The nearly 400 attendees at the Winter Institute held by the American
Booksellers Association last Thursday and Friday in Long Beach, Calif.,
had nothing but praise for the event. The mood was relaxed but intense,
and many remarked on how easy it was to talk shop and socialize. Several industry veterans went so far as to call it the
best bookseller-oriented event they had ever attended.
Unlike the experience at BEA, there were few other distractions, and many booksellers enjoyed being the focus. One minor but telling example: at the Thursday lunch, publishers and media people were asked to wait a few minutes until booksellers found seats in the banquet hall. A bookseller commented on how nice it was to go to tables in the front of the room and not find all of them reserved for publishers.
The seminars, most of which were similar to ones presented at BEA, emphasized business principles, how to increase sales, and such current topics as buy local programs and what independents can learn from independent businesses in other industries. The popular What Are You Reading? lunch became a breakfast in Long Beach. A few authors were on hand to sign books at a cocktail party Thursday, and reps offered their picks of the lists. (Much of the cost of the event was subsidized by publishers and wholesalers.)
One of the most striking sessions was the Emerging Leaders late-evening meeting at which many people, young and old, discussed the difficulties younger booksellers encounter. Relatively low wages and a lack of room for advancement at many bookstores were familiar themes. But as expressed by passionate, articulate and intelligent booksellers, the problems took on a more personal, more powerful form. One particularly poignant moment came when a young buyer at a large independent said that at BEA and other gatherings, even her peers at comparable stores don't treat her with much respect. Of course, the problem of who will be "the next generation" of booksellers is all the more important nowadays because of the attractiveness of careers in other industries, particularly the Internet.
While there were many familiar booksellers at the Institute from across the country, a significant number (based on a show of hands) had never attended an ABA function or gone to BEA--and so the Institute accomplished one of its major objectives, which was to reach people who couldn't make it to BEA for financial or geographic reasons. In addition, more younger booksellers attended than at average bookseller events, and prospective booksellers from as far away as Chicago and Hawaii came, too.
There was no question that booksellers like the Winter Institute and want it to be repeated. (The registration of nearly 400 was more than double the 150 that ABA CEO Avin Domnitz said the organization had considered would be a "great amount.") Several ABA staff members said a Winter Institute would likely continue being held in a part of the country far from BEA's location that year. Ironically the ABA may be faced with an unforeseen challenge: how to keep a popular event from growing so big that it might lose its cozy, focused quality.
Kudos to ABA president Mitchell Kaplan for having the idea and to the ABA staff for pulling it off.
Shelf Awareness will run highlights from the Institute over the next few days, starting below with more information on John Rubin's Above the Treeline program.
Unlike the experience at BEA, there were few other distractions, and many booksellers enjoyed being the focus. One minor but telling example: at the Thursday lunch, publishers and media people were asked to wait a few minutes until booksellers found seats in the banquet hall. A bookseller commented on how nice it was to go to tables in the front of the room and not find all of them reserved for publishers.
The seminars, most of which were similar to ones presented at BEA, emphasized business principles, how to increase sales, and such current topics as buy local programs and what independents can learn from independent businesses in other industries. The popular What Are You Reading? lunch became a breakfast in Long Beach. A few authors were on hand to sign books at a cocktail party Thursday, and reps offered their picks of the lists. (Much of the cost of the event was subsidized by publishers and wholesalers.)
One of the most striking sessions was the Emerging Leaders late-evening meeting at which many people, young and old, discussed the difficulties younger booksellers encounter. Relatively low wages and a lack of room for advancement at many bookstores were familiar themes. But as expressed by passionate, articulate and intelligent booksellers, the problems took on a more personal, more powerful form. One particularly poignant moment came when a young buyer at a large independent said that at BEA and other gatherings, even her peers at comparable stores don't treat her with much respect. Of course, the problem of who will be "the next generation" of booksellers is all the more important nowadays because of the attractiveness of careers in other industries, particularly the Internet.
While there were many familiar booksellers at the Institute from across the country, a significant number (based on a show of hands) had never attended an ABA function or gone to BEA--and so the Institute accomplished one of its major objectives, which was to reach people who couldn't make it to BEA for financial or geographic reasons. In addition, more younger booksellers attended than at average bookseller events, and prospective booksellers from as far away as Chicago and Hawaii came, too.
There was no question that booksellers like the Winter Institute and want it to be repeated. (The registration of nearly 400 was more than double the 150 that ABA CEO Avin Domnitz said the organization had considered would be a "great amount.") Several ABA staff members said a Winter Institute would likely continue being held in a part of the country far from BEA's location that year. Ironically the ABA may be faced with an unforeseen challenge: how to keep a popular event from growing so big that it might lose its cozy, focused quality.
Kudos to ABA president Mitchell Kaplan for having the idea and to the ABA staff for pulling it off.
Shelf Awareness will run highlights from the Institute over the next few days, starting below with more information on John Rubin's Above the Treeline program.