Bookstores Benefit from Controversy
August 5, 2015
Today I’ve been watching all of the regional bookseller associations report their weekly bestseller lists. Go Set a Watchman remains at #1 for Fiction, even the skeptics from my book group agreed to add a lunch discussion so we could … Continue reading
For New Bookstore Owners, Learning the Art & Science of Bookselling
July 31, 2015
We celebrate each new opening of an independent bookstore. Shelf-Awareness, ABA’s Bookselling This Week, and Publishers Weekly all do a good job of announcing new store openings. It’s interesting to learn how a dream has become reality, but sometimes a … Continue reading
Beloved Bookstore Destinations
July 16, 2015
Some bookstores are well worth the drive. We were having lunch with friends who were telling us about their summer travel plans when I discovered we have a habit … we can’t help but associate a city with one (or … Continue reading
Bookstores As Champions of Literature and Social Change
July 7, 2015
As the South Carolina legislature voted to remove the Confederate flag from the statehouse grounds in response to conversations that were revisited after the tragic shootings at the AME Church in Charleston, the book world eager awaits the release of … Continue reading
What Bookstores Can Learn from Macy’s
June 24, 2015
While in New York City for BookExpo America, we used a window of time before the convention began to slip into the flagship Macy’s store on 34th Street. There was a cover story on “Macy’s magic” in the Delta Sky … Continue reading
Bookstore Sustainability: Meditations for a Healthy Business
June 17, 2015
Listen to National Public Radio and you never quite know how your life might be affected. This week Diane Rehm interviewed Mattieu Ricard, author of Altruism: the Power of Compassion to Change Yourself and the World and what lingered for … Continue reading
Authors, Bookstore Events & Magical Discoveries
May 29, 2015
During yesterday’s book and author breakfast at BookExpo America in New York City, we gathered, as usual, to learn about the new big books for fall and I was reminded how fortunate we are to sit and listen to writers … Continue reading
Why We Love Bookstores
May 23, 2015
After spending three very full days with Jeff Kinney’s crew to prepare for the opening of An Unlikely Story, a bookstore cafe in Jeff’s hometown of Plainville, Mass., we toured the store together to admire the work that had been … Continue reading
Easy Bookstore Market Analysis Tool
May 8, 2015
I am fascinated with the Every Door Direct tool developed by the U.S. Postal Service. Designed for use by small businesses for planning door-to-door marketing, it turns out this is quite a valuable resource for prospective business owners. Here’s how … Continue reading
National Independent Bookstore Day
May 4, 2015
How is it that independent bookstores have not disappeared even though plenty of people predicted they would fall by the wayside like the record stores? A Harvard Business School professor joined us during our one-day workshop at this year’s Winter … Continue reading