Powell's Invites Booksellers to Think 'Out of the Book'

Powell's Books in Portland, Oregon, is inviting independent booksellers to participate in its soon-to-launch film project, "Out of the Book," by hosting screenings of the inaugural movie this June. The New Yorker will premier the film -- a 23-minute movie about a book by a bestselling, prize-winning author -- at a party in New York City during BookExpo America. Two weeks later, Powell's will offer the film, free of charge, to other independent booksellers as the centerpiece of a nationally promoted event series.

David Weich, Powell's director of marketing and development, told BTW that, although plans call for Out of the Book to develop into a series, Powell's is "currently focusing most of [its] energies toward the June debut." The subject of the first film is as yet undetermined. "We're still negotiating with several publishers," Weich said. But he expects to make an announcement about the book's title sometime next week.

The idea to create a short film about a book and author came about because Weich, who is charged with managing Powell's online content, wanted to be more proactive about promoting authors' works. "When writers blog for us Monday through Friday, for example, their rank goes up," he said, and the store has received testimonials from a number of authors regarding how well Powell's has promoted their books. Powell's now wants to turn that considerable marketing skill toward promoting books through films, which it will make available to other independent booksellers.

"We have a great relationship with other independents and felt that the amount of value we could offer publishers could only grow by working with other bookstores," Weich explained. "It seemed like a no-brainer."

Regarding how Powell's will choose the books and authors that the films will showcase, Weich views the bookstore's role as curatorial. "We'll choose a title the same way we would choose an interview subject on our website," he said. Additionally, staff will factor in whether a book would make a good centerpiece for an event at an independent store and whether the author has "strong support."

The film will feature interviews with the author; on-location footage from the author's hometown and from the work's settings; commentary from peers, critics, and fans; and original music.

Bookstores are invited to host Out of the Book events between June 13 and June 17, and each store can tailor its event to suit local interests and resources, supplementing the film with activities appropriate to the evening's theme. Weich noted that Powell's own Out of the Book event will be held at the Bagdad Theater, a brewpub/movie theater across the street from its eastside store. Powell's plans to invite someone from the local theater community to read a section from the featured work, and it also hopes to bring in two or three local experts to discuss the author's work and to answer questions from the audience. The price of admission will be one copy of the new book -- with a signed bookplate included, or customers may opt for a gift card of equal value.

For stores that sign up to participate in Out of the Book, Powell's plans to provide an array of materials:

• The film (on DVD or other setting-optimal format)
• Signed bookplates
• Display materials (posters and such to merchandise in-store)
• E-mail templates, including graphics (to help drive attendance and sales)
• A menu of ideas from which stores can craft events
• Lots of marketing. Dates and locations of events will be promoted to Powells.com customers by email and via a dedicated screenings page online. National events will also be advertised in the New Yorker's Summer Fiction double issue.

Weich is hoping that stores will display titles by the featured author for two weeks, before and after the screenings, though that will ultimately be up to each individual bookseller.

Interested booksellers should contact Weich at dave@powells.com or (503) 228-4651, ext. 5886. --David Grogan