On Demand Education Sessions

Owners of (self-defined) very small stores are challenged to find the time and resources to organize successful events and to balance daily work with event budgeting, planning, execution, and follow-up. This panel will feature owners of very small stores who are excited to share tips and practices for hosting successful events.

• Daiva Chesonis, Between The Covers Bookstore (Telluride, CO)
• Jacqueline Kellachan, The Golden Notebook (Woodstock, NY)
• Anna Thorn, Upshur Street Books (Washington, DC)
• Valerie Koehler, Blue Willow Bookshop (Houston, TX) (Moderator)
   

Attachment	Size
Event Checklist Between The Covers Bookstore (PDF)	99.46 KB

If you are thinking about opening a café or other food and beverage component in your bookstore, this session is not to be missed.  Panelist will discuss tips and best practices for start-up, profitability, staffing, and overall management for combining book retail and a café business.

• Sarah Bagby, Watermark Books & Cafe (Wichita, KS)
• Nicole Magistro, Bookworm of Edwards (Edwards, CO)
• Nicole Sullivan, BookBar (Denver, CO)
• Chris Morrow, Northshire Bookstore (Manchester Center, VT) (Moderator)
   

Attachment	Size
Booksellers on the Pros and Cons of Bookstore Cafés (PDF)	153.79 KB

This is a ticketed session. For owners and managers only. Limited capacity, first-come, first-served. Preference will be given to ABA owners and managers.
Dr. John Sherlock, Director, Master of Science Human Resources Program at Western Carolina University, will lead a discussion that will focus on best HR practices for small business owners, including talent management and how to create a skills inventory for you and your staff.

• Dr. John Sherlock, Western Carolina University (Cullowhee, NC)
• Meg Smith, ABA (White Plains, NY) (Greeter)
   

Attachment	Size
Advanced Topics in Human Resources Lists 2016 pdf	381.18 KB
Presentation Essentials in Human Resources 2016 pdf	1.34 MB
Essentials in Human Resources Lists 2016 pdf	167.38 KB
Presentation Advanced Topics in Human Resources 2016 pdf	1.07 MB

Learn how to attract capacity crowds week after week and how to market to this captive audience to drive sales.  Energetic and dynamic bookstore storytime leaders will discuss how to incorporate variety, pacing, and songs to add to the fun, as well as the risks and rewards of soliciting donations or even charging admittance.  This session will also include a demonstration of tips and tricks for wearing costume characters, including fun and easy ways to pose for pictures, how to deal with frightened children, and simple moves to make the character come alive.

• Clare Doornbos, DIESEL, A Bookstore (Larkspur, CA)
• Amy Oelkers, Red Balloon Bookshop (Saint Paul, MN)
• Chudney Ross, Books and Cookies (Santa Monica, CA)
• Sarah Bagby, Watermark Books (Wichita, KS) (moderator)
   

Attachment	Size
Songs You Forgot You Know - Diesel a Bookstore (PDF)	72.13 KB
Storytime Costume Character Tips - Red Balloon (PDF)	624.05 KB

For booksellers, there are few greater triumphs than placing the right book in the hands of any reader, but that is especially true for kids who rarely if ever read for their own pleasure.  How can we reach these non-readers and what can be done to turn them into readers?  Booksellers and educators who have been successful in the ongoing struggle to reach reluctant readers will be joined by bestselling author and literacy advocate Jon Scieszka to share their passion to make a difference and discuss what they have learned works best for inspiring children to want to read.

• Erin Barker, Hooray for Books! (Alexandria, VA)
• Margaret Brennan Neville, The King's English Bookshop (Salt Lake City, UT)
• Kim Laird, Reading Specialist at Upland Unified School District (San Bernardino County, CA)
• Jon Scieszka, author of Frank Einstein and the Electro-Finger (Amulet Books) and founder of Guys Read
• Laura Donohoe, Malaprop's Bookstore/Café (Asheville, NC) (moderator)
   

Attachment	Size
Suggested Titles to Help Reach Reluctant Readers (PDF)	321.43 KB

A children’s book festival can be an ideal vehicle to promote reading and literacy in your community.  Booksellers with vast experience at literary festivals around the country will explain how to get started with your own children's or teen festival, working in partnership with other local businesses and organizations, attracting authors and publicists, and garnering media attention.  How narrow or broadly should your focus be, when are the best times of year, and what other considerations must go into such an undertaking?  Learn all this and more before adding a festival to your events calendar.

• Cathy Berner, Blue Willow Bookshop (Houston, TX), Coordinator for the Bookworm Festival for Emerging Readers, Tweens Read, and TeenBookCon
• Diane Capriola, Little Shop of Stories (Decatur, GA), Children and Teen Program Manager for the AJC Decatur Book Festival
• Meghan Goel, BookPeople (Austin, TX), Program Director for the Texas Teen Book Festival
• Liesl Freudenstein, Boulder Book Store (Boulder, CO) (moderator)
   

Attachment	Size
BookPeople and the Texas Teen Book Festival (PDF)	21.87 KB

Bookstores everywhere are resources and gathering places in their communities but underrepresented and disenfranchised students often lack the means to visit your store or are unaware of how much you have to offer.  In these cases, partnering with religious, cultural, and non-profit organizations, as well as underprivileged schools, can help reach new customers.  Learn from booksellers across the country who have been successful in bridging this divide and creatively getting a share of Title I money so books can find a home in diverse households of all income levels.

• Jenny Cohen, Waucoma Bookstore (Hood River, OR)
• Shirley Mullin, Kids Ink (Indianapolis, IN)
• Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop (Southern Pines, NC)
• Sarah Hutton, Village Books (Bellingham, WA) (moderator)

Attachment	Size
Hood River County Reads 2015 Brochure (PDF)	341.05 KB

A business plan is a document typically associated with launching a bookstore. However, any time you decide to make a change to your operations, it's critical to have a plan.  This session will include a review of the essentials for any business plan. Attendees will have a chance to have their own business plans reviewed post-Winter Institute by panelist Jodi Rhoden, Owner/Operator of Short Street Cakes and Teacher at Birds Eye Business Planning (Asheville, NC).

• Jill Hendrix, Fiction Addiction (Greenville, SC)
• Chris Morrow, Northshire Bookstore (Manchester Center, VT)
• Jodi Rhoden, Owner/Operator of Short Street Cakes and Teacher at Birds Eye Business Planning (Asheville, NC)
• Annie Philbrick, Bank Square Books (Mystic, CT) (Moderator)

Attachment	Size
Developing a Business Plan - Putting All the Pieces Together (PDF)	173.04 KB

Session presented at Children's Institute 2014.

Book fairs can be a great source of revenue if you can keep them from being a drain on your resources.  How far in advance should you schedule in order to properly prepare?  How much inventory should you have on hand, and how do you choose titles and decide quantity?  Should you discount books, or offer a percentage of sales as cash back?  What kinds of events are helpful in driving book fair attendance?  What organizations, other than schools, make good book fair partners?  This session will give you the keys to grow your book fair business in your store, at schools, and elsewhere in your community.

Attachment	Size
Politics & Prose Book Fair Guidelines (.docx)	38.56 KB

Whether you need business capital for a store redesign, expansion, or to open a second location, this session will help you to think about non-traditional options to acquire the capital you need. From social media campaigns to community involvement, there are a growing number of new options beyond the bank loan.

Attachment	Size
Considering Alternative Financing (PDF)	505.45 KB

Geno Church, Word of Mouth Pathfinder from Brains on Fire, will lead an interactive workshop created to help booksellers spark and sustain word of mouth marketing. Learn how to make people fall passionately and madly in love with your store, and how loving your customers can result in not just building a thriving community, but also drive meaningful conversations and, ultimately, the financial success of your business. This session will also be offered on Friday from 10:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. 

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Word of Mouth Movement Diagram Linked by Passion (PDF)	68.39 KB

Edelweiss is a program that provides value to both booksellers purchasing titles for their stores and sales reps.  This session will explore the ways Edelweiss can both optimize and streamline the buying process and facilitate better communication among booksellers and reps.  Robert Sindelar, Managing Partner of Third Place Books, with stores in Lake Forest Park and Seattle, will moderate the session. 

Attachment	Size
Edelweiss+ Best Practices (pdf)	943.26 KB

This basic course for new booksellers and those interested in a refresher will provide best practices for handselling in the era of showrooming. A panel of experienced booksellers will explore not only placing the right book in a customer’s hands but also about how to close the sale. The session will conclude with the opportunity to see expert handsellers in action.

Attachment	Size
Handselling: Customer Service with Results (PDF)	318 KB

Putting your store in the media spotlight and keeping it there does not have to cost a lot of money. In fact, it doesn't have to cost you anything at all beyond usual staff hours. This session will focus on how to take advantage of free media outlets to market and promote your store.

Attachment	Size
Free for the Asking - Marketing with PR and Social Media In Mind (PDF)	110.94 KB

Have you ever wondered what your customers think about your store or how they view you compared to your competition? In this session, find out how to create and execute customer surveys that will help you learn more about your customers and develop more effective strategies to meet their needs. This session will outline the "nuts-and-bolts" of how to do customer surveys -- including how to frame questions, administer the survey in your store and online, and analyze the results.

Attachment	Size
How To Conduct A Customer Survey Introduction (PDF)	523.07 KB
How To Do a Customer Survey: Common Questions, Complaints & Responses (PDF)	188.52 KB
How to do a Customer Survey: Option Guide (PDF)	195.15 KB
How To Do a Customer Survey: Talking Script & Sample Letter (PDF)	200.96 KB