Posts Tagged Blogger
Terrified to go to #SIBA10?
Posted by Wanda in Uncategorized on October 27, 2010
Submitted by
Michelle Cavalier, Owner, Cavalier House Books
michelle@cavalierhousebooks.com
http://www.cavalierhousebooks.com
I was terrified to go to the SIBA trade show! I opened my store in September of ’09, and it still doesn’t feel real, so I knew people were going to call me out on it. I thought that people would tell me I wasn’t a real bookseller and that I didn’t belong. Basically, that they would find me out and know my secret. I’m not a bookseller! I’m just a book lover. I don’t know anything about running a business.
And then I got there and I saw it. You are all just like me. Everyone in this business is in it because they love books. Yeah, they may be older and wiser than me and they may have some clue as to what it means to own or run a small business, but really I had nothing to hide or be ashamed of.
The day of education served to solidify this new belief. SIBA is, as the acronym allows, an alliance. The trade show was about being a book lover and learning to be a better bookseller. There were people here to help me learn the business and promotional stuff! I wanted to divide myself into several ‘mini-me’s in order to attend all of the available classes and panels, but alas there is only one of me. However, those I was able to attend were great.
First was “Get in Bed with a Book Blogger” with the bloggers from Beatrice.com (Ron Hogan) and The Book Lady’s Blog (Rebecca Joines Schinsky) as well as Kelly Justice, owner of Fountain Bookstore and SIBA president. I was so looking forward to this because I am ready to jump in bed with a blogger of my own. What should I expect of her? She of me? They answered it all and I am ready to implement their suggestions in my store and online. Then there was what I called the Malaprops’ Twitter Class. I asked several questions, but they were patient with me. I had no idea how Twitter worked really or the etiquette of it. Thanks to the Malaprops’ ladies I have been significantly more active on Twitter, but I still have a lot to learn (and a lot of first day of school awkwardness to get over).
I also attended two author panels (“True Southern: Books Steeped in the South” and “Cooking Up a Storm: Sharing recipes with readers”) as well as all of the author meals (wherein we did not eat authors, but listened to them speak). From the very first breakfast my TBR pile started growing and by Sunday evening it was taller than I am. How could I ever have been intimidated by these authors? They were all so eager to talk about their work and mine. Everyone was so approachable, and I realized – these are my people! Then the exhibits opened and I saw so many people geeking out over new books. It was so exciting and refreshing to see so many people as excited as I was about exactly the same things. Our collected passion: books!
The final coup came on Sunday morning at the “Good Ideas Breakfast.” I shared my idea of partnering with a local travel agent for literary tours, and they liked it. Everyone was so supportive. They liked my idea and counted me as one of their own. As it turns out, all of my insecurities were unfounded. I am not only a booklover, but a bookseller and business owner. So, thanks to you, my fellow SIBA members, for reminding me why I’m doing this in the first place. See you again next year.
Book Blogger Shows #SIBA10 Some Love and Then Some More
Posted by Wanda in SIBA Trade Shows on October 20, 2010
When I started my book blog a little over two years ago, book reviews were in a precarious place. Many of the traditional media outlets were discontinuing their book review sections and publishers and authors were looking for new ways to get their books noticed. They began turning to book bloggers to fill the void left behind.
As a book blogger who likes to feature book related content, as well as book reviews, I attend as many author and book events as possible. Quite often at these events, I find myself explaining (and sometimes defending) book blogs. That’s not the case at SIBA! I’ve been lucky enough to attend this wonderful event the last two years and have found that the folks at SIBA know the true meaning of Southern hospitality. I felt welcome and appreciated both years. Sure, people have questions, but only because they want to know more – they’ve never questioned my validity. This year, I was pleased to see that SIBA featured a panel encouraging booksellers to work with book bloggers.
Attending SIBA is like attending a weekend long book party, and it’s heavenly to a book geek like me. There’s not a whole lot better than spending a weekend rubbing elbows with bloggers, authors, bookstore owners and publisher’s reps. I came home tired, but also enthusiastic and refreshed! I love learning about new books, trends in publishing and book selling, and author’s motivations and goals.
I think so highly of the wonderful booksellers I’ve met at SIBA, I decided to create The Okra Picks Challenge to encourage people to read the fantastic Southern books being promoted by them. I am proud to feature Okra Picks on my blog!
I can’t thank everyone at SIBA enough for the warm welcome they’ve given me the past two years and I look forward to seeing everyone again next year!
Thanks,
Kathy, Bermudaonion’s Weblog
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.
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
Get In Bed With A Book Blogger!
Posted by Wanda in Good Gifts & Ideas on May 21, 2010
SIBA wants its booksellers to Get In Bed With A Book Blogger!
Some people are just made for each other. You have the space, the resources, the access to authors, the access to books. She (or he) has the audience, the reputation, the reach, the Internet savvy and the voice. It’s a marriage made in heaven. Or at least, a really fun fling.
SIBA is encouraging its booksellers to seek out partnerships with book bloggers to enhance their presence on the Web and extend their online visibility, not to mention help turn the Internet from something that’s “work” to something that’s fun. This is what Kelly Justice of Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA and Rebecca Joines Schinsky of The Book Lady’s Blog (thebookladysblog.com, @bookladysblog on Twitter) have done, and from the looks of the pictures, maybe they are having a little too much fun!
“Kelly and I have created a partnership that works so well for us we want to share it with the whole book world in hopes that other independent bookstores and book bloggers will try it!” said Joines Schinksy, commenting on the mutual benefits of their relationship, “As the owner of an indie bookstore, Kelly is focused on connecting to the local and national book community, bringing in fabulous authors, and maximizing opportunities to grow her store. As a blogger, I’m all about writing content, getting the word out, and sharing news with my readers, who hail from all over the planet.”
Justice notes that the partnership is flexible in its terms. She allows Joines Schinsky to pick and choose from among the many author events hosted by the bookstore. In return for a chance to interview the authors (and a review copy of the book) The Book Lady’s Blog reviews and promotes the book and event via the blog and on twitter. Justice and Joines Schinsky also work together to promote books that the two avid readers are especially excited about, and have recently begun a book club on Twitter to discuss “under the radar” books they feel worthy of notice.
It helps that bookseller and book blogger are so simpatico. “Kelly and I know that together, we can reach more readers, promote more authors, and help more publishers than we can individually,” says Joines Schinsky, “We’re looking into some cookbook promotions as well where we make recipes, taste and share the results online.”
According to Justice, the key to the success of the partnership is that it has evolved naturally, without hard and fast rules, and that both partners have a good understanding of each other’s mission. Both see themselves as “literary ambassadors” for the Richmond, VA area—dedicated to exposing their city to great writers and great books. “We’re lucky in that we just “get” each other,” says Joines Schnisky, “Fountain Bookstore is about fun, escape, and celebrating books and the people who love them, write them and publish them. The Book Lady’s Blog is about these same things.”
The informal partnership has been good for everyone: The Book Lady’s Blog gets access to more books and authors, and can take advantage of Fountain Bookstore’s industry connections with publishers, publicists, and book media. Fountain Bookstore gets near-constant publicity from The Book Lady’s Blog, free content that is well-written and matched to the store strengths, referred traffic to its Web site and social media accounts, extra promotion for its events and an enhanced standing with publishers—who appreciate the fact that authors sent to the store will receive extra coverage. Fountain’s customers get to find out much more about books and authors than they’d normally hear from standard publicity. And Kelly and Rebecca get to run around town doing photo shoots. It’s a win-win-win.
The success of the partnership between Fountain Bookstore and The Book Lady’s Blog has prompted SIBA to encourage other bookstores to use it as a model to develop their own relationships with book bloggers. In order to help its members find bloggers in their area, SIBA is developing a directory of Southern Book Bloggers that it will help to “match” with area indie bookshops. Booksellers and Book bloggers who are interested in being a part of the project should contact SIBA Executive Director Wanda Jewell at wanda@sibaweb.com.
*photo was taken by P.J. Sykes www.intheblackandwhite.com @PJSykes on Twitter
*bed was located in La Difference in Richmond http://www.ladiff.com/ @LaDIFF on Twitter
*Hair by Jamie Lewis
(All indie business people in Richmond, VA #rva)
