The Indie Playlist promotion, launched in April by a select group of independent publishers, has announced that Hannah Fenster and Emily Miller of the Bookshop in Baltimore were April's prize winners.
The promotion offers discounts and cash prizes to booksellers who create thematic displays of books incorporating a curated list of titles provided by a select group of independent publishers. The first two playlists, released in April, were focused on the themes of “Prize Winning” and “Quick Reads" and came from the publishers Seven Stories, Europa Editions and Catapult, which each provided three books to each list.
Fenster and Miller won for their display of books shelved spine-in and using only shelf-talkers to describe the books, which were drawn from the "Quick Reads" list; they will split a $250 prize and another $250 will go to the store. The winners were chosen by NAIBA, which is helping to run the promotion. "We wanted to activate the display as a training mechanism, encouraging customers to look closely when they browse, and to learn the value and delight in seeking out small presses and 'quick reads,' intentionally," said Fenster. "It's been so exciting to watch customers engage with the display and walk away with new ideas about how to browse-- and new books they wouldn't have discovered otherwise."
The next playlists are focused on the themes of "Dystopia" and "Summer Reads"; Grove Atlantic and Beacon Press have joined Seven Stories, Europa Editions and Catapult, in sponsoring the promotion. Each playlist is 10 titles long, with the aforementioned publishers supplying two titles each.
The new promotion runs from June 1st through June 30th, and again offers a $500 prize for the best display, with $250 going to the individual bookseller(s) who creates the display and $250 to the bookstore. The displays need only include some of the titles from the lists and can offer additional books.
The next Indie Playlist promotion will take place in October.
