A year ago, the publication of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince spurred thousands of Potter parties and unparalleled media coverage of a publishing event, all of which helped give a (minor) boost to bookstore sales last summer. In a year that so far has produced no breakout bestseller and has had generally lackluster sales, is there any title that might provide even a little spark to the industry? While it's not in the same class as Potter, a number of independent booksellers are giving high marks to Pirateology. The newest book in Candlewick's bestselling "ology" series, Pirateology landed in stores the first week in July and has received a boost from the box-office hit Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. First printing for the title was 600,000 and Candlewick is getting ready to go back for a second printing.
"Pirateology has been great for us," said Connie Heppner, general manager of Full Circle Bookstore in landlocked Oklahoma City. At the much more nautical Bunch of Grapes on Martha's Vineyard, manager Jack Wilson said, "It's a pirate summer." Not only is Pirateology selling well, Wilson said, but so is Atheneum's Pirates. "We have a big display for all age groups," he said. Heidi Allwood, owner of Little Bookworms in Bradenton, Fla., expected 60 to 70 children to attend a Pirateology party over the weekend. And Portia Ezell, co-owner of Eldora's Books in Cadiz, Ky., is another bookseller squarely in the ology camp: "Egyptology, Pirateology, Dragonology and Wizardology—we cannot keep these in the store," she said.
But even a swashbuckling pirate can lift sales only so much—and as Sara Nelson points out (opposite), nobody knows what will take off, and why. Many booksellers admitted it's been a difficult first half of the year, although nearly all expressed optimism about prospects for the fall. Diana Cohen, owner of Books & Co. in Oconomowoc, Wis., for example, said that until an upturn in June, sales for the year were flat. "This spring it was hard work to get to last year's numbers, so June was nice," she said.
Perhaps the part of the country where booksellers are most challenged is New England. "It seems like bookselling is in a bit of a slump," said Jonathan Platt, co-owner of two Nonesuch Books & Cards in Maine, who added that sales were up slightly. "There are a lot of good books being written, but there's a lot of distractions and people are working more hours because the economy is not good." Platt couldn't point to any hot summer titles, noting that the last book he could remember that brought people into the store was The South Beach Diet. The most effective measure Platt has taken to improve profitability in the last 18 months was to install a security system. In the first two months of operation, Platt said, the store caught 150 shoplifters.
At the Book Rack & Children's Pages in Essex Junction, Vt., owner Elaine Sopchak said she's hearing from other Vermont booksellers that it's been a quiet year. At her store, sales over the winter were down, though business picked up in May and June. Local author Alison Bechdel's Fun Home (Houghton Mifflin) has been selling well and Lisa See's Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (Random) "is making the book group rounds."
Across the country, Pat Rutledge, co-owner of A Book for All Seasons in Leavenworth, Wash., said the store has been able to hit its monthly sales goals this year. Rutledge said that after returning from the ABA Winter Institute, she was determined to increase sales. "I actually did a flip," Rutledge said about attending the two-day seminar. "I [had] bought into the fact that independent bookstores can't be profitable, but now I believe we can. We set our goals and did promotions to back them up."
To pep up its summer sales, Hicklebee's Children's Books in San Jose, Calif., started the Hicklebee's Summer Detective Agency. To encourage kids to get interested in mysteries, the store gives children who sign up for the program an I.D. and sends them e-mails inviting them to solve a mystery tied to something at the store. Other promotions this summer include a Read Aloud series featuring authors and illustrators and a summer reading club where children get a free book for every five books they buy, said co-owner Valerie Lewis.
Hicklebee's just named Markus Zusak's The Book Thief (Knopf) its Book of the Year, and that title has also sold well at Little Bookworms and Full Circle. Thief, said Full Circle events coordinator Morgan Harris, "has been jumping off the shelf, particularly with adults, even though it's a young adult book."
While some booksellers believe higher energy costs have hurt sales, Beth Black, owner of Omaha's Bookworm, sees a silver lining in higher prices. "We've not seen our customers traveling, unless it's car trips. There's more books being bought for reading by the pool," Black said. With its customers staying closer to home, "business has been really good," Black said.
To increase store traffic in the second half of the summer, Books & Co. is planning a month-long Dog Days of August promotion. According to owner Diana Cohen, all programs will be dedicated to dogs and dog-related things, including having its reading groups read books with dog themes. A vet will appear in the store to provide advice on care and the local bakery is baking dog treats to give to patrons. Dog days of summer, indeed.
