Archive for category Get in Bed Project
Love an Indie #SIBA11 Membership Offer for Book Bloggers
Posted by Wanda in GiB Book Bloggers on May 6, 2011
Love an Indie #SIBA11 Membership Offer for Book Bloggers
Calling All Book Bloggers ! SIBA wants to make a trade. Place a “Find an Indie Bookstore” badge above the fold on the homepage of your website and SIBA will waive your $195 dues. Just let us know when the badge has been placed and we will mark you current. There are many benefits to membership in SIBA. Let us count the ways!
- Receive a complete contact list of all of SIBA’s member stores on demand—including contact names, email addresses, phone and mailing addresses via email.
- Three passes to the #SIBA11 Trade Show.
- Reduced prices for advertising & table rental at #SIBA11.
- Be informed. Stay in the loop. Don’t miss the numerous SIBA opportunities to connect with each other, indie booksellers, and the industry-at-large across the south.
We’re all in this together!
Steps to Love an Indie and become a member of SIBA for Free:
- Choose a badge and embed the appropriate code on your website, “above the fold.”
- Email wanda@sibaweb.com when your badge is on your site, and we will give you a free membership in SIBA ($195 value!)
| Badges |
|---|
<a href=”http://www.authorsroundthesouth.com/STARS/bookstore.php”><img src=”http://www.sibaweb.com/luv/baby175.jpg” alt=”I want to grow up in an indie bookstore!” width=”175″ height=”162″ border=”0″></a> |
<a href=”http://www.authorsroundthesouth.com/STARS/bookstore.php”><img src=”http://www.sibaweb.com/luv/redhead175.jpg” alt=”Dahling! Let’s meet up at an indie bookstore.” width=”175″ height=”175″ border=”0″></a> |
<a href=”http://www.authorsroundthesouth.com/STARS/bookstore.php”><img src=”http://www.sibaweb.com/luv/goldfish175.jpg” alt=”Gotta go…to an indie bookstore!” width=”175″ height=”164″ border=”0″></a> |
<a href=”http://www.authorsroundthesouth.com/STARS/bookstore.php”><img src=”http://www.sibaweb.com/luv/monsters175.jpg” alt=”all the cool aliens and monsters are at the independent bookstore!” width=”175″ height=”175″ border=”0″></a> |
<a href=”http://www.authorsroundthesouth.com/STARS/bookstore.php”><img src=”http://www.sibaweb.com/luv/prettygirl175.jpg” alt=”Going my way? I’m going to an indie bookstore” width=”175″ height=”175″ border=”0″></a> |
<a href=”http://www.authorsroundthesouth.com/STARS/bookstore.php”><img src=”http://www.sibaweb.com/luv/werelost175.jpg” alt=”I know we’re close to an indie bookstore” width=”175″ height=”130″ border=”0″></a> |
<a href=”http://www.authorsroundthesouth.com/STARS/bookstore.php”><img src=”http://www.sibaweb.com/luv/flowerpower175.jpg” alt=”Find an indie bookstore” width=”175″ height=”175″ border=”0″></a> |
<a href=”http://www.authorsroundthesouth.com/STARS/bookstore.php”><img src=”http://www.sibaweb.com/luv/catanddog175.jpg” alt=”We need a good home at an indie bookstore” width=”175″ height=”185″ border=”0″></a> |
<a href=”http://www.authorsroundthesouth.com/STARS/bookstore.php”><img src=”http://www.sibaweb.com/luv/moovealong175.jpg” alt=”Moooove along to an indie bookstore!” width=”175″ height=”194″ border=”0″></a> |
A Filly Ate? Affiliate? Affiliation?
Posted by Wanda in Get in Bed Project, GiB Book Bloggers, GiB Booksellers on July 26, 2010
Get in Bed # 4 af·fil·i·ate/v. əˈfɪliˌeɪt; n. əˈfɪliɪt, -ˌeɪt/
A filly ate? Whaa?!
–verb (used with object)
1. to bring into close association or connection: The Book Lady’s Blog is affiliated with the Fountain Bookstore.
2. to attach or unite on terms of fellowship; associate (usually fol. by with in U.S. usage, by to in Brit. usage): to affiliate with an indie bookstore.
3. to trace the descent, derivation, or origin of: to affiliate a book.
4. to adopt. As in Get in Bed with…
5. Law . to fix the paternity of, as an illegitimate child: The mother affiliated her child upon John Doe. As in get in bed with…
–verb (used without object)
6. to associate oneself; be intimately united in action or interest. As in both book bloggers and booksellers have an affiliation for books and the right to read.
–noun
7. a branch organization. As in SIBA is an affiliate to bloggers and booksellers via its Get in Bed Blog Project.
8. Commerce . Book Bloggers can affiliate with Indie Bookstores and share in the profits of books sold via their blog. Indie Bookstores can affiliate with any commerce concern that seeks to sell books online by sharing in the profits of books sold via the commerce concern. As to commerce, affiliate and reseller and often interchanged.
a. a business concern owned or controlled in whole or in part by another concern. As in the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance is affiliated with its bookseller members.
b. a subsidiary. The Get in Bed Blog Project is an affiliate of Get in Bed with a Book Blogger.
9. a person who is affiliated; associate; auxiliary. SIBA’s core bookstore members are affiliated with SIBA.
Use affiliate in a Sentence: “I look forward to the day where all of SIBA’s Indie Bookstores are selling books and ebooks online via their own websites and via affiliates of the communities they already support like book bloggers, authors, local schools, churches, libraries, other retailers, and more than I can imagine.”
FOR WEEK FOUR:
For Bloggers:
1. Check out some affiliate options by clicking on affiliate & affiliation throughout the above dictionary entry. Consider applying to be an affiliate of an indie bookstore.
For Booksellers:
1. See if your online shopping cart option offers an affiliate program.That’s it. Stop. More next week unless you’d like to do this *****BONUS ACTIVITY*****
Book Bloggers Get in Bed with Baby Boomer Booksellers!
Posted by Wanda in Get in Bed Project, GiB Book Bloggers on July 14, 2010
Get in Bed with a Bookseller #3
This information should not surprise anyone but, for the most part, booksellers are baby-boomers, and bloggers are not. Blogs have only been around in a big way for the past ten years while most bookstores that are thriving today are either brand new, or they are 25+ years old. And herein is an opportunity for you. Surviving and thriving over the last 15 years ensures outstanding bookstores that are well-established in the industry and able to provide you with contacts and information that could take years to gather on your own.
And because booksellers are often baby-boomers (as am I), we may have a tendency to think we know everything and many may need to be convinced to enter these partnerships. But together, we have the tools to convince them. So, what kinds of information does a bookseller want when considering a blogger as partner? Booksellers want someone who shares their passion for books as well as the First Amendment. That said,
FOR WEEK THREE:
1. Create a one-page with information you are willing to share about your blog. How many folks read it? What kinds of books do you review? Which is your most popular post? Where do you get your books from? Are you a customer/browser of their store/blog? What kinds of things can you assist with and what kinds of assistance do you need? How long have you been blogging? Why do you blog?
2. Visit your local independent(s). Introduce yourself. See if the store offers an affiliate program.
That’s it. Stop. Go post something. More next week.
In Search of Book Bloggers; Without Geography You’re Nowhere
Posted by Wanda in Get in Bed Project, GiB Booksellers on July 6, 2010
Find Book Bloggers Near YOU!
Now that you have your Twitter handle, we are going to identify book bloggers in our geographic area and reach out to them in some fashion. My first choice is to host a Bloggers in the Store Event where you invite bloggers to meet the staff, pick up a few galleys, and learn about the store and you. Down the road you might even add the blogger’s picks to your staff picks. Offer content for their website from your Top Ten Bestsellers of the Year to interviews with authors that appear at the store. The sky is the limit here. But there is no sky until you find the book bloggers.
Let me know you are participating in the Get in Bed Blog Project. Email me at wanda at sibaweb dot com. Thanks.
Visit the blog, get familiar with it, and post a comment or two on a recent post. While you are there, click on the contact or about button, and capture their email address. Also take the time to look at the web blogrolls. Often these are other bloggers that you can connect with. Build these relationships. Begin to build your email blogger list.
FOR WEEK THREE:
1. Visit GeoFollow, Location Based Twitter Directory http://geofollow.com/. Enter your state to get an idea of how many bookbloggers are around you. Now, I know these are Twitter folks and not all who Twitter are Book Bloggers, but all Book Bloggers do Twitter. Click through the profiles that show up in your search and find folks to follow and/or blogs to visit.
2. Begin to build your email blogger list.
That’s it. Stop. Go shelve something. More next week.
Awesome Readers Taking the Time to Share
Posted by Wanda in Get in Bed Project, GiB Book Bloggers on June 30, 2010
Get in Bed with a Book Seller #2
Celebrate independents week!
No single thing can endear you more to an indie bookseller than an authentic understanding of the economic, cultural, & social ramifications in the potential extinction of local retail businesses generally, and bookstores specifically. So, this week, we are going to get that authentic understanding.
Hello Book Bloggers, meet AMIBA; AMIBA, say hello to this thriving online community. AMIBA is short for American Independent Business Alliance, and Book Bloggers is short for Awesome Readers Taking the Time to Share.
This is taken directly from the AMIBA site as I could not say it better:
When in the course of human events, it becomes appropriate for communities to assert their independence, to denounce uniformity and celebrate their uniqueness, a respect for freedom and human creativity requires independent businesses and peoples to declare those elements which make them interesting. Join us in this annual celebration of our Independents!
Think of your favorite shop, restaurant, bookstore or service provider. We’ll bet it’s a home town business. Independent locally-owned businesses are essential to a vital local economy and community character. They use the goods and services of other local businesses, serve as community hubs, and are vital components of healthy neighborhoods and strong city centers. They’re where the locals go. They’re owned by our friends and neighbors, or maybe even by you.
The threat to our communities is real. Dependence on absentee-owned businesses and corporate chains carries many unhealthy consequences. It’s not just local businesses who suffer — our communities are losing social, cultural and economic strength, a place for entrepreneurship, and the ability to determine our own futures. But we have a choice.
AMIBA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to helping communities and independent business thrive. Our proven organizing models and assistance can help prevent the displacement of local independent businesses, ensure ongoing opportunities for entrepreneurs, and advance citizen engagement in community social, cultural and economic well being. The evidence of success isn’t just anecdotal; concrete data demonstrate the power of these local Alliances.
FOR WEEK TWO:
1. Read about independents week.
2. Celebrate a local business in your blog this week. If you want to get in bed with a bookseller, I’d make it about an indie bookstore, and I’d stop by the store to take some photos and let them know about the blog post. Let your readers AND your local businesses know that you care.
3. Share the blog post with me so I can link back to it.That’s it. Stop. Go post something.
More next week unless you’d like to do this *****BONUS ACTIVITY*****
Get a Twitter Account Right Now!
Posted by Wanda in Get in Bed Project, GiB Booksellers on June 29, 2010
Get in Bed With a Book Blogger #2
What good is Twitter?
I know how you feel about this. If you don’t have Twitter, or don’t use Twitter, or think Twitter is silly, or useless, please reconsider your decision not to participate. I rebuffed Twitter for a long time, didn’t get it, why only 140 characters, why would anyone care what I had for breakfast, or that I have a beautiful colon as declared by my doctor yesterday! What good is it? Who would I follow? Who would follow me? What does that even mean; followers!?!?
But I caved in and got a Twitter account to promote SIBA’s Free Book Stimulus Plan, and was amazed! Twitter is best when you want to know what your customers are saying about, and when you want your customers to know what you are marketing to them. Twitter is also best when trying to do anything else. And that is because it is a totally open platform much like the IPhone in that many apps have been written for Twitter so I need you to get a Twitter account today. It is FREE and it is POWERFUL!
Let me share a tale with you…I spent a Sunday morning trying to resolved an issue with my credit card company. I was angry after three hours with no result, and in a fit of frustration I tweeted the following:
3 hours, 6 phone numbers, 10 people! It seems that the managers at Company X are not allowed to speak to customers!
I even shared (in a screaming sound) with my husband that if Company X was smart, they’d have a Twitter account, but I was sure they did not! Imagine my surprise when I was tweeted back by Company X and they were able to resolve my issue in minutes. I then tweeted my gratitude and their competence. Company X could be Bookstore X, and Bookstore X could be YOU! Trust me here, and get your Twitter account today. I know you are asking – How does this help me get in bed with a book blogger?, and we will get to that, but for now:
FOR WEEK TWO:
1. Read Twitter 101 for Businesses.
2. Sign up for your Twitter Account.That’s it. Stop. Go shelve something.
More next week unless you’d like to do this *****BONUS ACTIVITY*****
Reader is Queen!
Posted by Wanda in Get in Bed Project, GiB Book Bloggers on June 22, 2010
Get in Bed with a Book Seller #1
Book Bloggers are Queen Readers
Why do book bloggers blog? Well, I hope they will let me know, but here is what I think: Book bloggers love books, love sharing about what they have read, and want to connect with other book lovers. Most book bloggers are something else as well, either full-time moms, librarians, booksellers, writers, students. But they are all readers and the reader is king in my business. (which led to my title, which led to my changing king to queen, which led to my putting this APB out for male book bloggers – please let me hear from you! )
Those of us in this industry of selling stories on street corners yearn to hear directly from “the reader”. Harry Potter, Nancy Drew, The Passage, The Stand, Stephanie Meyer, Sense & Sensibilities, James Patterson, James and the Giant Peach; oh, if you could only hear the conversations that go ’round and ’round about how to create buzz for a book, what causes a book to intersect with readers, what makes a book “fresh” or “a book club read”. And the book blogger is the new reader, and SIBA wants to find you and nurture you and bring you inside the circle. Partnering with an indie bookstore is your ticket to becoming an industry insider. We welcome you. It’s crazy in here but it is also where the stories are.
FOR WEEK ONE:
1. Watch this video, Independent America: The Two-Lane Search for Mom & Pop (this will help you understand just what bookstores are facing and their value)
2. Find an independent bookstore near you (http://www.authorsroundthesouth.com/STARS/bookstore.php OR http://bookweb.org/aba/members/browse.do) , if you haven’t already (learn who these fine folks are and that they love books just as much as you do)That’s it. Stop. Go post something. More next week.
Booksellers & BookBloggers, Spirited & Passionate
Posted by Wanda in Get in Bed Project, GiB Booksellers on June 16, 2010
Get in Bed With a Book Blogger #1
Booksellers are first entrepreneurs. They are spirited and passionate for books and their businesses in a way that many cannot imagine. These are people who want to build a business that serves their community, protects the First Amendment, and provides a cross-section of choices for consumers. And they want to be able to make a living, support their families, and provide for their employees. This is no small feat any time.
And especially now, booksellers are trying to do everything they have always done, and add a whole slew of new things to their day. Blog, Tweet, Post, Website, E-Commerce, Events, Newsletters, on, and on, and on and on. So SIBA wants to help you break it down. Let’s just do one thing a week. This week, I want you to learn about blogging, what it is, what it can do, and how you might not need to do it at all. You might only need to find someone who is already book blogging who can see that your established name in the industry, bevy of contacts, extensive expertise, and unparalleled passion is all they need from you to support you and your store’s efforts.
Take a stroll around The Book Lady’s Blog: Literary Adventures of a Panty-Throwing, Book-Loving Wild Woman. This is the blogger that has partnered with The Fountain Bookstore. Everybody wins. Fountain Bookstore promotes The Book Lady’s Blog at the store website. Kelly shares ARCs & Galleys with Rebecca. Rebecca has introduced some of her favorite authors at Fountain Bookstore’s events, and Kelly and Rebecca went to BEA together where Rebecca garnered favor with Kelly’s contacts, and vice versa. Kelly has enjoyed sales via Rebecca’s blog, Rebecca has garnered advertising for her blog, and both have gained some recognition in the industry as players.
FOR WEEK ONE:
1. Watch this video, Blogs in Plain English (this will help you understand just how blogs came to be and their value)
2. Read a book blog or two (http://bookbloggerappreciationweek.com/index.php/awards/2009) , if you don’t already (learn who these fine folks are and that they love books just as much as you do)That’s it. Stop. Go shelve or something. More next week.
The 2010 Get in Bed Blog Project
Posted by Wanda in Get in Bed Project, GiB Book Bloggers, GiB Booksellers on June 7, 2010
Bookseller & Book Blogger in Bed Together
The 2010 Get in Bed Blog Project is a summer-long project that will consist of weekly challenges to move you closer to getting in bed with a blogger or bookseller. Weekly, I’ll post an activity that will relate in some way to connecting book bloggers and booksellers. Each participant should spend the following week meeting the challenge. Some posts will be a blogger tip, and some will be a bookseller tip. We will begin next week.
If you choose to participate in this project, there is no obligation to participate in every challenge, and you can customize each challenge so it makes sense for your particular goals. Think of the design (and this post, for that matter) as similar to Sophisticated Dorkiness’ Blog Improvement Project (where I got my inspiration) — participate when it makes sense for you. This is a group effort, because getting better is always easier when you have a support system, but the ultimate commitment remains with you — do you want to get in bed with a blogger/bookseller before September 25, 2010?
A word of note — I am no expert. I am not even a book blogger or a bookseller. I read a lot of blogs about books and am interested in social media, and I do everything I can think of to market indie bookstores in the south. One of the reasons I am hosting this project is because I want to support the “circle of books” – the connection between books, their readers and their writers. I believe in support systems, and think this will be a fun way to get in bed & get better together.
Booksellers & book bloggers that would like to be listed as participants need only email me at wanda@sibaweb.com
-
You are currently browsing the archives for the Get in Bed Project category.
Lady Banks Bookshelf
