Using IndieBound.org Book Lists for Your Store's Book Groups

Recent updates to IndieBound.org in the form of multiple book lists and widgets give customers new ways to shop indie bookstores. Booksellers can use these new features in interesting ways, too, even as tools for book group administration.

Using multiple book lists and the new book list widgets is an easy way to administer several book groups at once and to link to each book group's reading list from your store's website or blog. Or you can let book groups administer their own lists, either on the group's website or blog or via their profile on IndieBound.org.

All ABA member stores are listed on IndieBound.org, but to create book lists you'll need to create an individual profile (user account) by joining the IndieBound Community, and then become a fan of your own store. (Here's a tutorial for ABA Members on the basics of the IndieBound Community.) Take your book group reading lists and create a book list for each one (see Creating Book Lists). You can create as many book lists as you have groups.

All your book lists can be found from the My Book Lists link on your profile. For each list, there are several sharing tools available:

• Link book group members to the page with their individual list
  
  
• E-mail the list from IndieBound.org to all your members
  
  
• Print the list to hand out to members, complete with the contact information for your store (since you've added it as a favorite)
  
  
• Share an RSS feed of the list, with full book descriptions, on your store's website or blog

If your store website has e-commerce capabilities, a purchase link to your store will appear next to each title on the book group reading list.

Additionally, you can create a widget for each list. Add it to your website's book group page or to your store blog. You can also share the code with your book groups for use on their sites.

Book groups, too, can do all of these things to administer their own book group lists. By creating an account on IndieBound.org under the book group name and adding your store as their favorite, they can create lists and easily share them -- with all their members, with the outside world, and with their favorite store.

Stay tuned to BTW for more ideas and walkthroughs on how to use IndieBound.org features for store functions and promotion. If you have questions, contact IndieBound Outreach Liaison Paige Poe.