We were sidetracked yesterday by the latest in the PGW drama, but
now we're returning to coverage of the ABA's Winter Institute. Below is
a story based on the handselling session; we'll have more stories next
week.
By the way, Bookselling This Week has a nice photo montage of the Winter Institute and a "bookseller's chronicle"
of the experience by the charming, lively Jessica Stockton, events
coordinator for McNally Robinson Booksellers in New York City.
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One form of handselling at Vroman's, Pasadena, Calif., consists of the
store supporting a book store-wide "if five or more staff members read
and like it," Allison Hill said. "It has to be of universal interest,
something that you might pick for a book club." The store promotes the
titles with press releases and shelf talkers, among other things. The
last such pick was Any Bitter Thing by Monica Wood, which sold 900
copies at Vroman's. Hill said that other forms of handselling at the
store include having blogs, linking with author sites, creating a store
MySpace page, participating in the One City, One Book program and
"getting on board with the library." Another form of handselling is
building personal relationships, which Hill said can be crucial. "I
shop at my grocery store only because the cashier knows my name," she
said.
Hill also emphasized that stores make sure that staff know
the importance of handselling. "Many of them don't realize how much
power they have to put the right book in the right person's hand," she
commented. Handselling can make staff members enjoy their jobs
more.
This past holiday season, for the first time, Vroman's conducted
handselling training for the staff, which she called "a lot of fun."
Such training is important because "sometimes we assume there's an
understanding," she explained, but "not all handsellers are created
equal. There are varying degrees of handselling ability."
Illustrating another way of involving staff in handselling, Amanda
Lydon, manager of Good Yarns Bookshop, Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y., said
she asks that at staff meetings, everyone "bring a book to handsell and
talk about it."
Hill also pointed out one of many reasons to speak positively of books
and authors. At a store where she used to work, a bookseller reacted to
a customer's interest in a particular title by saying, "Dude, you don't
want to buy this. It's crap." The customer turned out to be the author
and was very displeased. "We heard from his publisher the next day,"
she said with a shudder.
The ABA's Len Vlahos commented: "A good bookseller won't ever make a person feel bad."
Speaking from the floor, Joe Drabyak of Chester County Book & Music
Co., West Chester, Pa., said that he tries to find customers'
"parameters" and not offend them by asking for their last favorite book
and last book they didn't like.
Vlahos noted that "consumers are being trained to rely on peer
recommendations as much as professional recommendations," in part
because many people think professional recommendations are paid for.
Because of higher trust levels for independent stores, booksellers have
"a real opportunity." In cases where customers are buying for someone
whose tastes they don't know, Vlahos suggested offering gift cards.
Such a solution can work well for people who want a gift for a
grandchild.
At least one study has shown that 55% of children's bookstore sales are
handsold vs. 33% for general bookstores. A suggestion was made that
staff should be paid a half hour to read or skim through children's
books. Valerie Koehler of Blue Willow Bookshop, Houston, Tex.,
concurred, saying, "If your staff isn't reading children's books,
you're shooting yourself in the foot. Everybody's grandchild is gifted
and deserving. People are much more willing to put out money for their
grandchildren and children than for themselves."
Sidelines should also be handsold, the group agreed. Allison Hill
commented: "There's no reason nonbook merchandise cannot be staff
picks." She suggested explaining to staff members about sidelines'
better margins, and said for those squeamish about selling sidelines,
"I'd rather have a customer end up buying a gift nonbook than nothing."
Vlahos stressed that "non book items complement rather than supplement
books." And, he continued, "a good book buyer does not necessarily a
good nonbook buyer make."--John Mutter