Southern California Forum Focuses on Education

On Tuesday, April 4, at the Hilton Waterfront Hotel in Huntington Beach, the American Booksellers Association held a Booksellers Forum and Education Program in conjunction with the Southern California Booksellers Association's (SCBA) Spring Meeting. Nearly 50 booksellers from the region attended. Programs included ABA's "How to Do a Customer Survey: A Case Study" and SCBA's "Promote Your Store." A lunch, sponsored by Partners West, featured Christopher Moore (A Dirty Job, Morrow).

Representing ABA at the meetings were CEO Avin Mark Domnitz, COO Oren Teicher, and Len Vlahos, director of BookSense.com and of ABA's education program.

"I thought it was great," said SCBA Executive Director Jennifer Bigelow. "We had outstanding attendance. I do credit ABA and the success of the Winter Institute for drawing more people, as well as SCBA, which has been doing an awful lot to focus on providing tools to independent bookstores. And I can't forget Christopher Moore. He was fantastic."

"How to Do a Customer Survey" was presented by ABA's Vlahos and Casey Coonerty of Bookshop Santa Cruz, who until recently was working as consultant for ABA on the development of this program and other new educational offerings. The session covered how to create and conduct customer surveys to learn more about customers and their needs. Topics included the "nuts-and-bolts" of how to do customer surveys -- how to frame questions, administer the survey in the store and online, and analyze results -- through a case study of an independent bookstore that used customer surveys to get positive results.

Of the session, Lise Friedman of Dutton's in Brentwood said, "It was spot-on in detailing how you do it. I thought that we could do a survey and really learn some things. It made the whole idea of conducting a survey much more doable."

"It was very thoroughly researched in terms of usable information," said Terry Gilman of Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego, who added, "The handouts were really good."

SCBA's morning session "Promote Your Store" provided Stephanie Thomas, co-owner of Martha's Bookstore in Balboa Island, with a list of media outlets to send press releases. "We have certain people we send information to for author readings," said Thomas. "But we got a much more complete list."

ABA's Booksellers Forum followed "Promote Your Store." The forum, facilitated by Domnitz, Teicher, and Vlahos, focused on several issues of interest to independents: Book Sense branding; Constant Contact, an e-mail newsletter solution; and the upcoming Legislative Day at BookExpo America.

Friedman of Dutton's thought the idea of emphasizing "Independent Bookstores" in Book Sense material was important. She told BTW, "I don't always have the chance to talk with every customer and explain the connection between independent bookstores and Book Sense." Perhaps the additional emphasis, she said, "would make it crystal clear for people who don't have the time to talk to us."

The forum discussion about Constant Contact, a company that provides services to manage e-mail marketing campaigns, influenced Thomas and her sister and store co-owner, Kathy Wales. "We're definitely going to sign on," said Thomas. "We do like to send e-mails to our book club. And right now, while we're waiting to have a website, we can certainly have a better e-mail program to be in touch with customers. We never investigated it ourselves because we thought it would be really expensive, but the cost is minimal, especially if you have a small list."

After hearing about ABA's inaugural BEA Legislative Day programming, which includes briefs on current public policy issues affecting the book industry and an opportunity to meet with senators and representatives, Friedman was making plans to attend. "I'd like to be part of a group that... represents a lot of the concerns of booksellers and others in the book industry," she explained. "And I'd like to learn more about issues that concern bookselling."

The lunchtime author event with Christopher Moore was a universal hit among attendees. "He was fabulous," said Alison Reid of DIESEL: A Bookstore, which has locations in Malibu and Oakland. "I got to sit at his table. He's just downright funny, and there's no arguing about it."

Reid said she attended the Spring Meeting because she had learned so much at ABA's Winter Institute in Long Beach, California, this past January, and wanted to pick up some more tips. "The excitement of the Winter Institute carried over. I felt like everyone was being very smart, asking good questions, and exchanging information freely. I did enjoy it, but it ended too quickly." --Karen Schechner