Although many children's booksellers stock a broad selection of YA titles, most teens wouldn't be caught dead in a store for children. "The majority of the time, 12-and-up books are purchased by parents. Teens themselves aren't coming in," said Emily Griffin, assistant manager at A Likely Story in Alexandria, Va., which is divided into sections for older and younger readers. At All for Kids Books and Music in Seattle, Wash., which has a very large YA section in the center aisle, it's "really hard" to attract new teenagers to the store," said buyer René Kirkpatrick. "It's our parents, teachers and librarians who keep that section going." At The Children's Bookshop in Brookline, Mass., "Our name works against us," said owner Terri Schmitz. Plus, she finds that it's almost impossible to get teens to browse a store with penguins decorating the windows.
What's a bookseller to do to keep teen readers? Kristen McLean, executive director of the Association of Booksellers for Children, recommends creating an engaging YA space, providing a good selection, working with teens one-on-one and with programming and promoting the store as a teen place. "If one piece of this equation isn't working," McLean said, "none of it will work."
Although children's-only booksellers may be having a hard time persuading teens that their stores really are great places for them to shop, some general retailers with strong children's sections have long been doing the very things that McLean suggests to bring in YA readers and their spending power (teen discretionary income was estimated at $153 billion in 2006).
Books Inc. with 10 stores, headquartered in San Francisco, Calif.
Last year Books Inc. launched a blog and events program called Not Your Mother's Book Club for kids in grades 7 to 12. The club is especially strong at Books Inc.'s Laurel Village store, which originally hosted it before it moved to the newly opened Opera Plaza store. The Burlingame store also has a strong YA following. In those three stores, the YA sections are located next to science fiction and graphic novels, which helps attract male readers, according to children's buyer Shannon Mathis.In addition to NYMBC, Books Inc. reaches out to local teens through a bimonthly author series it runs at Capuchino High School. In keeping with the irreverent spirit of the NYMBC name, school events include fun things like a cupcake party with Rachel Cohn, author of Cupcake (S&S), complete with bobbing for cupcakes and a cupcake-baking contest. The program has been so successful that this month, 12 teens from Capuchino and from NYMBC will meet author Robin Brande on a pre-pub tour for her first novel, Evolution, Me and Other Freaks of Nature (Knopf, Aug.).The success of NYMBC at drawing teens to events, including boys, and YA authors from all over the world, has surpassed Books Inc.'s expectations, according to Mathis. "We'd love to do this in our other stores," she said, "but it's a huge expenditure of energy and time."
Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, Ariz.
Two years ago the store moved its teen section away from the kids' area. As a result, said children's buyer Faith Hochhalter, "We sell more books. Teens are more willing to shop in our teen section." They also frequent the store to buy gifts, Hochhalter said.To increases awareness of teen authors, Changing Hands works with area schools and sets up author visits before having the author sign at the store. They try to schedule school events on a Wednesday and Thursday followed by a Friday signing, or Thursday and Friday followed by a Monday signing. Hochhalter credits this strategy for helping the store draw 400 people to hear Twilight author Stephenie Meyer.The YA section has proved to be a magnet for educators, too. Hochhalter says teachers go there to find out what teens are reading.
Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center, Vt.
For children's buyer Jessica Wood, getting teens into the store can best be summed up as comfort and trust. "Some of the kids I've been helping for years," she said. "They trust our recommendations."The YA section is private and at the opposite end of the children's area from books for infants and toddlers. However, teens have been known to camp out in the toddlers section if there are no young children there.Northshire uses its café for teen events like poetry slams, and after-school groups meet there. Other teen draws at the store include a broad selection of magazines and Xbox and computer games.
Merritt Bookstore in Millbrook, Red Hook and Cold Spring, N.Y.
"Working in a bookstore appeals to teens," said high school freshman Julia Ouimet, who regards herself as "lucky" to have been hired for the Millbrook store. The 15 teens who work at the three Merritt Bookstores handle everything from opening and closing the stores to handselling and returns.At Millbrook, teens can stop in after school and use an upstairs room to practice music or rehearse a play. "We let teens hang out here," said owner Scott Meyer. "Like all community bookstores, we want to be welcoming."
