Whirlwind at
NEBA
FROM PUBLISHING
TRENDS (OCTOBER 2002)
A
gulf hurricane’s leading edge was the only unwelcome
guest at the New England Booksellers Association’s
annual meeting and trade show, which blew into Providence,
Rhode Island on September 27. But the winds and heavy
rains were blamed for the thinner stream of booksellers
on the floor. Perhaps because of weather (or because
of flat sales), some stores stayed home or brought fewer
staff. It was a shame, because those on hand regarded
the programs as among the best ever. “We appreciate
the creative ideas NEBA stores use to capture market
share in the world of ever-increasing conglomeratization,”
said Sheri Strickland, Sales Manager for NEBA
Publisher of the Year, the University Press of New
England. “We appreciate the work of these stores
with smaller presses like UPNE to represent a broader
range of books to sell — which alone will help both
the stores and us to survive.”
In any case, survival seemed well within reach for attendees
such as Stan Hynds, Senior Buyer at Northshire
Books, who noted that “sales are up slightly so
far this year, thanks to a better than expected August.
There seems to be a lot of good fiction this fall and
for the holidays, which makes the end of the year look
promising.” Also, “with BEA so early this year,” said
Hynds, “many fall books that were not ready for display
then are available for perusal in Providence.” Hynds
happened to be eagerly awaiting the “Jump Starting Your
Business” session, in which Jeffrey Stamp, co-author
with Doug Hall of Measurably Smarter,
led booksellers through ten ideas developed by a group
of independent booksellers from around the country.
In another session, Jenny Lawton, the new owner
of famed Greenwich store Just Books (and the
recently opened Just Books II) joined a Sunday panel
on succession issues. “We need to bring more young people
into the business, so owners can have someone to whom
they can hand their business,” said Lawton.
The immensely popular Nanci McCrackin received
the Gilman Award for being this year’s “Outstanding
New England Sales Representative,” and Judy Blume
stopped by to speak out against post-9/11 censorship
in a Saturday session. NEBA reported that the Cromwell
School District in Connecticut is facing a petition
drive to remove Elizabeth Speare’s The Witch
of Blackbird Pond and Katherine Paterson’s
Bridge to Terabithia from the district (two residents
believe the books promote witchcraft). Meanwhile, the
panel “Sex and Drugs and Children’s Books” nicely complemented
talk of censorship. “How do you sell a book to a teenager
without scaring their parents away?” asked Alison
Morris, of Wellesley Booksmith.
The New England Book Awards were presented Sunday, and
went to Chris Bohjalian, Leonard Everett Fisher,
and Howard Zinn. Back on the exhibit floor, the
most popular new product appeared to be the LightWedge,
introduced by Jamey Bennett, best known for his
Book Wire role. But by all accounts the award
for in-booth author appearances went to Kensington’s
Holly Chamberlin, feverishly signing Living
Single while regaling visitors with her struggle
to look like her jacket photo.
We
thank Chris Kerr of Parson Weems for this report.
©2002
Publishing Trends
