Midwest Independent Booksellers Association - News

Greetings from Decorah! What to do while you're in town

2/27/2019

We're getting excited for our Spring Roadtrip to Decorah, featuring education for booksellers, author reception, and many opportunities to hang out with your colleagues and friends while visiting a beautiful, historic Midwestern town.

Please review all the meeting details as you make your plans. As a reminder...

March 24: Literary Open Mic. Register to read here
March 25: Meeting at Hotel Winneshiek and Dragonfly Books. Register to attend

Also, have some fun while you're in Decorah and visit some of Dragonfly staff's favorite places! Save some extra time for yourself if you can and inspire yourself by wandering around a town rich with independent businesses. See you there!

Click around below or go directly to the map in full-size view

Primary meeting locations

Sarah's Top Decorah Picks!

Kate R.'s Top Decorah Picks!

Vesterheim: The National Norwegian-American Museum & Heritage Center
Ruby's Restaurant & Catering
Blue Heron Knittery
Winneshiek County Convention & Visitors Bureau

Kate S.'s Top Decorah Picks!

Book World Fixtures for Sale

2/4/2019

"As you know, the Book World Company closed all of their stores in January 2018. One of their stores was located in the Junction Shopping Center, DeKalb IL. They left all of their trade fixtures in this store. The Junction Center tried to market this store as a turnkey bookstore but was not successful in finding a new tenant for this space. In December, we started to liquidate all fixtures in the store. We have sold about 40 % of the fixtures but still have over two hundred available for sale. Most of the available fixtures are the 4 feet bookcases as listed in your January 2018 posting."

I thought your members in the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association may have an interest in these fixtures. Please contact me if you have any questions."

Richard Finn
Junction Shopping Center
DeKalb, IL 60178
815 761 0830 (cell)
Junctioncenter.com

Banner Year for Midwest Booksellers

2/1/2019

A happy #BookstoreRoadmap participant

What a wonderful year! Over the course of 2018, our association enjoyed a new record high: 23 independent bookstores joined our ranks. Of these stores, 11 opened their doors for the first time; 10 were already open; and 2 are prospective stores in the processing of opening.

What do we attribute this to? Last year, we witnessed the closing of Book World, a family-run chain of more than 40 stores throughout the Midwest. In its wake, a number of single independent bookstores opened in storefronts and towns that previously had a Book World.

In addition, last year we introduced a brand-new program: the Midwest Indie Bookstore Roadmap, an old-school foldable "roadmap" of Midwest bookstores as well as book-related ads (see photo on the right), distributed for free to consumers across our region. As we've shared before, it was a tremendous success and led quite a few stores our way so they could enjoy a custom Kevin Cannon store illustration and be included in this year's roadmap. Especially fun, the consumer contest organized around the hashtag #BookstoreRoadmap has led to an amazing collection of smiling customer posing outside of our member stores.

In the 2018 calendar year, MIBA welcomed the following stores to its membership. Please get to know them and welcome them to another prosperous year in bookselling.

Opened in 2018
Canterbury Book Store in Escanaba MI
Wild Thyme Books in Carbondale IL
Novel Bay Booksellers in Sturgeon Bay WI
The Book Deal in Madison WI (used bookstore)
OtherWorlds Books & More in Sturgeon Bay WI
Skylark Bookshop in Columbia MO
River Dog Book Co. in Beaver Dam WI
Dotters Books in Eau Claire WI
Cream & Amber in Hopkins MN
The Willow Bookstore in Perham MN
The Irreverent Bookworm in Minneapolis MN

Opened previously
The Book Store in Appleton WI
Driftless Books in Wabasha MN
Corner Books in Minneapolis
The Sly Fox Bookstore in Virden IL
Whimsy on Main in Milbank SD
The Book Shoppe in Boone IA
M and M Bookstore in Cedar Rapids
The Village Booksmith in Baraboo WI
EyeSeeMe African American Children’s Bookstore in University City MO
Heritage Store in Pierre SD (opened 1989)

Two additional member stores that are not yet opened are not listed here.

Winter Catalog Round Up for Booksellers

10/31/2018

Get your cardinals ready for your windows and displays! It's time to start rolling out your winter catalog campaigns. We have another beauty this year that lends itself well to attractive merchandizing options. Below is a list of all the tools that are available to you to use. In-store and online, we've got you covered. Please let us know if there's anything you'd like to see that isn't here already.

Here's a few ideas of what to do with the tools below.

Create an e-newsletter for your customers using our banner ads, letting them know the direct mail campaign will be landing soon; link to the ad-free URL as a preview, if you'd like
Decorate the store. String some garland made from our Red & Lulu cutouts. Get some blurbs ready for the shelf-talkers. Pick up some cardinals, snow, evergreens, and and holly from a craft store to build a display based on the catalog theme
Use the Edelweiss list to create an inventory management tool
Put the banner ads on your website and link them to your e-commerce page or the ad-free PDF
Use our social media graphics to build excitement online
For stores sending the Shelf-powered e-newsletter, send a note to your customers letting them know it's on the way; the e-newsletter schedule is below
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to re-post our original catalog content
Take pictures! Pictures of your displays are gold to us!

Please head to this page to get these materials
Catalog page for booksellers

Direct mail
Direct mail (which includes house lists and saturation) are scheduled to start shipping 10/28 with in-home delivery of 11/7 through 11/10

E-newsletter powered by Shelf Awareness
Many stores are participating in our new e-newsletter campaign powered by Shelf Awareness. We are releasing four issues of catalog titles with Shelf, with the titles spread evenly across all four. (Note: About 15 titles were sold as print-only ads and won't appear in the e-newsletters.)

Issue 1: Wednesday, 11/14 (feature title is Red & Lulu, 9780763677336)
Issue 2: Wednesday, 11/28 (feature title is Virgil Wander, 9780802128782)
Issue 3: Wednesday, 12/5 (feature title is Narwhal and Jelly Book #1 and Puppet Set, 9780735265349)
Issue 4: Wednesday, 12/12 (feature title is Born Criminal: Matilda Joslyn, Radical Suffragist, 9781941813188

Browsable PDF
Use THIS LINK to share an ad-free version of the catalog online
Long version
https://indd.adobe.com/view/27bd1c21-25a0-4574-8214-d0ae00deedc4
Custom tiny URL
https://tinyurl.com/GiveBooks2018

Point-of-Sale
Every store that placed a catalog order will receive a package of printed point-of-sale items to help decorate the store. You can preview the package here, and also print all of the items yourself. Estimated delivery of Nov 5.

Digital stuff
Banner ads and social media graphics are available now for download. Check them out here.

E-Commerce Landing Page
IndieCommerce and IndieLite stores can link to the holiday catalog by appending this to their website URL: "/holiday/MIBA/holidaycatalog.html"

For example, if Common Good wants to link the catalog to their site, it would be
https://www.commongoodbooks.com/holiday/MIBA/holidaycatalog.html

When customers click on the 'Buy this Book' button on the catalog, they will be taken to Common Good’s website to purchase the book.

Title list
http://www.midwestbooksellers.org/uploads/4/4/1/7/44171411/miba_final_title_list_2018.xls

Edelweiss list
https://www.edelweiss.plus/#catalogID=4299483&page=1

Special order
The catalog contains a title that won't be found via customary distribution methods. We chose to work with this author because he is supporting independent business in every aspect of this book.

State of Craft Beer (978-0-692-86591-0)
www.stateofcraft.beer
Retails for $45; $30 wholesale
Matt Janzen is the creator and sole distributer. He accepts returns. There are no minimums, and he offers free shipping on orders of (5) or more.

Please contact him directly to place an order:
Matt Janzen
(920) 988-7992
matt@stateofcraft.beer

From Janzen: "The book is entirely produced in the Midwest — following through on my goal to highlight small businesses that contribute to the local economy. It is also not available on Amazon, which goes a step further to make good on that promise. This is the perfect gift for anyone who's even mildly curious about craft beer."

Judith Kissner, Owner of Scout & Morgan Books, Recipient of Midwest Bookseller of the Year Award

8/29/2018

Running a successful independent bookstore requires an extraordinary level of creativity, commitment, and innovation. The effects of this dedicated work often extend well beyond the walls of any one bookstore and lift up an entire community.

We’re celebrating the transformative roles booksellers play by granting our first-ever Midwest Bookseller of the Year award to an independent bookseller who had an extraordinary impact on his or her community within the previous year.

We're honored to grant the award to Judith Kissner, founder, owner, and bookseller at Scout & Morgan Books in Cambridge, Minnesota.

Our board reached this decision by asking our membership to nominate booksellers, then working directly with community members and industry professionals to create a detailed picture of their accomplishments. The effusive, detailed testimonials we received about Judith’s work are truly inspiring and demonstrate what it means to embody excellence as a bookseller in 2018.

“Her little store makes a big impact,” says customer Molly Bernhagen. Customer Tim Nelson says, “She seems to be called to help this community realize its full potential, and to ensure this potential is marked by the empathy and togetherness so often cultivated by reading.”

By all accounts, Scout & Morgan is a beacon in Cambridge, a small, rural community of 8,000, an area customers say is an unlikely spot for an independent bookstore store to exist, much less thrive. Nelson says, “At a time when so many people are trying to comprehend the changes happening in communities of the rural Midwest, there are reasons for hope and optimism beaming through the front door of her bookstore.”

Bookselling skills
Scout & Morgan has an elegant, welcoming atmosphere, with the latest books stocked alongside used and fine antiquarian books, a fireplace, and comfortable chairs for reading. Judith’s commitment to her customers shines through immediately as she shares a warm hello and impeccable service with everyone who walks in the door. She is passionate about getting books into the hands of people of all ages and interests via whatever approach works best for them, and is praised for suggesting books customers might not have considered, but nevertheless purchase and love. Bernhagen praises Judith’s quickness to recommend a paperback or used copy over a hardcover, saying Judith “is not out to make a buck. Now that's a bookseller! Her customer service is legendary.”

Customer Dave Maurer loves that she keeps a list of his desired books and calls him when she stocks a used copy, and that the well-organized store always helps him buy a book he normally wouldn’t have considered.

Looking to the next generation, Judith also listens intently to the interests of young readers and makes sure they are happy with the books they take home from Scout & Morgan. Lynda Woulfe says Judith took the time to get to know her twin sons individually and recommend books to expand their horizons. She says, “My kids started going to Scout & Morgan when they were 10. They are now 21 and still faithful readers because of Judith’s influence.”

Impactfulness
The heart of Midwest Bookseller of the Year award is about celebrating an impactful event or project a Midwest bookseller successfully implemented in the previous year.

For the past few years, Judith has been working outside of the perceived interest of her store to raise the funds needed to build a new library in Cambridge, which her customers consider courageous, as the new tax needed to fund the library is not always a popular option.

Lynda Woulfe, Cambridge City Administrator, says, Judith “researched the economic impact of libraries and shared her research with downtown businesses and the Library Task Force to ensure we are armed with the latest and greatest information.” Through her commitment, businesses now understand the importance of a new library for the economic vitality of Cambridge, and the city is using Judith’s research to advocate for passing the vote this fall.

Perhaps the biggest impact Judith had this past year was leading the effort to select Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried as the Community-Wide Read and host the legendary author in a packed auditorium event. O’Brien spoke about the book and Vietnam veterans participated in a panel discussion on their experiences in the war.

Wendy Bronson called the O’Brien event “powerful” because there was such a diverse group of people present: old, young, veterans, activists, conservatives, and liberals. “It really was a testament to how literature (and also Judith’s effective communication and organization) can connect us even in these divisive times.”

Nelson says transformative events like these “simply would not happen if the sole sources for books in Cambridge were Amazon and the book aisle at Target. With Judith here, these events do happen, and she's made our community immeasurably richer in spirit.”

We are truly grateful to count Judith Kissner as one of our own. Her vision has uplifted her community, and inspired our association as well as independent booksellers across the country. Judith proves that the values associated with reading and buying books can happen anywhere with the right level of hard work and commitment. As Scout & Morgan customer Robert Briscoe says, “Judith Kissner has shown many people the possibilities derived from dreaming.”

We extend Judith a warm congratulations and a thank you for her commitment to independent bookselling. She will receive an all-expense paid trip to the Heartland Fall Forum, including all meal tickets, transportation, and hotel.

To read more about the award, please visit our website.

***

Staff of Scout & Morgan. L to R: Amanda Roslin, Judith Kissner, Wendy Bronson, and Kassie Rood

Former Bookstore Building for Sale in Wisconsin

8/23/2018

The Raven Goes to New York...

6/24/2018

Morgan McComb from The Raven Book Store in Lawrence, KS was one of two recipients of BookExpo's scholarship program that sent two booksellers from each region to the show. Thank you BookExpo for the generous program, and Morgan for the excellent review!

"This year was my inaugural BookExpo experience, and as a new bookseller, I felt so welcomed. The opportunity to meet and talk with other independent booksellers around the country was invaluable, and through them I have learned new ways to push our bookstore in Kansas to be more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. The sheer volume of independent bookstores in the country and their various specialties is a testament to why independent bookstores are not only not in financial trouble, but are thriving--and it is all because so many of us take community engagement as a imperative in the work we do.

One of my most memorable experiences was getting to meet the editors of the Catapult/Soft Skull team, a press that we have long loved and supported at the Raven--getting the opportunity to meet the editors I have been exchanging e-mails and galleys with as well as to see an editorial team that takes representation and literature seriously. What I especially enjoyed was hearing about how publishers like Catapult are also engaging with their communities, both a New York City community and a more national and/or global community through their online writing courses. Being able to see first-hand how the publishing world is evolving was a special experience.

BookExpo itself is an overwhelmingly joyful experience, one where I was able to meet the best up-and-coming writers (Tommy Orange, especially!) and meet new writers and publishers who can help us at the Raven better serve the reading interests of our customers and beyond. Though BookExpo is an excellent opportunity to develop essential professional connections and skills in the bookselling world, it ultimately felt like the largest book club I have ever been a part of, and the magic of why we all love books and literature was certainly still the core of all of our reasons for being there."

Thanks to BookExpo for the Scholarships

6/19/2018

BookExpo generously sent two booksellers from each region to New York for the 2018 show. In our region, booksellers from The Raven Book Store (Lawrence, KS) and Zenith Bookstore (Duluth, MN) were the lucky recipients.

Here's a review from Beth Burnett, the assistant manager of Zenith.

"Representing Zenith Bookstore, a small local indie bookstore out of Duluth, Minnesota, I had the phenomenal opportunity to travel to NYC for my first Book Expo. Still fairly new in the bookselling world, I had no strong connection with the greater book world nor a solid understanding of it. I was beyond thrilled to hear I would be attending, and even though I was quite nervous to fly into such a big city, I was able to immerse myself in the greater book world with the scholarship and accommodations by ABA & BEA, with the added resource of my mother by my side as a travel partner and an awesome boss, manager, and cohort.

As a first time attendee of Book Expo, I was warned I could be fairly overwhelmed. However, some awesome coworkers and contacts from the Duluth and regional area prepared me for what was to come. Because of this, I was able to appreciate the Book Expo on a much greater level. While everything was memorable and worthwhile, I found the educational sessions the most helpful in learning about different aspects of bookselling, which I'm sure will help in the continued success of our store. In addition, I connected with so many incredible booksellers.

In all, I found the experience of getting together with other booksellers, librarians, publishers, authors, and representatives incredibly impactful while I establish my own role in the industry. I am so appreciative of many individuals; Book Expo gave me a plethora of valuable connections and allowed me to bring back ideas and tools to help our store continue in its success."

Publicity Speed Dating for Booksellers

4/26/2018

Pop-Up Opportunity!
Publicist Speed Dating for Booksellers
May 11, 10:00-11:00 am
Bookseller social after the event from 11:00-11:45 am
Open Book
1011 South Washington Ave
Space is limited to 20 booksellers!
Apply today by emailing carrie@midwestbooksellers.org. Please confirm that are you are the events manager for your store, or an owner or manager to also handles events.

We've discovered an opportunity to give booksellers a chance to pitch their stores for author events directly to publicists at various publishing companies both nationally and locally.

The Loft Literary Center is hosting Wordplay in April 2019 and has invited about 20 publicists to Open Book to learn about the author opportunities available at this exciting new book festival. Since so many publicists will already be gathered at Open Book, The Loft has graciously allowed us to seize this opportunity to host Publicity Speed Dating for Booksellers.

How does it work? We are arranging timed "dates" for 20 booksellers to promote their store and discover what publicists look for when planning author tours. Booksellers come prepared with a printed press kit to give to the publicists. Booksellers describe the strengths and personality of their store, ask questions about the publicist's (and his or her imprint's) approach to booking author tours, and review the upcoming season's releases for event opportunities. The speed dating will be arranged to allow booksellers to meet formally with half of the publicists, with an opportunity to leave your one-sheet behind with all attending publicists.

MIBA member bookstore owners, managers, and event coordinators are eligible. Booksellers must commit to preparing a one-sheet in advance of the event and bringing 20 copies to share. Tips and sample one-sheets will be provided.

Note: Due to the serendipitous nature of this event, we're considering it a prototype. We'd like booksellers to stick around after the speed dating to tell us how it went. This is the first event of this type we will have hosted, so we're eager to hear how it went, allowing us to fine-tune our approach and consider hosting speed dating on a bigger scale for more booksellers in the future.

MIBA sending stores the first annual Midwest Indie Bookstore Roadmap for Independent Bookstore Day

4/12/2018

MIBA is thrilled to unveil the first annual Midwest Indie Bookstore Roadmap! Featuring the iconic work of Twin Cities-based illustrator Kevin Cannon, the Booktore Roadmap celebrates the vitality of indie bookselling in MIBA's region while encouraging customers to make visiting bookstores a part of their travel plans. The map also includes a "Bookstore Journey Contest" in which one bookstore customer a month will receive a $25 gift card to any store featured on the map. Anyone who participates in the contest throughout the year will be entered to win a $500 gift card to any store featured on the map.

Each MIBA member bookstore will receive 400 free copies of the map to distribute throughout the year, beginning on Independent Bookstore Day. Nonmember stores in MIBA's region will also receive a limited number of maps.

The map will be 22" x 28" and will fold into 4.4" x 7" panels to fit easily into glove compartments, backpacks, and purses. Fore more information about the map, the bookstore journey contest, and information for advertisers, click here.

Additional Opportunities for Booksellers
MIBA will produce a limited number of poster versions of the front of the map for stores to sell as souvenir items. Furthermore, all stores are invited to purchase the original illustration of their store featured on the map. Once purchased, there are no restrictions on how this artwork can be used.

For more information about ordering posters or your store's original illustration, contact Robert Martin at Robert@MidwestBooksellers.org