Winter Institute 2020

Events draw foot traffic, residual sales, and often media coverage for our stores. What they don't always draw is profit. But even in today's economic climate of rising minimum wages and other costs, we can produce events that serve both our communities and our profitability. In this session, we'll look at how to execute successful events through planning, budget creation, profit-and-loss analyses, and other tools professional event planners use to help manage the workload and the bottom line. We'll also discuss one of the most important aspects of all—valuing your time and expertise and then charging accordingly, even for authorless events. This session will be presented by Cindy Dach, CEO of Changing Hands Bookstore and is part of the store's professional development series. Panelists: Cindy Dach, Changing Hands Bookstore (Tempe, AZ)

Independent Bookstore Day (IBD) has grown from a handful of bookstores in California to a national celebration involving more than 575 stores and, in some cases, citywide celebrations. Participating bookstores see an increase in sales, increased foot traffic, and increased brand awareness. This session will offer attendees an overview of the program and tips from booksellers who have figured out how to make the most of IBD. Panelists will offer information on how to order and make the most of the IBD exclusive merchandise, how to organize and publicize your store’s party to bring people into your store, and how to use social media strategically to increase sales and community participation. Panelists: Samantha Schoech, Program Director of Independent Bookstore Day, Janet Geddis, Avid Bookshop (Athens, GA), Rebecca George, Volumes Bookcafe (Chicago, IL), Tom Nissley, Phinney Books (Seattle, WA), Christie Olson Day, Gallery Bookshop & Bookwinkle's Children's Books (Mendocino, CA)

The panel brings together respected booksellers, Shirikiana Gerima, Ramunda Lark Young, and Hannah Oliver Depp, to examine the intersections of race, literature, and entrepreneurship. The panelists will explore the importance of their contributions to the bookselling eco-system, activism, and what is required to create diverse, equitable environments. Panelists: Glory Edim, Well-Read Black Girl, Founder (New York, NY), Shirikiana Gerima, Sankofa Video, Books & Cafe (Washington, D.C.), Ramunda Lark Young, MahoganyBooks (Washington, D.C.) , Hannah Oliver Depp, Loyalty Bookstore (Washington, D.C.)

One minute of planning can save you 10 minutes in execution. But when you are one of the only booksellers on staff, finding that one minute can be tough. Panelists will provide useful tools for fighting distraction and tracking time so you can create those efficiencies that lead to improved productivity. Panelists: Dan Cullen, ABA (White Plains, NY), Bel McNeil, Bel & Bunna's Books (Lafayette, CA), Angela Maria Spring, Duende District Bookstore (Washington, D.C.), Kathy Burnette, The Brain Lair (South Bend, IN)

Board games are a hot trend and a growing business that capitalize on popular TV and streaming shows and pop-culture moments. And they all have something in common: face-to-face social interaction, which is a key component of successful independent bookstores. Come hear from booksellers who have integrated board games and play nights into their sales and events. An independent board game seller joins the panel to discuss the aspects of her business and how booksellers can bring games — and customers — into the bookstore. After the session, come to the Winter Institute Board Game Playroom to sample games with colleagues or game reps, review discounts, and place orders. If you are looking for new non-book inventory, this may be an opportunity for you. Panelists: John Stacy, Executive Director, GAMA (Columbus, OH), Todd Dickinson, Aaron's Books (Lititz, PA), David Prescott, Blackwells (London, UK), Milton Griepp, ICv2 The Business of Geek Culture (Madison, WI)

Edelweiss360 allows booksellers to efficiently craft and send store-branded, personalized emails to customers based on individual purchase behavior and staff knowledge of customers. In addition to driving foot-traffic to the store, this new service will expand a store’s online ordering and pre-ordering capabilities to better compete with large online retailers. Currently, a dozen stores are beta testing this new functionality. Learn how the beta stores have been using it successfully and how this may be a game-changer for independent bookstores. Panelists: Chris Morrow, Northshire Bookstore (Manchester Center, VT), John Rubin, Above the Treeline (Ann Arbor, MI)

Batch for Books is a new electronic invoicing system created for booksellers and publishers in the U.S. The software-assisted service, based on the version used in the U.K., helps initiate payments between vendors and bookstore retailers at no cost to bookstores. CEO Fraser Tanner will moderate a panel of UK users and US booksellers who have been part of the US Batch for Books beta test. Panelists include: Nic Bottomley, Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights (Bath, UK); David Prescott, Blackwell’s (Oxford, UK); Antonia Squire, The Bookshop (Bridport, UK); Fraser Tanner, Managing Director, Batch LTD (London, UK); Tegan Tigani, Queen Anne Book Company (Seattle, WA); Ron Tucker, Politics & Prose Bookstore (Washington, DC)

If you want to boost your sales numbers, this is the session for you! Genre titles include a broad category of topics, including fantasy, science fiction, western, romance, horror, mystery, dystopia, and more. And readers of these genres are often heavily invested in purchasing these titles and participating in the fandom through events, cosplay, and more. Bookseller panelists will review the financial impact of increased attention on genre titles. Panelists: Jenny Cohen, Waucoma Bookstore (Hood River, OR), Amber Brown, Quail Ridge Books (Raleigh, NC), Danny Caine, The Raven Book Store (Lawrence, KS), Emily Hall Schroen, Main Street Books (St. Charles, MO)

Join bestselling novelist, memoirist, and short story writer Jennifer Finney Boylan as she explores the radical act of telling stories and the powerful role narrative plays as a catalyst for social change. Professor Jennifer Finney Boylan, author of fifteen books, is the inaugural Anna Quindlen Writer in Residence at Barnard College of Columbia University. Her column appears on the op-ed page of The New York Times on alternate Wednesdays. She serves on the Board of Trustees of PEN America. From 2011 to 2018 she served on the Board of Directors of GLAAD and also provided counsel for the TV series Transparent and I Am Cait. Her 2003 memoir, She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders was the first bestselling work by a transgender American. A novelist, memoirist, and short story writer, she is also a nationally known advocate for human rights. She lives in New York City, and in Belgrade Lakes, Maine, with her wife, Deedie. They have a son, Sean and a daughter, Zai. Good Boy will be published by Celadon Books in April 2020.

Pre-registration required; space is limited. Registration is closed. In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) included burnout in the eleventh revision of the International Classification of Diseases. It is now classified as an occupational phenomenon and characterized as “...feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and reduced professional efficacy.” Burnout is real; it often impacts individuals from minority groups at higher rates, and if not addressed it can lead to more severe health consequences. While there is no one solution for this syndrome, there are changes that can be put in place, whether you are a store owner, a manager, or a frontline bookseller. A professional in this field will lead a session to help all attendees identify workplace stressors in their environments and consider possible solutions. Panelists: Jeannie A. Nigam, MS, PhDc, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Jason Wells, Books Marketing Director, American Psychological Association

Bookstore cafés can bring in new customers, increase overall sales, and boost profitability. But there can be many stumbling blocks between that first cup of coffee and a fully integrated and profitable enterprise. This session will focus on financial operations for stores that run their own cafés and serve limited menus. If you are looking for more information on bookstore café finances, this is the session for you. Panelists: Donna Paz Kaufman, Paz & Associates (Amelia Island, FL), Henry Pertman, Vice President, Total Image Creative (Baltimore, MD), Carrie Morris, Booka Bookshop (Oswestry, Shropshire, U.K), Nicole Magistro, The Bookworm of Edwards (Edwards, CO)

In the 1960s and 1970s, scores of Black bookstores opened in the U.S. Founded by activist entrepreneurs, these indie stores served as a refuge and intellectual center for communities in search of books by and about Black people. This Wi15 keynote event will be a wide-open conversation about the history and vital position of Black bookstores in our communities and in our industry with pioneers of Black bookselling and publishing, moderated by Professor Joshua Clark Davis, author of From Head Shops to Whole Foods: The Rise and Fall of Activist Entrepreneurs (Columbia University Press). Speakers include: W. Paul Coates, Black Classic Press (Baltimore, MD); Shirikiana Aina Gerima, Sankofa Video Books and Cafe (Washington, D.C.); Judy Richardson, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (Atlanta, GA); Nati Kamau-Nataki, Everyone's Place (Baltimore, MD).

Indies Introduce is about what independent booksellers do best: Discovering exciting debut authors and sharing the best with readers across the country. You will hear about the title selection process from the bookseller panelists who curated the Winter/Spring 2020 Indies Introduce list, which, according to Destenie Fafard of Cellar Door Books (Riverside, CA), provides panelists with “the privilege of reading debut authors’ work and giving a spotlight to those who perhaps wouldn’t be seen without our platform.” Many of the Winter/Spring 2020 Indies Introduce debut authors will be present to read a short passage and answer a question posed by one of the panelists. Authors will be available to sign copies of their debut books following the presentation.

E-commerce is too expensive, complicated, and time consuming for small or micro store, right? Wrong! If you have a micro store with yourself as the sole proprietor or with only a few staff, this session is for you. IndieCommerce Senior Manager Geetha Nathan will moderate a panel of booksellers from small stores who will walk attendees through their decision to include e-commerce, how they used the opportunity to expand their brand, and the resulting impact to both their customer base and bottom line. Panelists: Geetha Nathan, ABA (White Plains, NY), Rebekah Shoaf, Boogie Down Books (New York, NY), Doloris Vest, Book No Further (Roanoke, VA), Seth Marko, The Book Catapult (San Diego, CA)

An independent bookstore's backlist exemplifies the independence of the store as an institution, as well as the creators of the book space, and its customers. It is through this curation, experiences and learning opportunities are created that reflect a bookstore's community and propels the business and its community forward. This session will provide insight into how to serve a community by going beyond the classics and the methods and challenges faced in curating a backlist representative of the bookstore's culture. Panelists: Paul Yamazaki, City Lights Booksellers and Publishers (San Francisco, CA) , Derrick Young, MahoganyBooks (Washington, DC) , Rio Cortez, Schomburg Shop (Harlem, NY), Clarissa Hadge, Trident Booksellers (Boston, MA), Alena Jones, Seminary Co-op Bookstore (Chicago, IL)