Indies' Holiday View: Wary Optimism

by John Mutter with reporting by Kevin Howell, Bridget Kinsella, Claire Kirch, Judith Rosen and Bob Summer, PW Daily for Booksellers -- Publishers Weekly, 11/16/2004

Reflecting the sense in general retail that this holiday season will not be a blockbuster, many independent booksellers contacted in the past week by PW Daily expressed some optimism but also a certain wariness about Christmas 2004. Some booksellers were highly enthusiastic, and happy to say so, but others contacted for comment did not want to talk--mainly because of their glum predictions. As one New England bookseller who requested anonymity put it, "I don't like to be quoted unless I have something positive to say, and it doesn't look good."

Bad weather--in the form of hurricanes and rainy summers--have hurt some stores, and in a few cases, the effects continue to be felt. Feelings about the election were mixed. At some stores, customers continue to buy political books, while at others the intense election appeared to dull the reading habit. The state of the economy, which varies so much across the country, also colors booksellers' expectations.

Still, many booksellers are very enthusiastic about certain books--cookbooks are considered especially strong this year--and sales at a few stores have been boosted by popular signings or sales featuring authors.

Vicki Whitaker, manager of the King's English, Salt Lake City, Utah, said the store has had an uPWard trend in sales: September was "a tad lower," October was stronger and November "is feeling very good. We are coming into the holiday season very strong," she said. School book fairs and author events have helped, and "really strong titles this year" should help the store through Christmas.

At Prairie Lights, Iowa City, Iowa, political books have continued to sell even after the election, according to owner Jim Harris. The store has sold 164 copies of What's the Matter with Kansas? by Thomas Frank, 125 copies of Homegrown Democrat by Garrison Keillor and more than 400 copies of Jon Stewart's America. "Our numbers are up from last year," he stated.

As for the holiday season, Harris said there are "some books that are going to pull others along. But I'm always looking for those sleepers that are going to jump up and hit me over the head."

Spurred on by a non-holiday miracle, Bob Hugo, owner of three Massachusetts bookstores--Spirit of '76 in Marblehead, Andover Bookstore in Andover and the Book Rack in Newburyport--predicted "a real good Christmas." A major reason: "The Red Sox helped people's moods a lot."

At the Learned Owl, Hudson, Ohio, "sales are about the same as last year," owner Liz Murphy reported. Customers are in a good mood because a proposed strip mall on the edge of town was voted down, while a new downtown development opened to good reviews and is beginning to draw more customers.

To prepare for the season, Learned Owl is now open Friday and Saturday evenings to match the new shopping area. It's also holding two to three author signings each weekend and has about a dozen events scheduled between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Sales at Left Bank Books, St. Louis, Mo., "are a little bit down from last year," when there were some major events. "But if you take that part out of the equation," co-owner Kris Kleindienst said. "Sales are about the same." The store had done well this year with books critical of the Bush Administration, but those books now are "dead."

Like others, Kleindienst said America is selling well and that she expects Ruth Reichl's Gourmet Cookbook and The Complete Cartoons of the New Yorker to help cash registers ring. In addition to author events, "we're throwing our unused coop dollars [amounting to several thousand dollars] into advertising this year," Kleindienst stated. The ads will go mainly in print media, including alternative newspapers and the local gay and lesbian newspaper.

Scott Meyer, who owns Merritt Bookstores in Millbrook, Cold Spring and Red Hook, N.Y., said that the three stores' soft sales have been offset by offsite author events. The election and focus on current events have hurt sales of "good fiction and good children's books." On Election Day, Meyer was on the radio promoting titles dealing with healing and acceptance. "I'm tired of all the negativity in the current affairs books," he said. "That's caused a lot of grief."

Pam Price, owner of Book Shop of Beverly Farms, Beverly Farms, Mass., professed optimism about holiday sales although she said, "We're going to do the best we can to keep it as flat as possible. It's been challenging." She called the elections unhelpful because "everybody seemed very uncertain" beforehand.

To try to improve sales, Price is doing more out-of-store events, including a nursery school book fair, which normally the store would not have done. She explained the change: "There is so much competition nowadays, especially for young parents to buy books."

The election "made everything soft compared to previous years," according to Tracy Taylor, manager of the Elliott Bay Book Co., Seattle, Wash. "People were cautious beforehand." The results of the election have not helped people in this blue state. "The city is depressed," she said.

Taylor hopes Elliott Bay will exceed last year's sales, "but I'd be happy if we met them." Besides the usual staff recommends, which include recommendations for gifts, for the second year store buyers will present holiday titles to customers, an event that will be listed on the readings calendar as a regular reading.

Sales at Readers' Books, Sonoma, Calif., have improved since the election, according to co-owner Lilla Weinberger. She hopes that the holiday will be good, but added, "I have my doubts," mainly because of the economy, which has been "way down" since August. "I don't see a major trend in the opposite direction. I would feel differently if the election had turned out differently and people would have felt buoyed."

This holiday season Readers' Books is promoting events and books with local appeal, such as a wine tasting for North American Pinot Noir by John Winthrop Haeger and selling The Olive Harvest Cookbook by Gerald Gass at the annual county Olive Festival.

At Mendham Books in Mendham, N.J., an upscale area, business "isn't boffo but it's solid," owner Tom Williams said, estimating that sales have been "up a smidge from last year." The store is "guardedly optimistic" about the fall. He, too, praised some titles, noting that cookbooks are a particularly strong area this year. Otherwise, the store is approaching the holiday season by "trying various things to make the shopping experience as easy as possible." This effort includes more author appearances during November and December (after not doing many for several years), looking for local authors, promoting the Book Sense gift card and extending hours at both ends of the day.

Despite election distractions and hurricanes, sales were up in the third quarter at Inkwood Books, Tampa, Fla., mainly because of two very successful events and an unusual arrangement whereby General Tommy Franks's Web site links to Inkwood's to fulfill reader requests for signed copies of his American Soldier. Arranged by Book Sense, the venture has led to sales of more than 350 copies. The General lives in Tampa. "We haven't had him in for a formal signing, but he either comes here to sign copies for Web sales or we go to his office for them," co-owner Carla Jimenez said.

The store doesn't have high expectations about holiday sales, "based mainly on what the media is reporting," Jimenez commented. The store is again offering several dozen staff picks at 20% discounts and free gift wrapping.

Eric Wilska, owner of the Bookloft in Great Barrington, Mass., said his store, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in May, suffered from a wet summer, with sales down 10% in July and August. Sales "popped back" in September, and October was up a little. The national election helped sales. "We sold a ton of books related to the election," he said. As for Christmas, "We have a lot of stock, and we're prepared for everything."

Kelly Justice, manager of Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, Va., is optimistic about the holiday season. As early as the day after Halloween, the store began to see shoppers buying for Christmas. "The local economy seems to be O.K., and downtown, where we're located, has for the most part recovered from the damage left by tropical storm Gaston late this summer." SEBA catalogues have proven effective, she added.

To prepare for the holiday season, she is educating the staff on stock and handselling. In early December, the store will hold its third annual Christmas party, where six or so local authors will read and sign for an afternoon.

Susan Daigre, owner of Bookends, Bay St. Louis, Miss., was also optimistic despite the "lingering effect" of Hurricane Ivan on the local economy and "not-so-good" sales going back to June. "You can't have been an independent bookseller with a 900-sq.-ft. store for 19 years and not be optimistic," she siad.

Still, Daigre is taking some measures that show signs of caution: she is trimming sidelines, not ordering any books that can't be returned and only stocking items "I'm sure I can sell during the holidays." She has several major events planned, including an appearance by Jill Connor Browne, who will sign The Sweet Potato Queens' Field Guide to Men.