Indie Bookstore Participation Sought for "Independent Retailer Watch"

April 15, 2008

Book Publishing Report, which for 33 years has been providing business-related trade news to publishers, is hoping to increase its contacts among independent booksellers. Not as readers, for the $695 a year subscription for the newsletter is a good deal more than most indies could budget, but rather as participants in its monthly "Independent Retailer Watch."

In 2007, the newsletter began asking independent booksellers survey questions designed to highlight different aspects of independent book retailing. The inquiries began with phone calls to approximately 15 independents, but "I discovered very quickly that independent booksellers are very web savvy and responded very favorably to online surveys," said Michael Norris, senior analyst and editor of Book Publishing Report. The survey pool is now approximately 100 booksellers, who this month are answering the question, "What was the store's most unusual or satisfying sale?" Norris shares the full survey results with all participating booksellers.

The survey topics range from yearly sales, to use of technology, to marketing. On the macro level, the January 2008 issue of Book Publishing Report included survey results that noted that approximately 47 percent of those responding had 2007 holiday seasons that were either "slightly better" or "significantly better" than 2006, with children's books being the strongest category for '07. The February issue's "Independent Retailer Watch" noted that, of the 107 stores participating in the survey, almost 47 percent had an increase in business of five percent in 2007, with 25.2 percent reporting '07 sales growth of 10 percent or more.

Norris said that he has gotten favorable feedback regarding the department from his publisher readers, adding that "they are subtly reminded that independent booksellers matter." He noted that as the pool of respondents has grown, the results "are moving beyond the snapshot phase" and that "part of the fascinating things I found as trends" have come from the some of the open-ended questions included in the surveys.

The biggest trend Norris has noted concerns the importance of community ties to independent booksellers. Those stores that had the best 2007 results "were the ones who had real strengths in their communities ... the ones that are the most connected to their communities are the ones who have said they had a stellar year -- they are centers of their communities." Noting the recent reports citing high percentages of Americans who have not purchased a book over the past 12 months, Norris said, "I've always told publishers, if they want to grow the business," they must be mindful of independent booksellers, "for books have to be sold one at a time, and that's why independent booksellers are so important."

Independent booksellers who would like to participate in Book Publishing Report's "Independent Retailer Watch" should contact Norris at mnorris@simbainformation.com. --Dan Cullen

Topics: News - Bookselling,