19 on the New York Times Best Seller List? Did I? Yahooo. I remember a 16-city tour for one of my books. Exhausting. Lots of radio, TV, and local newspaper interviews, but NO bookstore signings at all. Why? No books arrived from the publisher in time for my appearances. [Don’t get me started!]

TreadWaters will have a closed-door, invitation-only book party for you (30-40% will buy) at 5:30PM, an open-door reception for the hoi polloi at 6:30PM (10-20% will buy), and a private dinner party for ten deep-pocketed people at 8PM ($125? each) at the Mayor’s house at 8PM. 

P.S. (How’m I doin’?)

I recently moved to a a fairly large town. I love independent bookstores—where I used to take a stack of books, sit on a chair or in a corner, read and select the 5 or so I could afford. So, I found two here. The first was full of teenagers, which were sons of the owner, lying on the floor, music blasting from their little machines, and laughing and talking loudly in the middle of the aisle. This lasted a hour. I asked for a book, the owner shrugged, I left. The next bookstore, the woman owner was chatting with her helper, who seemed to be annoyed that I was in the way of her stacking the shelves. I asked about events, if she was getting in a couple new books, and she said, no and no.

It’s sad, but I knew that when I went back, and I will, they may not be there.

Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing ™: Lyn, why go back to either store?

A few of the bloggers who have linked up to this posting are listed below. By way of saying “Thanks!,” I’m linking back right now!

Grumpy Old Bookman: Tuesday Again: “Much debate at the Publishing Contrarian about the role and survival of independent bookshops. Essential reading if you’re running one, or thinking of it, or like to buy from them.”

Ebay Forums: The Future for Independent Bookstores

Library and Information Science News: The Publishing Contrarian and Independent Bookstores

Frank Wilson at The Philadelphia Inquirer: Attention Independent Bookstores

Brandy Wine Books: From Treading Water to Walking on It 

Times Emit: A Period of Transition

JacketFlap—Children’s Publishing Blog Reader: Viewing Blog

Didn’t know if you or your readers have seen this?
http://www.danutakean.com/blog/?p=192#more-192

I am researching the possibility of opening a bookstore and am finding all of these posts VERY informative. Thanks!! However, I think it all boils down to the experience one gets by actually going to a “brick-and-mortar” store, be it B&N, Borders, or independent. Sure you can get the book cheaper online, delivered next day, etc, etc. But I think most of the people who buy online already know what they want thru a previous experience. For me, I am leary about buying books online because I have no way of inspecting the book myself. Sure there are reviews and excerpts, but there is only so much value in that. Actually being able to hold and flip thru the ENTIRE book the best sales tactic for me to it. And being able to look at the books on the self as opposed to scrolling thru 1,000s of titles on the web to find the right one. And, maybe I am mis-informed but I would think that the better, more saleable (or perhaps most popular) titles would be at the store anyway, thus saving the search time (I know this isn’t always the case.) I could go on and on, but I have to get back to work!!

The term “independent” I think has been mis-interpreted by a lot of people. It merely means, in my mind, “independent” from an established chain. No business is independent. That attitude is recipe for sure failure. You are dependent on the customers, your employees, vendors, community, store environment, etc. All of these factors mixed wisely contribute to a successful business, along with HARD WORK!!! : )

Thanks to all who took the time to post. The information is most valuable!

Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing ™: Thanks for dropping by, Tom. I’ve just been to The New York International Gift Fair, looking for possible items to augment TreadWaters’ books, having been told that the mix should be 70% books/30% other complementary items. What a nightmare: 17 miles of exhibits. I’ll be posting shortly. The question is whether I will plunge ahead and keep the store or cut my losses in some sort of profitable way if I can. 

Speaking purely for myself, I think the 70%books/ 30% other can be a trap. If you sell reading material, and your expertise is in reading material, why stray far from that? Let toystore sell toys, stationers sell stationary, etc. Most non-books I see in bookstores is useless, overpriced fluff and crap, in my arrogant opinion; but that may just mean I’m not the market the fluffvendors are seeking.

To me, as a bookseller’s clerk, what we are selling is about the reading, not interior decoration, as anybody who’s ever seen the interior of my beloved Renaissance Books [main store] will attest. Do what you do best, and do it damned well.

In the UK, it is the traditional bookshop/stationer which found it hardest to adapt to 21st century retail : the chain WHSmith have been fighting an uphill battle for some time, as have many indies who had a large % stock bias away from books, or Cd’s etc.

There are some natural tie-ins to books ; calendars, dairies etc - however this is one trade where sales are actually falling for most manufacturing suppliers.

I consider myself independent because I am not a member of any buying association or group. I run “my ship” to suit myself and my core customers - who are extremely loyal : my business only takes stock firm sale and therefore I am a totally free-agent on stock range - sourcing from multiple wholesale and publisher accounts. Last Christmas I carried many titles which were not shelved in UK’s high street chains : I pay no attention to anybody but my own bank balance and my own eyes - that is what I consider to be independence. (Market traders in the UK have a saying - let your eyes be the judge, and your pocket be the guide)

All the above can appear arrogant and pompous : I consider it rather the lessons learnt from doing my money on too many occasions in the past !

Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing:

I’ve been struck down by the flu. No doubt something I picked up at New York International Gift Fair last week. Will post again as soon as the fever breaks!

[Between naps, I have managed to read Jetta Carleton’s The Moonflower Vine (published in 1962) while convalescing. I loved it. I bought it based on an exchange between bloggers at another Web site. Maybe there is a copy somewhere in TreadWaters. If so, I’m handselling it.]

What a fun game!

Profit means buy low and sell higher. Businesses sell things to CUSTOMERS, not to themselves.

There are two independent bookstores in my town which appear to thrive, and both have the same model. They buy (often with store credit at a slightly higher rate) used books, cds, and dvds from the public and resell at twice the buy price. There are ALWAYS people lined up at the TWO registers at one, and the other seems at least busy.

So, customer buys THE NEW BEST SELLER for $20 on January 1.

March 1, he brings it in and the store gives him $5.

March 2, customer buys ALMOST NEW BEST SELLER for $10.

June 1, customer 2 returns and sells RECENT BEST SELLER for $2.

July 1, customer 3 buys FORMER BEST SELLER for $4.

Everybody is happy. The store has made 100% in 2 months of holding inventory. I’ll bet the big box didn’t make $7 on the book.

The brilliance is that the customers set the inventory. Instead of trying to figure out what they want, actual buyers of goods bring you stuff actual they have already chosen.

Norah Roberts might not write books YOU like, but there are plenty of dollars chasing them. Lots of those dollars belong to people who would far rather buy 20 tattered ones for a dollar each than a shiny one for $20.

Treadwaters might give that model a try.

If you don’t want to pour money in the rat hole, you might have an exchange corner- let customers leave their books, to be resold and the price split.

Do all the accounting on the back flyleaf of each book, rip it out when the book is sold. Make the seller responsible for coming in to get payment. Hold each book for a maximum period, say a month, at which time it has to be retrieved, pitched, or moved to a dollar box for a week before discard.

This model works for antique malls. And on line for ebay and abe for that matter. You’re just the physical version thereof.

When I update my links, I’ll link to you if that’s alright.

Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing ™: Smarter than smart.

Dear Lynne:

Your unnamed marketing guru lost me with his brilliance that Starbucks doesn’t sell coffee. What, praytell, do they sell, Mr. Guru, electrical wiring?

I have no epiphanies about how indies can triumph over chains, however from here on in I shall begin calling myself a publishing guru and charge $1,000 per hour. My first genius-level insight will be offered gratis: bookstores aren’t selling books.

Seriously, I’ve given some thought to this subject before:

http://preciouscargo.blogspot.com/2006/05/are-chain-bookstores-better-than.html

Despite my fondness for some independent bookstores, the small, friendly, homey local bookstore is analagous to the family farm.

Chains + online selling vs. indies = agribusiness vs. family farms.

Living in Los Angeles for over 30 years, I’ve seen the demise of most of the indies I frequented and loved.

Apart from used bookstores (a truly endangered species) the two types of idies in LA tended to be eclectic stores that offered everything and stores specializing in being genre completists. Both types are largely extinct.

One of the few indies to arise in the past 20 years and thrive is Book Soup in West Hollywood, which is really more like a chain store than an indie, albeit a bit “crunchier”.

Most people entering a bookstore are looking for that one book a year they’ve heard about and have to buy. Chains are perfect for them. The tiny remainder of “real” readers are insufficient to support indies, so increasingly seek their esoterica online.

Where does that leave most indies? Sharing the fate of the trilobyte.

In Wednesday’s NYT there was an article entitled: “The Breakfast Wars.” McDonalds is introducing a new, higher quality coffee to complete with Starbuck’s coffee. Starbucks is introducing hot egg-and-cheese sandwiches on English muffins.

They are both after the crowd that spends no more than “three minutes” on a grab-and-go breakfast and doesn’t want to make TWO stops to get “high quality” food and drink.

Who figured out that people didn’t want to make two stops on the way to work? If I had been asked, I would have said I wanted ONE stop shopping, yet routinely stopped at three places on the way to work:

1)Buy a newspaper on the corner.
2)Drop into Starbuck’s for a coffee-to-go.
3)Swing by the local deli for a giant brownie to accompany my coffee. (Shame on me!)

No one asked ME!

Interesting….

In re the up 35%….well, I’m never going to be able to afford Mr. Trump’s yacht, and don’t really want to (especially if it comes with that appalling hair). I think if you’re up that much (for the record, it was 41% in October and 38% in November), it’s good news in and of itself, but it does matter whether you’re a new store or one that’s celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, like us.

I’m also not meaning to imply it isn’t hard. We could not have survived many more 2005’s, for example (one reason for great growth was a crappy previous year). We still walk that tightrope. I guess my point in all my rambling is to say that you can in fact succeed as an independent bookseller if you are willing to do two things: work your everlovin’ ass off and, more importantly, give your customers what they want. That’s what struck me about the NYT article about the bookseller closing in Princeton. My heart goes out to him, but the article made it sound like he considers bookselling the noble peddling of knowledge, when really it’s about connecting a customer with something that’s going to satisfy her soul at the end of a long day. Don’t tell your customer what she SHOULD want–help her find what she DOES want.

surviving and thriving,
Frazer

It’s crazy to sell other things than books in a book store. Just sell books– fill the place from boards to ceiling with more books. Then you have what Amazon doesn’t– a place to visit that’s full of books. That’s when people buy things thay hadn’t thought of or had never seen. When competition is fierce you should try and do better the thing for which you have a reputation– not worse. If a man comes alongside your vegetable stand to compete– sell fresher veg, not ice cream. This isn’t the same as the story about horse whips. There’s masses of stuff that people have written for which there is still a market. So get a cheap building and fill it with what they wrote.

Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing ™: Tim Coates is a former bookseller who has become a well-known advocate for improvements in public-library service. He was the first U.K. bookseller to open an all-night bookstore with a cafe, sofas, we now associate with bookstores around the world. In his current work, he strives to bring the same customer orientation to libraries.

Always talk with your customer: Remember, working in a bookstore, like a library reference desk, is like running a dry bar! The more you know about the person on the other side of the counter, the more you can satisfy their literary needs & whims.

I am sure that Frazer and Lynne will enjoy this piece of sloppy reporting which followed Thursday’s publication of the HMV interim figures.

http://www.inthenews.co.uk/news/news-channels/business-channel/hmv-shows-strong-online-growth-$1039868.htm

>>Christmas sales for the group were up by 10.3 per cent, with its book division, Waterstone’s, showing a total sales growth of 39.2 per cent.

Tim and Rowena are right on! And I love Clive’s story. That said, we do good with a few non-book items. We tried some jigsaw puzzles this season–I, being the cheap person with the checkbook, objected, but Sally thought we could do well with them, and she was absolutely right. But no coffee.

But it is too bad it has to be a dry bar.

What a wonderful debate!

But did anyone ever start a bookstore with the aim of making Donald Trump money? Sorry, but that’s why Trump is in Real Estate. It is about finding out what your customer wants, but also what the bookseller wants.

It’s my guess that the booksellers who are still thriving in this environment are people who love and value literature and books and have devoted their time and patience and ingenuity for something that they value much more than money.

Starbucks does not just sell coffee. I would never go to a Starbucks if I couln’t sit for as long as I wanted and write on my computer. I can even bring my own food in. I don’t have to intereact with people, but I can see them working around me, and that is the perfect atmosphere for me to write in. The music is usually great. I think of it as my office. A bookstore where you were allowed to do that would do very well, and if you could read from the store library it would be even better.

I have been contemplating opening just such a place for a while now. Anyone interested?

Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing ™:  Kara is finishing her MFA in fiction at Sarah Lawrence College this spring. She has a short piece coming out in a magazine devoted to writing on hair called: ‘Submerged - Tales from the Basin’, and another short story has been accepted at the New Ohio Review.  She was a finalist in two short story contests this year, and was nominated for the 2007 ‘Best New American Voices’, She is working on her first novel.

Voice Literary Supplement
Chain Reaction
Do bookstores have a future?
by Paul Collins
May 22nd, 2006 5:50 PM

http://www.villagevoice.com/books/0621,collins,73282,10.html

Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing ™: Thanks, Peter. VERY interesting. 

I’m working on my next posting right now.

I’m thinking of calling my pretend, “inherited” bookstore Treadwaters! (Hah!)

I’ll post later today or early tomorrow!

Lynne

[…] On the Care & Cultivation of Books (& Writers) « Coincidentally An Answer February 11th, 2007 On this same subject of indie bookselling, finding meaning, and community,the Wicked Witch of Publishing sets up a pretend independent bookstore, and then through a series of discussions w/friends and community members, sets out to learn how to make the darn thing survive in this world of big biz bookselling. And, I agree with her findings: it’s that idea of being part of the community that makes sense to me —  not in the sense of all that promotional BS, and drawing customers in with special events and deals, but reeaaally being part of the community — going out there and participating. Being real. We all need that nowadays. […]

One way for indi booksellers to “survive” is for a town’s indi booksellers to create a business collective rent or buy a building and put each of their unique bookstores into that one location. Act as if they’ve set up a department store. Keep their own businesses, accounts, etc., but just do it as a “collective”. It would work.