Making Information Pay 2010
Date: Thursday, May 6, 2010
Time: 8:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. ET
Location: McGraw-Hill Auditorium, NYC

URL: http://www.bisg.org/mip

Publishing Business Conference and Expo
Date: March 8–10, 2010
Location: Marriott Marquis Times Square, NYC
URL: http://publishingbusiness.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=1af1c1c1-b104-4d22-9da1-3f27bb48a3e9

BISG & NISO at ALA Annual Conference
Date: June 25, 2010
Time: 12:30 p.m.–4:00 p.m. ET
Location: American Library Association Annual Conference, Washington, DC
URL: http://www.bisg.org/events-0-511-bisg-niso-at-ala-annual-conference-2010.php

The Board of Directors of The New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association has written an open letter to Publishers and asked them not to cut Reps
It does seem to be a self-fulling prophesy. Publishers are cutting field reps because of dwindling sales with independent bookstores. However sales are likely to fall even further if you don’t have a person helping the buyer make sensible decisions for their store. It baffles me that publishers are cutting their sales staff now when a sale is even harder to come by. Until the day everyone is set up for web presentations there is nothing that replaces the face to face, deeply personal relationship that the sales rep has with the buyer.
The letter from NAIBA describes the situation perfectly:

We are alarmed with what appears to be a trend in the sales division of publishers–the removal of field sales reps to independent bookstores. This draconian move against our bookselling segment will be responsible for the disappearance of book culture.

Field sales reps are a crucial part of our business. Each regional independent booksellers association and Publishers Weekly honors an outstanding field rep each year. We can’t think of another publisher position that gets this recognition. We devote countless hours at conferences refining the sales rep/bookseller relationship. They are that crucial to us.

Restricting field reps to large stores will give publishers a skewed view of what is a very diverse world–independent bookselling. Sales reps take the time to know our stores, what our customers like, and what is on our shelves. They are the industry worker-bees, travelling the region, taking ideas and trends and pollinating other stores. We learn about other stores from them, what others are reading and loving; what is selling; marketing tips; event ideas; what the publisher is doing; and what authors have books coming out in the next season. They make fans for authors out of our frontline booksellers. They cut through the catalogs to make sure we carry what we’ll be able to sell, and their endorsements are why we buy what we might have ignored.

These reasons are why cuts in field sales reps devastate us. Have you really thought about what this stricture will mean to you? Fewer book sales. Without a doubt, we are not ordering as much through telemarketing. We are definitely not focusing on your backlist through tele-sales, and we definitely miss titles from the frontlist. We also don’t buy as much direct, which makes independent bookselling a less profitable business. The vicious cycle is that we buy less because we don’t have sales reps, and then you devalue our business because we aren’t buying as much as we used to.

We understand the corporate need to save money. There are more efficacious and less exclusionary ways to cut your budgets. You know what they are because independent bookstores have been telling you what they are for years. Cut multiple ARC mailings. Do away with promotional gimmicks that go from mailbox to garbage can. Consider publishing fewer titles, fewer hard covers, fewer copies. Take a hard look at celebrity advances.

We exist to sell your books, those unique and hard to place titles, not just the established authors. Field sales reps are the tools we need to do that for you. As much as you would like to think a tele-salesperson is doing the same job, you are sadly mistaken. A field sales rep is far more than a person filling in an order form.

Don’t cut our lifeline to your books.

http://www.apple.com/ipad/

Personally I liked the name Islate better but who am I to quibble with Microsoft.
iBooks
Here’s the books component:

“The iBooks app is a great, new way to read and buy books. Just download the app for free from the App Store, and you’ll be able to buy everything from classics to bestsellers from the built-in iBookstore. Once you’ve bought a book, it’s displayed on your Bookshelf. To read it, all you have to do is tap on it and it opens up. The high-resolution, LED-backlit screen displays everything in sharp, rich, color, so it’s very easy to read, even in low light.”
I’d love to know what people think of it.

I had the opportunity to spend some time this weekend with Rev. Becca Stevens. She is an Episcopal Priest who  founded Magdalene House, a two-year resident community and safe haven for women from the streets who are drug addicted, into prostitution, live in dire poverty and have criminal records. She is currently on an 8-city Prison Tour to visit women behind bars to share with them the message of hope and love as a  powerful force for change.It coincides with a book she wrote for Abingdon Press, called Find Your Way Home

Then, there’s Thistle Farms, the nonprofit business operated by Magdalene House residents. Thistle Farms products are handmade, natural bath and beauty products, and the women are involved in every step from their making to their marketing and selling. I attended a house party in New York City and when two women from Magdalene told their stories - there was not a dry eye in the house. When she spoke at Christ Church on Sunday I began to believe that this woman is descended from the angels. She is one of the most inspiring people I have ever met.

I hope you will check out Thistle Farms - www.thistlefarms.org and buy lots of products. Its okay to buy hers books too You will be contributing to an organization that really helps women and saves lives. As for me - I hope she starts a New York Branch because I will be the first in line to volunteer.

We have just updated our website with more helpful publisher guides. Please take a look when you can for info how-tos on book ads, tip sheets, BISACs, comparative titles, cover images, and more:

 http://www.straussconsultants.com/resources/effective-tip-sheet-guide

http://www.straussconsultants.com/resources/major-sales-accounts-image-specifications

http://www.straussconsultants.com/resources/comparitive-title-guidlines

http://www.straussconsultants.com/resources/book-advertising

Considering the current economic climate, it has never been a better time for publishers and authors to turn their focus to lower cost, high impact Internet marketing. Amazon Connect is one new vehicle for our Internet marketing efforts, which has great potential to drive sales.

Amazon Connect now makes it easier for publishers and authors to connect with consumers, while promoting their books and blogs. This free program allows publishers and authors to post messages directly to their readers. These messages appear on the consumer’s Amazon home page, on the author’s detailed book page, and profile page. Authors are also able to create their own profile page with personalized information. All you need is a blog that has the ability for people to subscribe to it through their RSS newsreader feed.

Authors and publishers are now more in control of the content on their books’ Amazon pages than ever before. There has never been a better time to start blogging!

From Nov. 9-16th the Miami Book Fair International will be showcasing authors, international books, Spanish books, children’s books, and more. The street fair portion of the Fair will be from Nov. 14-16th so bring friends and family.

On Sept. 19 at 12:30pm, the Publishers Advertising and Marketing Association (PAMA) will be hosting a luncheon with Arianna Huffington as the guest speaker. Arianna Huffington is an accomplished author of 12 books, nationally syndicated columnist, lobbyist, and founder of The Huffington Post. The topic she will discuss will be, “Game Change: How New Media Affects the Marketing of Books, Candidates, and Ideas.” This is a great opportunity to hear the thoughts of such an influential person and network with others in the book industry.

Place:
Doubletree Metropolitan Hotel
569 Lexington (at 51st Street)

Cost:
$75.00 per person

RSVP with company and attendee names to rsvp@pama-ny.org

On Sept. 25 at 6:30pm the African American Literary Awards Show (AALAS) will be held at the Harlem Gatehouse. This show celebrates and promotes the outstanding achievements of African American authors and writers in the worlds of publishing, the arts and entertainment.

Harlem Gatehouse
150 Convent Avenue at West 135th Street
New York, NY  10031

On from Sept. 27 – Oct. 4, 2008, Banned Books Week is the only national celebration of the freedom to read. It was started in 1982, to draw attention to the growing number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores, and libraries. During this week bookstores and libraries across the country will have special Banned Book Week displays and events. You can also purchase FREADOM gift cards for which 10% of sales will go to the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE)  to defend the freedom to read.

Banned Books Week is sponsored by the ABFFE, the American Library Association (ALA), the Association of American Publishers (AAP), the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA), and the National Association of College Stores (NACS). It is also endorsed by the Center for the Book of the Library of Congress.