Create some momentum with a well planned event

I’ve spent the last three years at Joseph-Beth Booksellers coveting “indie bookstore moments.” You know them — the first time a local Dungeons & Dragons group sets up shop, the first time a customer hugs you because they absolutely loved your last recommendation, the first time you get a handwritten thank you from a five-year-old. Those are the times, even when it’s been the worst day/week/month EVER that I remember why I work in a bookstore. I had no idea I’d been missing out on another indie moment until last week when pigs invaded JBB.

For almost a year, Carl Lennertz, v.p. of independent retailing at HarperCollins, ended almost every correspondence with, “Have you read the Pig yet?” “You’ll love the Pig!” “You’re missing out if you haven’t discovered the Pig!” So, finally, on a rainy Saturday, I made a pot of coffee and pulled my copy of The Pig Did It by Joseph Caldwell into my lap. A few hours later, I’d finished the pot of coffee and the book. With the ensuing caffeine rush, I drew up plans to make The Pig Did It and its sequel The Pig Comes to Dinner the Must Read Book of Summer for Joseph-Beth. It was a no-brainer — the quirky Irish comedy was perfect for the travelers who stop us every day asking, “I have a long plane/train/car trip coming up – can you recommend a good read?” After telling Carl he was right about the Pig, he informed me that Mr. Caldwell would be on a mini book tour in Michigan and could easily hop a plane to Cleveland if we were willing to host him. I was thrilled to hear JBB would be the final stop on a tour that included McLean & Eakin, Boswell Books, and Saturn Books. I got little goosebumps to learn the company we would be in — those three stores are the kind of indie bookstore I hope JBB can be someday.

After a quick trip to a local craft store, stuffed, ceramic, and wooden pigs bearing invites to the signing appeared all over the store. We had customers asking if the pigs were for purchase and when we said, “No, but the books are!” we doubled our usual week sales on the two titles within a few days. In the week leading up to the signing, close to 150 invites were picked up and I began to panic that we might run out of books. While the power of the Pig worked, gorgeous weather, an Arts Fest, and the Tall Ships drew the crowd away from the bookstore last Saturday but a dozen readers showed up, eager to meet Mr. Caldwell. For almost an hour-and-a-half, this adorable, charming man told his audience about the Pig, his writing experience, and his devotion to indie bookstores. As I watched the chuckling crowd nod their heads and smile as he read, I had my favorite indie bookstore moment — the one where you know you’ve just converted a customer into a regular. The audience thanked me as I thanked them and today, two people came to the store looking for the books saying, “A friend of mine was here for the event last night and is already halfway through the book. I had to get my own copy!” The pigs had worked, the event had worked, our independent bookstore had worked. That’s the ultimate moment — the one where a bookseller realizes we’re doing it right.