Lisa Scottoline Loves Her Local Indie Bookstores

Bestselling author Lisa Scottoline is showing her support for local independent booksellers in a big way.

Author Lisa Scottoline

This week, the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA) announced that Scottoline, who lives in Pennsylvania and whose books are set in the area, is offering a special promotion for her new book, Look Again (St. Martin's), to help boost sales at independent bookstores throughout the NAIBA region. In a personal note to booksellers, Scottoline explained, "I'm a true believer of supporting local independents, and in light of the tough times we are facing, I've come up with a promotion that I thought might help give a boost to all the great bookstores who are NAIBA members."

Scottoline, who has participated in past NAIBA conferences, is a member favorite, said the regional's executive director, Eileen Dengler. And the promotion grew from "Lisa's desire to support independent bookstores."

Joe Drabyak of Chester County Book & Music Company, Scottoline's local independent bookseller, said the promotion is "absolutely wonderful. Before she became a New York Times bestselling author, Lisa reached out to independent booksellers." Now, she wants to help increase sales of her newest book at indie bookstores. "It's a win-win for everybody," Drabyak added. "Especially since the promotion is geared toward each individual store."

For the promotion, which runs from April 14 to May 12, consumers who buy Look Again at a participating NAIBA member will be entered into a store contest for a $50 gift certificate (or store gift certificate). NAIBA explained that bookstores "can do this with a gift receipt or a card that the customer completes, or through [the store's] POS system if it has the capability." Since the promotion is being run individually by each store, a customer's chance of winning is based solely on sales at that store. (A minimum sale of five copies of Look Again per participating store is a term of the promotion.)

NAIBA also noted that, with each bookstore randomly pulling a winning receipt and notifying the customer, each will also have a great PR opportunity.

In an author Q&A and video available on the NAIBA website, Scottoline proposes the creation of a Slow Book movement, similar to the Slow Food movement, with the goal of "savoring the experience of reading and of buying books, sold locally."

To show her love, Scottoline is personally reimbursing the $50 to bookstores participating in the promotion.

Complete contest information, as well as jacket art, photos, and more, are available on the NAIBA website. --Rosemary Hawkins