Like their publishing counterparts, most booksellers contacted by PW are pleased that nearly all the fall regional conferences and trade shows will be held in person, some for the first time since 2019. “After these past couple years, seeing our fellow booksellers and the camaraderie of our fellow book nerds is what we crave,” says Matt Norcross, co-owner of McLean and Eakin Booksellers in Petoskey, Mich. “The regionals have been essential and something we relied on, but are all the more critical in creating a community of booksellers after such a hiatus from in-person gatherings.”
That said, virtual programming remains an important option for booksellers like Praveen Madan, CEO of Kepler’s Books in Menlo Park, Calif., who is skipping the inaugural in-person CALIBA and not sending staff due to the ongoing pandemic. Justin Souther, senior buyer and manager at Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café in Asheville, N.C., can’t attend SIBA’s in-person show in New Orleans because the store will be selling at a festival that week, which is among the reasons why his regional, SIBA, along with NAIBA, chose to hold a virtual joint fall trade show, New Voices New Rooms, earlier this month. Both associations have in-person programming planned as well.
Even as more events move to in-person settings, American Booksellers Association CEO Allison Hill notes that virtual conferences, webinars, and panels are “particularly exciting as we’re able to reach booksellers who aren’t able to attend conferences in person. The new industry calendar may look different without BookExpo, but everyone—booksellers, publishers, authors, the regionals, and ABA—is moving forward and optimizing the opportunities we have to come together. These events are meaningful and impactful, now more than ever.”
Networking without a screen
Being together in person is almost as important as the shows themselves, particularly at a time when many booksellers are suffering from Zoom fatigue. “I have really missed having in-person connections with NEIBA member booksellers,” says Suzanna Hermans, co-owner of Oblong Books in Millerton and Rhinebeck, N.Y. “They are the most wonderful group of folks. The education sessions are always top-notch, but it’s really networking and friendships that I am most excited about. I plan to bring two or three staff members as well.”
Jamie Fiocco, owner and general manager of Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, N.C., is using the fall shows to fill the gap left by ReedPop’s decision to retire BookExpo and BookCon in 2021 after canceling them in 2020. “Without BookExpo,” Fiocco says, “I miss connecting with publishers and editors and booksellers across the country. However, the regionals are usually much less expensive than a trip to New York, so I can bring more staff and introduce newer staff to indie book culture.” Networking at bookseller conferences is crucial to the success of indie bookstores like hers, Fiocco says, which is one reason she tries to take advantage of every opportunity for herself and her staff to participate.
Mike Wysock, manager of the Book Stall at Chestnut Court in Winnetka, Ill., says that he has missed networking with booksellers outside his immediate vicinity when the Heartland show was virtual. By contrast, Kathy Burnette, founder of Brain Lair in South Bend, Ind., looks forward to connecting with booksellers whose stores are within driving distance. “I love the chance to chat with people about what’s doing well in their stores and what things they are excited about,” she says. “It kick-starts the holiday shopping season for me, mentally—and they face challenges similar to those my store deals with in terms of weather and shopper mentality.”
Connection and serendipity are why Sara Hines, co-owner and buyer at Eight Cousins Books in Falmouth, Mass., is planning to attend this year’s in-person NEIBA conference. “I’m looking forward to people,” she says, “and unexpected conversations.”
Author events and a chance to learn about new and upcoming books through rep picks and exhibits continue to be a draw. “It’s wonderful to come back with lots of ARCs to read and think about,” says Jenny Cole, owner of Page 2 Books in Burien, Wash., who has attended PNBA every year since 2013, when she bought the store. “It’s also a chance to meet up with the reps, because they can provide a lot of information in a short amount of time. We’re a pretty small store, so I don’t have a lot of time when I am meeting up with them.”
Pamela Klinger-Horn, special events coordinator at Valley Bookseller in Stillwater, Minn., says, “Seeing live authors is a huge help when I am making decisions about which authors to present on stage. Being great on the page is a very different skill set from being great on stage. The human interaction cannot be replaced.” For her, neither can the opportunity to meet face-to-face with publishers and with email contacts. In order to maintain those personal connections, she and Mary O’Malley at Skylark Books in Columbia, Mo., started their own in-person gatherings during Covid (see “Booksellers Find Ways to Connect,” p. 32).
“Children’s Institute and Winter Institute are valuable in-person experiences, but I still regard NEIBA as the main thing,” says Willard Williams, founder and co-owner of the Toadstool Bookshops of Keene, Nashua, and Peterborough, N.H. “I always felt as though we get what we need at NEIBA: the education seminars and the chance to meet with publishers and sales reps. And it’s more intimate.” In terms of timing, like most booksellers, he’s already ordered fall books well before the fall show but still values the exhibits. “It’s nice to see what we ordered,” he explains, “and what we might have missed that might not have looked as good on the page or screen.”
Similarly, Brain Lair’s Burnette says, “Mostly I’m looking for the smaller presses that may not be represented at the bigger shows. If I see some gift items that catch my eye, all the better.” Others, like Flyleaf’s Fiocco and Oblong’s Hermans, are specifically looking for gift exhibits at regional shows so that they can add new sidelines.
Even as the regionals return to in-person programming, however, they still need to address bookseller critiques such as one from Eight Cousins’ Hines that at a time when children’s books have had increasing importance for stores’ bottom lines, the regionals haven’t kept pace. “What I’d really like,” Hines says, “is an emphasis on kids’ books. That’s an ongoing conversation. There’s a lot of acknowledgment about the importance of the market. We need a recognition of the importance of growing this next generation of readers.”
Charles Hannah, who, along with Michelle Lewis, founded Third Eye Books in Portland, Ore., for African-centered books, accessories, and gifts in 2019, would like to see greater diversity. Last year, when he attended his first trade show, he was among only a handful of Black booksellers. “I felt left out and disappointed in the lack of diversity,” Hannah says, “and I didn’t see anything on racism or on Black Lives Matter, even though we’ve been selling a ton of books on those topics. It’s a missed opportunity for folks.” He’d also like to see more attention on nationally known and local Black authors, whom his bookstore highlights.
