This column grew from first-hand experience that many of the best bookselling ideas come from other booksellers. Each tip offers an inventive way to solve problems that you may not have even been aware of: like making series stand out.
Last August after a trip to Los Angeles, where she visited Book Soup, Sarah Gerard, children’s manager at McNally Jackson in New York City, began stacking series titles on the shelf, which means the books face the reader more directly. "As a brick-and-mortar store, we have to be especially conscientious about how we use our space," says Gerard. "They don’t turn their books sideways. But they did take great care with how they presented their books. And it got me thinking how we could use our space more creatively."
Gerard is committed to carrying complete series, especially since series are often what younger readers prefer. Unfortunately, the books can take up a lot of valuable real estate, which can be problematic when new books arrive. "Stacking the books vertically seemed like a good solution," she says, "and it’s continued to work well for us. An added benefit [is] that it sets the series apart visually from the other books on the shelf."
