Independent Bookstores Make Good Copy

Independent bookstores in New York State's Hudson Valley were featured in the December issue of Chronogram: A Mid-Hudson Magazine of Events and Ideas, a widely distributed free publication. Nina Shengold, author of the piece, entitled "Best-Sellers" focused on two of the region's bookstores -- Ariel Booksellers in New Paltz and Oblong Books & Music in Millerton and Rhinebeck, and, in a sidebar to the article listed an impressive 11 Book Sense bookstores located in the region, several with multiple locations.

Ariel Booksellers in New Paltz, NY

Ariel co-owner Susan Avery was very pleased with the article and reported that many customers have mentioned seeing it, commenting that they were happy to see Ariel and the other stores get some publicity. "Nina [Shengold] spent a lot of time here," Avery said, "hanging around the bookstore, talking to us about being independent booksellers and what that means. Like many people, she was surprised by some of the things I said -- about what's involved in running a store and how things are done."

Shengold talked to BTW about the development of the story. "The article was my idea, and my editor-in-chief, Brian Mahoney, an avid book-lover, agreed readily. I write or assign a literary feature for the magazine every month. It's usually an author profile, but I want to cover other aspects of the book business as well." She added, "Though I've often walked into a bookstore hoping to find the right book, I had no idea how the other half of the equation works: how a book gets into a store, hoping to find the right reader." Next month in Chronogram, Shengold will be profiling Ann Patty, an executive editor at Harcourt.

"What appealed to me most, both as a journalist and a soon-to-be-published first novelist, was the 'behind the scenes' view of how an independent bookstore operates, and the Christmas rush season seemed like a natural angle," Shengold continued. "Ariel is one of my favorite bookstores in the Hudson Valley, if not the world. I'm also a regular customer of Golden Notebook in Woodstock, Oblong Books in Rhinebeck, and Inquiring Mind/Raising Children Bookstore in Saugerties, and, generally speaking, I'm an inveterate browser of independent bookstores. I like talking to salesclerks who read and being around other booklovers."

Shengold began the piece with, "Books make sensational gifts ... some will scoop up a bestseller or two at Wal-Mart or the grocery store; others will type furtive Internet orders at three in the morning. But many -- the ones who like holding a book in their hands and seeing what else might be on the same shelf -- will head to their neighborhood bookstores."

In her article, Shengold described booksellers such as Oblong and Ariel as performing "a prodigious matchmaking service, which intensifies during the high-pressure holiday season." Dick Hermans, owner of Oblong Books told Shengold that the last six weeks of the year can provide 20 percent of annual sales, "so we can be a little more reckless about what we order. " Both Hermans and Avery described the hectic time also as the most fun.

Furthermore, Shengold posed the question, "With hundreds of thousands of titles published each year, how do booksellers decide which to order and where in the store they should go?"Avery gave Shengold a backstage tour of the piles of publisher's catalogues, trade publications, and both the advance reader copies (ARCs) and bookseller picks, many provided by the Book Sense program. Chronogram posts the Book Sense Bestseller List on its Web site, because Shengold said, "We're an arts and culture monthly, with what I'd describe as an alternative philosophy and a distinctly regional flavor. [The Book Sense Bestseller List] seems to reflect the types of books that our readers would buy." 

Hermans and Avery also mentioned the importance of knowledgeable sales reps, such as Rebecca Fitting, a five-year veteran with Random House -- covering the Hudson Valley, the Berkshires, and parts of Vermont. Working exclusively with independent stores, Fitting describes herself as "the eyes and ears" of her marketplace, acting as a liaison between stores and publishers.

Once the books are ordered and in the store, Avery noted how shelving the books properly is critical as is up-to-the-minute inventory control. Shengold described the unique ability of booksellers to promote books through handselling and word-of-mouth. Avery is quoted as saying, "Books have the shelf life of yogurt now. The media conglomerates don't care about literary fiction. It's all bottom line. But we're not selling meatballs here."

"We're one of the links in people's community chain," Oblong's Hermans said.

One book that will likely be a handselling favorite at these and other independent stores is Shengold's debut novel, Clearcut, to be published by Anchor Books in August. She is also the co-editor of 11 theater anthologies for Viking Penguin and Vintage Books.

The Chronogram article also featured a sidebar that provided readers with a listing of independent bookstores in New York State's mid-Hudson valley region, including: The Book Cove in Pawling; The Bookstore Notes & Letters in Warwick; The Chatham Bookstore in Chatham; Hope Farm Press & Bookshop, Saugerties; Hudson Valley Book Stop, Kingston; Merritt Books in Millbrook, Red Hook, and Cold Spring; and The Three Arts in Poughkeepsie. -- Nomi Schwartz