The city of Providence braced itself this month as a group of rebellious malcontents descended on its convention center. Independence was on the minds of the booksellers of New England (as it was for their West Coast comrades last year) and, by the end of the weekend, independence they achieved. Through a slight adjustment of its name, NEBA became NEIBA, proving there is an “I” in “team” after all and it stands for Independent.
Standard software demonstrations notwithstanding (this time around: Above the Treeline and Constant Contact), linguistic adjustments popped up elsewhere throughout the show. During a panel on how to start a “Local First” campaign in your community, Betsy Burton of The King’s English in Salt Lake City urged compatriots to call themselves proprietors of “independent businesses,” not “mom-and-pops,” and never to refer to a “big-box” as a “superstore.” Stacy Mitchell, chair of the American Independent Business Alliance and author of the forthcoming Big-Box Swindle (Beacon Press), touted the economic and quality of life benefits that come from an alliance of locally owned businesses and the role of an independent bookstore as the axle in a community’s cultural wheel. Fittingly, Mitchell had to go to an independent publisher with her book not only out of commitment to her cause, but because several of the not-so-independent publishers wouldn’t touch it, not wanting to jeopardize their own relationships with national chains.
Spurring the attendees to think of themselves as “mavericks,” the consultants-cum-book writers William C Taylor and Polly LaBarre reprised the pep rally they gave at BEA. With case studies pulled from Mavericks at Work (Morrow), the duo showed how originality and a commitment to a “value system” as opposed to a business model drive successful companies. “Involve your customers” was their advice and in a tepid break-out session with LaBarre, booksellers brainstormed what new trails they could blaze. The consensus seemed to be that what independent booksellers do well already—special orders, co-sponsoring community events, dedicated customer service—may or may not be enough to compete with Amazon and discount stores, but that sacrificing their “low-tech” appeal wouldn’t necessarily help them keep up either.
Prize winners at the New England Book Awards luncheon lauded the people lodged between this rock and hard place. Children’s author Jane Yolen accepted her award with anecdotes about some of her more amusing and meaningful moments in bookstores, closing with a special “thank you” on behalf of all her legendary characters. Fiction winner Ernest Hebert reflected on the many thankless jobs he had before becoming a writer and acknowledged the audience for the hard work they do. The President’s Award went to Richard Ford who entreated booksellers to help rebuild New Orleans .
Commonwealth Editions took the prize for best publisher and enjoyed a privileged position front and center on the showroom floor. Across from Commonwealth’s New England-focused books, Fulcrum Publishing was pushing its Speaker’s Corner selections, a series about current events and controversial issues. Another series, the newly reissued Choose Your Own Adventure, garnered attention from children’s buyers and nostalgic fans alike. Random House prominently featured Frazier’s Thirteen Moons. Magnolia-caliber cupcakes from the Harvard Common Press stand kept the public satiated and publishers wary, though the prominent signs warning fairgoers not to take books without asking permission must have kept some sticky fingers away.
