Category: Marketing Ideas

Public Relations After an Event

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By on Mar 26th, 2012

We all think about invitations and press releases and publicity before a bookstore event, but what about afterward? Politicians call it “taking care of your base,” and it’s good manners as well as good business.
You probably have an e-mail list from which you issue invitations to your bookstore events. Pay attention to everyone who attends, and send a follow-up e-mail after the event, thanking them for supporting your bookstore and your guest author. You will only be expressing what you truly feel.
small press authorsNot everyone who was invited will have attended, of course, so if you maintain a blog or other bookstore website and/or if you’re on Facebook, be sure to report the success of your event. Everyone likes success, and no one wants to be left out of fun. When people see how many others came to your bookstore, they will be more likely to show up themselves next time—and those who came will want to attend the next time around, too. Remember that a picture is worth a thousand words–maybe not when it comes to a book, but certainly when it comes to publicity!
Who helped out with free publicity for your event? Radio, television, online, and/or print media? Those people deserved to be thanked, too. If there was a publicist involved, be sure to send a follow-up report and thanks for whatever help that person provided (even if it was minimal).
It should go without saying that you will thank your guest author for taking the time to come to your bookstore. It isn’t always easy for a writer to venture out of the solitude of his or her writing studio, but it takes a bookseller and an author to create a memorable author event for the book-buying public.
Your reputation as a bookseller rests on the way you deal with media people, bookstore customers and writers. Treat them with the respect and appreciation they deserve. Where would we be without them? They deserve our appreciation!

 

Pamela Grath
Dog Ears Books
106 Waukazoo Street
P.O. Box 272
Northport, MI  49670

Selling Furniture? A Nice Bookshop Option

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By on Feb 23rd, 2012

We all realize the straits independent bookshops are in. Print books can only finance the store so far. Many stores have opted to offer toys, gift items, some have opened a coffee shop within. So, with this in mind, why not utilize some of the pieces books and other items sit upon. If the piece of furniture is interesting enough, it will catch the eye, and not only sell what’s placed on it, but perhaps the furniture piece itself. Industrial pieces from TFM can be a perfect match for the indie bookseller. They specialize in offbeat, eccentric, durable, stylish coffee tables, chests, stools, and bookshelves. These pieces would work in any bookstore, especially those in places that have an industrial or avant garde feel.

For example: upon entrance to the store, a unusual coffee table loaded with the newest best seller and a few gift items would certainly make a quick impression. Discreetly on the side of the table is a tag, with cost of the table itself, so if someone is struck at what a cool piece of furniture you have in your store, the info and purchasing price is at their fingertips. When I used to do juried craft shows, we had to put up a display from scratch at each venue. I found through a catalog, a great set of 11 drawers in a dark cherry wood. Very tall and thin, with the perfect height to use the top as our counter, this piece of furniture held our overstock, so we needn’t pull plastic containers from under tables or bags from the back of the tent. Instead,  we would slide out a drawer  within a specific genre of jewelry was housed, and check for the item in question. Or  to replace a sold item. The drawers were an unquestionable help in selling. And,  one of the most asked about things in our tent. People wouldn’t look at my jewelry, but ask, where we got the drawers–the name of the company, the cost–details I didn’t have, nor did I care about–their interest in my purely commercial furniture piece only annoyed me. How different may it have been, if when asked, I gave them price and option to buy. Even if one quarter of those interested had purchased a cabinet on hand-I would have made a profit equal to, or above what I may have sold in jewelry.

Another piece that intrigues me is their large chest of drawers. I see so many cool uses for this piece in a bookstore. Here’s a few: One drawer is opened with latest paperback titles displayed. Another holds gift items like fancy paperclips or  sets of colored artist pencils. Still another has bags of hand ground coffee from the eating area of the store. A few of the drawers are pulled out to different lengths, the rest stay closed, used for overstock.

Which ever way the bookshop owner utilizes furniture like this, I have no doubt that it would certainly pull a customer in and intrigue them enough to stick around, checking out other pieces of stock, including furniture.

How to attract customers to your bookshop

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By on Jan 3rd, 2012

Success or failure in business comes down to meeting your expenses and hopefully generating enough profit to build a comfortable lifestyle and all this comes down to profitable sales from customers. Having plenty of stock means nothing if you haven’t got the customers to purchase your books, so the fundamental question is: how do you attract customers to your bookshop?
Tell the customers that you are open and ready for business. Hang an “Open” sign on the door or better still have a colourful neon light that flashes on and off. Going to the effort of informing the public that you are open sends the message that you want them in your shop.

Inform the public of your trading hours and stick to them. I’ve got core days and of hours operation but I also inform the public that these are “minimum hours of operation” so that they don’t feel pressured to leave at a set time and it also adds flexibility into opening and closing outside of my core hours.

nice clean bookshop

An uncluttered shop is much more pleasant.

Don’t badger people to come into your shop. I’ve seen the disturbing sight of a haberdasher accosting potential customers from outside the door of her shop. Nothing makes a business reek of imminent financial death more than desperate staff trying to get people to come into their shop. I like to think that I am providing a service to the public that they should appreciate; the general public should think that they are doing themselves a favour by entering my shop, not doing me a favour. Humans are inherently unreliable and self-interest is the primary motivational force in their purchasing activities.

Once in the shop, the customer should be left on their own to browse. I encourage customers to seek advice by putting a sign up that reads “Not on the shelf? It maybe in storage – ask at the counter.” The customer knows where you are: ideally behind the counter ready to provide assistance. Labels should clearly identify categories and authors should be put into alphabetical order for added ease. Magazines should be on magazine stands and books should be readily accessible on the shelf. Books shouldn’t be too tightly shelved and ideally one row of books per shelf. This advice seems like common sense but I’ve walked into bookshops that look like badly run storage rooms with up to three rows of books on shelves with each book camouflaging another and worse still stacks of books on the shop floor.

Make the shop welcoming by keeping it clean. Women especially appreciate a pleasant smelling, clean floor; I mop my floor each and every morning. I have the windows cleaned and the place regularly dusted with a duster. Of course, cleaning is never done and any spare time is spent cleaning the shop of cobwebs and dust. The bookshop manager and his/her staff should look clean and presentable too: I always have a freshly ironed shirt on. As an aside, a presentable shop goes hand in hand with a safe and secure shop. This means having the proper insurance if something should occur. Many bookshop owners take advantage of having their home insurance, car insurance as well as that of the business all wrapped up into one package. The right coverage can mean the difference in being closed for a few weeks or opening the next day after some damage from a break in. Ask a local broker if this can be setup for you. Read more →

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