The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association fall trade show, which drew more than 130 booksellers and 1000 attendees to Spokane, Wash., demonstrated that independence and regionalism in the Pacific Northwest is thriving.
Harry Kirchner of Publishers Group West's Seattle operation credited Amazon.com with helping to re-energize the local bookselling environment: "We've heard so much about Amazon cutting into sales, but I think something else is happening." Pointing out that local booksellers, including Amazon.com, are loyal to local wholesalers, he suggested that K n Pacific and Partners West have been able to grow so quickly over the past few years because they've sold to Amazon.com -- "and that's a huge customer."
Kirchner went on to say that although Amazon is widely accused of cutting into independent sales, it has also seemed to create more book-buying customers. He mentioned the reports of a good summer and fall for many of his area independent customers.
K n Pacific has almost doubled its sales in the last year and, according to president Vito Perillo (formerly of Pacific Pipeline), is currently focused on deepening its midlist fiction selection, which is "what people read most here." Partners West, which d s a strong trade in outdoors guides and travel books, plans additional acquisitions in computer and children's books, according to salesperson Mark Wiggens.
Helping booksellers discover the nature of their particular customer interests was at the heart of the show's program of seminars. "Since the ABA has discontinued some of its educational programs, we are committed to taking up that slack," explained PNBA executive director Thom Chambliss. Friday morning's workshop offerings included a packed "School for Bookselling Staff" led by Tracy Taylor of Elliott Bay Book Co. in Seattle.
Handselling Round Tables was a new feature. Mary Gleyston of Eagle Harbor Book Company on Bainbridge Island, Wash., said, "This is the heart of what we do as booksellers, and I enjoy this chance to hear about other books people feel strongly about. I sold hundreds of copies of Snow Falling on Cedars, by local resident David Guterson, long before the New York Times caught on. These word-of-mouth exchanges are very powerful."
Avin Domnitz, CEO of the ABA, also presented Basic and Advanced Book Sense seminars. And the PNBA Board announced its formal endorsement of the Book Sense program at the general membership meeting on Saturday.
Though the total number of bookstores attending this year's event was down substantially from previous years, Chambliss believes this is directly related to the show's location in Spokane, in eastern Washington, far from the urban concentrations of Portland and Seattle. There were nearly 500 exhibitors in all, and according to Chambliss, the reps he talked with reported that orders taken were equal to previous years. Attendance at author events was higher than ever.
