Booksellers School Offers Valuable Lessons

Next School in May at BookExpo America

Paz & Associates recently offered a weeklong, intensive education workshop for new booksellers on Amelia Island, near Jacksonville, Florida. "Opening a Bookstore: The Business Essentials" is considered an essential first, or second, step for those interested in buying, opening, or investing in a bookstore.

The workshop, from March 13 through 17, comprised 22 students from 18 different locations, and included prospective booksellers from around the country, the Bahamas, and the British Virgin Islands. Some of those in attendance had plans to open Christian specialty stores and another is poised to open a 10,000-square-foot store outside of Nashville.

Donna Paz told BTW that these seminars are essential since bookselling is an increasingly complicated business involving advanced information technology. "Gaining the background in the field," she said, "will help [prospective booksellers] ramp up more quickly. They have to recognize that the competition is tough and it takes a lot of energy and creativity to run a successful store."

Some people are dissuaded from opening a store after attending the workshops, Paz said. "Those who are smart, she continued, "understand that there is risk involved and want to learn all they can."

Prospective bookseller Jeff Mayersohn attended the Amelia Island workshop as well as ABA's Winter Institute in January. He intends to open a store in Massachusetts, but is proceeding cautiously, learning all he can. "I'm semi-retired and looking for my next activity," he told BTW. "I found that I was more enthusiastic about opening a store after the week [at Amelia Island] than before. When we all gave comments about the workshop, most people agreed."

Mayersohn was impressed with how comprehensive and "surprisingly detailed" the sessions were. As examples, he pointed to topics such as negotiating a lease and selecting an inventory system. He noted that some participants, who already owned stores, lamented that they should have taken this course a little earlier and could have avoided some of these issues.

The next opportunity for new and prospective booksellers to attend a Booksellers School is from Tuesday, May 16, to Friday, May 19, 2006, in conjunction with this year's BookExpo America in Washington, D.C. The program is sponsored by the American Booksellers Association and facilitated by Paz & Associates. Advance registration is necessary as only 65 slots are open for the workshop, and they fill up quickly. Registration forms and more information are available on BookWeb.org. --Nomi Schwartz