Congratulations -- And Let's Take the Next Step

To: Bookstores With Book Sense
From: Avin Mark Domnitz, ABA CEO
Subject: Congratulations -- And Let's Take the Next Step

Dear Booksellers:

Congratulations! Not only did sales of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix make for a phenomenal weekend, but Book Sense/ABA also saw an extraordinary achievement. With a keen understanding of the importance of our common cause, 441 Book Sense locations (more than ever before) reported to the Book Sense Bestseller List. This is a remarkable milestone, and, while this makes me a happy and satisfied camper, it also points to the enormous untapped potential we have as a group.

All across the country, independents acquitted themselves exceedingly well by staging fabulously creative, successful events that captured the spirit and attention of their communities and the news media, both local and national. However, so much of the media coverage of Harry V dealt with how many copies were sold by B&N, Borders, Amazon, Wal-Mart, etc…etc…etc., while we, the independents, merely get credit for being creative and quirky and staging fun events.

The competition, however, gets credit for selling tons of books.

Which do you think really catches the attention of those in the publishing world, the media, and the consuming public? And here's the irony, we did sell huge quantities of the book. In fact, we probably sold well more than our market-share numbers would indicate that we should have. The dilemma is that without convincing more stores to report to the Book Sense Bestseller List nobody -- not Scholastic, not ABA, not the media -- can point to real numbers to prove that we are major players in this game. Not just for our whimsy -- BUT FOR OUR SALES.

And, while having 441 independent bookstore locations report to the Book Sense Bestseller List is terrific on one level, it falls far short of our potential. There are more than 1,250 Book Sense locations. That means that 65 percent of the eligible reporters didn't make the effort to join with their colleagues to let people know just how important we are. Sixty-five percent of the eligible reporters don't help our community prove to publishers just how many books are "launched" in independent bookshops. Sixty-five percent of our friends don't take the time to join with each other to proclaim who we are and what we mean to the spirit and the economics of the industry.

Earlier in the development of the Book Sense Bestseller List, it did take time to report. Today, with the arrival of Neilsen/BookScan (the best option) and the creation of the ABA electronic upload, almost any bookseller can report store sales in less than two minutes. Two minutes, or less, that's all it takes.

The time has come for every Book Sense store to join us and to be a part of our combined ability to verify, every single week -- to the publishing community, to the media, and to the public -- that we are indispensable to the success of the book business!

Sincerely,
Avin

P.S. For more information on how to report to the Book Sense Bestseller List, go to http://www.bookweb.org/booksense/listmarketing/ and click "New Bestseller Reporting Options Explained" or contact Bill Cunningham at [email protected].