Binc Kicks Off Third Bookseller Survey

Over the next two weeks, the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (Binc) will be conducting its third survey of the book industry to gauge awareness of the services Binc provides to booksellers and how well Binc is fulfilling its mission to provide booksellers with a path to stabilizing their households and bookstore finances after a disaster or personal hardship.

Binc’s 2019 survey opened on Monday, March 25, to all book industry professionals, including publishers, booksellers, store owners, authors, and book lovers, and will remain open through Saturday, April 6. The survey will take under 10 minutes to complete, and participants will be eligible to win a grand prize of a $200 gift card to the indie bookstore of their choice or one of four $50 American Express Gift Cards.

The first and second times Binc conducted a broad survey were in 2014 and then again in 2016, and the resulting findings helped the organization identify additional circumstances where booksellers needed help. As a result, the Ann Arbor-based nonprofit expanded its programs to include matching grants, homelessness prevention, utility shut-off prevention, and store disaster recovery assistance.

Now, Binc staff are asking once again to hear from booksellers about their most current needs and experiences, in part because the bookselling industry and the Foundation are continuing to grow and change.

“Binc is here to serve booksellers, and with the feedback we receive from them and industry professionals through our survey, we become better equipped to act on our mission — which is providing a financial safety net for booksellers,” said Executive Director Pam French. “We cannot overstate how much we value the feedback we receive, so I encourage everyone to participate in this year’s survey. Binc is your foundation and we want to hear from you so we can better serve your needs.”

The results of the survey will be released in June 2019. Complete the third Binc survey here.