Best Practices for Greater Diversity – What Message is Your Store Sending?

When it comes to reaching out to new readers and promoting diverse titles to all audiences, independent bookstores are in a unique position to foster conversation. Whether your store serves a multicultural or homogeneous population, leading booksellers in the ongoing campaign, along with executives from the We Need Diverse Books team, will share suggestions on how to send clear messages about diversity in the daily routines of the bookstore. By examining areas such as staffing, inventory, displays, publicity, and events, panelists will highlight best practices and discuss how making adjustments in the message your store sends can have a significant impact on your relationship with the community.

• Lynn Mooney, Women & Children First (Chicago, IL)
• Hannah Moushabeck, Odyssey Bookshop (South Hadley, MA)
• Aisha Saeed, VP of Strategy for We Need Diverse Books and author of Written in the Stars (Nancy Paulsen Books)
• I.W. Gregorio, Vice President of Development for We Need Diverse Books and author of None of the Above (Balzer + Bray)
• Sara Hines, Eight Cousins (Falmouth, MA) (moderator)