Why Advertise?

Independent, community-based book stores were once the first place people looked for books, but beginning in the 1960s, chain book stores began appearing in malls across the country. These were followed by bookstores offering discounts on slightly damaged books or books that had been purchased from other stores that had gone out of business.

• Make the store a community-centered space. Host book signings and
  lecture series by authors, and keep books by local authors in stock.
  The more events that take place, the better.
• Encourage employees to be creative and come up with ideas for
  making the store more money. Employees may think of something that
  will even create a new job or role for themselves.
• Initiate a profi t-sharing program for employees to involve them in
  making the business a success. Post sales results from the same
  quarter in the previous year, so that employees know that they will
  receive a check at the end of the quarter if they exceed the past year’s
  quarterly sales figure.
• Offer free wireless Internet (wi-fi ) access for customers in a
  designated area of the store. Doing this will draw in new people. And
  people entering a store to use a wi-fi hotspot are likely to purchase
  something. Also, having a wi-fi hotspot helps give the store a
  progressive character.
• Hold a store wide sale on a particular day of the year, such as New
  Year’s Day. Publicize the sale during the month before the sale day.

Sources: Santa Cruz Sentinel, April 29, 2007; Publisher’s Weekly, April 30, 2007; ABA, February 21, 2007 and January 18, 2007.

Industry Resources:

American Booksellers Association, www.bookweb.org
Publishers Weekly, www.publishersweekly.com
Association of American Publishers, www.publishers.org