Large-Store Roundtable Added to Day of Education

"What can established stores do to increase sales?" will be the subject of a Large-Store Roundtable recently added to the American Booksellers Association's Day of Education at BookExpo America. The roundtable discussion, which is free to ABA members, is being hosted and moderated by Carla Cohen of Politics & Prose Books & Coffee in Washington, D.C.

A poor economy with a lot of uncertainty and customers confronted with an unlimited number of leisure-time activities make an exploration of how value can be added to the independent bookstore experience especially timely.

Roundtable discussion questions include:

• How can booksellers market to new customers and increase sales from existing customers? What are customers expecting from independent bookstores; what are they looking for? What are stores doing to attract the 25- to 35-year-old set?

• Are independent booksellers making full use of the Internet? Are they dedicating enough store resources to it? How can indies get more people to click onto their sites instead of Amazon.com?

• What new services can independents offer inside and outside the store to increase traffic and sales?

The Large-Store Roundtable will be held from 9:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. on the Day of Education (Thursday, May 29) in the Silver Lake Room on the third floor of Hotel ABA, the Renaissance Hollywood. Space is limited to 30 booksellers on a first-come, first-served basis. Those interested in attending should send an e-mail to Chief Program Officer Len Vlahos ([email protected]) with "Roundtable" in the subject line.