Going Back to Cali

By Len Vlahos, ABA Chief Program Officer

"Legislature at budget impasse; state on verge of default."
"Screen Actors Guild set to strike."
"Manny coming back to Dodgers."

Being the largest city in the most populous state and home to the gatekeepers of pop culture, Los Angeles always garners lots of attention. But one thing you don't hear often enough is how the close-knit community of engaged and energetic booksellers is keeping the real culture of L.A. alive. I was happily reminded of this when I recently attended the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association Spring Meeting in Pasadena.

The American Booksellers Association is taking a one-year breather from our normal schedule of spring forums -- partly to control our budget, and partly to give members a break from days out of the store during a down economy. But since I was already scheduled to be in Anaheim to present education sessions at CAMEX (the trade show and conference for college stores) and the timing coincided with what SCIBA had already planned, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to spend a day with some of my favorite booksellers.

The day started like any day in Southern California -- cold, windy, and gray. Seriously, it looked like Scotland outside my hotel room window. Dressed in layers, I walked the half-mile from my hotel to the event with my hands in my pockets and my collar turned up, and hoped that the weather wasn't some Macbethian bit of foreshadowing of my day. As I entered the ballroom, however, I was immediately put at ease by the 30-plus people in attendance.

After SCIBA members were treated to very enjoyable discussions featuring two authors -- Jennie Nash (The Only True Genius in the Family) and Peter Lerangis (The Sword Thief), Patrick Brown and I took the stage for the maiden voyage of ABA's education session "Social Media and the Independent Bookseller." ABA staff developed this session to present at BookExpo America this May, and we were happy to have the opportunity to preview it for a room full of Internet savvy members.

Patrick is Vroman's webmaster, but that title doesn't do him justice. In our universe, he's one of, if not the, leading expert on how and why to use social media. And he's a nice guy and a good communicator, to boot. In short, Patrick made me look and sound much smarter than I usually pretend to be. (See a video excerpt of our session here, and learn much more at ABA's Day of Education at BEA.)

What made the session so much fun were the great questions from the booksellers in attendance. We had a vibrant give-and-take about how booksellers and consumers are using tools like Facebook, Twitter, and Vimeo to engage in conversations both whimsical and substantial, and how independent booksellers would be well served to participate in that dialogue, and to cultivate those relationships.

After the session, I segued into the ABA forum. A town-hall style meeting, the forum provides ABA staff (in this case, me) with an opportunity to hear what issues are of concern to members, and how they'd like their trade association to respond. The conversation was both lively and productive, and centered around several topics, with e-books at the top of the list.

Having recently authored a paper on the impact of digital content on independent bookstores, I was delighted to hear how interested Southern California booksellers were in the topic. It seems that a consensus is building that, while e-books won't replace p-books, they will have an impact on our business, and sooner rather than later. I explained ABA's plans to develop e-content tools for the newly upgraded ABA E-Commerce Solution sites, and our plans to continue to carefully monitor developments. Other topics discussed included BEA's decision to settle in New York, and how to make IndieBound.org a stronger site.

I took a break while attendees were treated to excellent presentations from Baker & Taylor, Ingram, and Partners West, as well as an update from Maret Orliss of the L.A. Times Book Festival.

SCIBA also presented details of two new initiatives that it's rolling out in the next few months: "SoCal Reads: A Regional Advance Access," similar to ABA's Advance Access program, but with titles tailored for Southern California, and "SoCal Readers: A Booksellers Book Club." Plans for the latter call for booksellers to attend rep presentations at SCIBA's offices and then choose one to three titles to read and promote on their store blogs, newsletters, in-store reviews, and on the SCIBA blog.

Last on the agenda was an ABA briefing on the fight for sales tax fairness, and the efforts of California Assemblyperson Nancy Skinner to introduce legislation to level the playing field for bricks-and-mortar retailers. (See related interview.) As most ABA members know, online merchants have, for years, been flouting well-established laws that require them to collect tax, by relying on dated notions of what might or might not constitute nexus. (Learn more about nexus and sales tax issues in general.) After the update, we were joined by Assemblyperson Anthony Portantino, who serves on the very important Revenue and Tax Committee in the California legislature. Mr. Portantino listened as booksellers in the room made a compelling case for Ms. Skinner's bill and urged him to support it.

With thoughts of sales tax, use tax, and the legislative process still swirling in my brain, I joined everyone at the "mashed potato bar." What's a mashed potato bar? It's a bar where you are served mashed potatoes. Seriously. And you know what? It's a great idea! I devoured some sweet and regular spuds topped with almonds, brown sugar, and more, and talked with friends new and old.

It was the perfect cap to the perfect day, and reminded me why California really is the Golden State, in spite of the weather.