CBC Forum Highlights the Buyers’ Perspective

Chandler Arnold of First Book, Becky Anderson of Anderson's Bookshop, and Christine Onorati of WORD

On Tuesday evening, the Children’s Book Council (CBC) hosted a forum entitled “From the Buyers’ Perspective,” the first of a three-part series for industry retailers, buyers, and distributors to share their perspectives on the state of the children’s book market.  The diverse panel, moderated by Jennifer Brown of Shelf Awareness, featured ABA President Becky Anderson of Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville, Illinois; Christine Onorati of WORD in Brooklyn, New York; Chandler Arnold of First Book Marketplace, an organization that seeks to put books in the hands of children who cannot afford them; Kris Church of Levy Home Entertainment; and Kevin O’Connor of Nook. 

The evening’s discussion began with a look back at the 2011 holiday selling season.  Anderson commented that “this past December was phenomenal,” and Onorati said that WORD “also had a great holiday season.”  As for specific marketing programs that worked for them, Anderson cited SweetPerk, a shopper incentive and loyalty platform that is built and branded to the unique identity of a community, as an alternative to Groupon.  “Customers can download an app, scan your QR code, and get the ‘perk’ or deal you are offering,” Anderson said.  Onorati added, “We have had a lot of success with Chirp,” Candlewick’s Handselling Indie Recognition Program.

Church of Levy Home Entertainment, which distributes paperback and hardcover books to mass merchants, warehouse clubs, and drug and grocery chains, noted that “classics worked well” this holiday season for Target stores, and that she “didn’t see the drop-off in YA” that was expected due to the increasing popularity of e-readers.  In the absence of handselling, Church noted that stores like Target tend to cluster like media together — for example, movies, music, and books aimed at a teen audience — in order to create areas that drive sales.

O’Connor of Nook reported an “upswing in licensed characters,” especially those with family movie tie-ins, during the 2011 holiday season. For Nook, he said, the number one must-have for a popular title is audio.  Notably, O’Connor said, titles that do not sell well in paper often sell tens of thousands digitally. “Digital is a great place to try something,” he added. Looking toward the future, O’Connor said, consumers are “going between physical and digital” formats.

Charity and “giving back” to the community were ongoing children’s book industry activities again this past year.  Anderson spoke about the Andrea’s Angels Program, a charity that collects new and gently-used books for schools in need, and then rewards those who donate with new books from Anderson’s.  “We have skids and skids of books that we give away,” Anderson said.  Onorati mentioned the ReadThisprogram, a charity that connects schools in need with customers who can donate a set of books for an entire class. “It’s really amazing when people feel that they can give back,” she said. 

Arnold of First Book Marketplaceworked with indies during the holidays to tie charity into the retail push. When Arnold begins working with potential partners, he asks them, “What is the goal?” and explains that First Book has success driving traffic into stores, positioning store owners as community leaders, or increasing a store’s social media presence. “The shop local ethos resonates broadly” with consumers, Arnold said.

As an example of the scope of First Books’ efforts, he told forum attendees that last year the organization gave away more than nine million books, and this week alone First Book will distribute 7,000 new Elephant & Piggie books to second-graders at Title I schools in Louisiana and Massachusetts.

The role of social media in helping children’s booksellers connect with customers and their local communities was another topic of discussion. Onorati said, “Social media is huge for us. It creates a community, which is exactly the point of an independent bookstore.”

Anderson agreed. “You get other people to be your evangelists,” she said. Reading is “a social thing, and authors and their fans use social media to communicate — not traditional channels.” 

Onorati said that among WORD’s goals for 2012 are working more closely with schools and creating a web presence that is more reflective of the energy and environment of her store.  “We are going to try and expand our non-book offerings on our website,” she added. And, though she didn’t dismiss the challenges and changes 2012 might bring, Onorati said, “Bookselling is a vibrant and vital career, and we’re here for a reason.” 

The next chapter in the CBC’s members-only forum series is titled “Decoding Today’s Kids and Teens” and will be held on Thursday, May 10, 2012.