PW: All Together Now: Doig!

[ PW Home ] [ Bestsellers ] [ Subscribe ] [ Search ]

Bookselling

All Together Now: Doig!
Barbara R ther -- 5/29/00
Two indie bookstores rally the town of Port Orchard to read Ivan Doig's This House of Sky

Visitors to the town of Port Orchard, on West Puget Sound in Washington State, might have thought they had stumbled into a literary mecca when they saw stretched across the main street a banner proclaiming "Port Orchard Reads." Not only d s the town read, but from April 10 to May 15, its citizens all read the same book: Ivan Doig's 1978 classic This House of Sky: Landscapes of a Western Mind (Harcourt).

Two independents, Bell Book & Candle and Armchair Books, both of Port Orchard, along with the Kitsap Regional Library, spearheaded the event, which culminated with an appearance by Doig on May 15.

According to Ruthanne Devlin, owner of Bell Book & Candle, a 3,000-sq.-ft. retail store with adjoining cafe located in an old Victorian building, the idea was born during a library brainstorming session on how to increase the number of participants in local reading groups. The group recalled a Seattle program last year entitled "What if We All Read the Same Book?" that had been a big success.

Devlin librarian Martha Knapp and Armchair Books manager De De Teeters immediately suggested This House of Sky. "Doig is a well-known author who lives in Seattle, and this is a classic book about the West that appeals to both men and women," explained Devlin. "It also had the personal perspective, which lends itself readily to discussion groups. There was no second choice."

"We didn't think at the outset that we would be able to entice Doig to our town, but he very graciously agreed to come, because he likes the idea so much," continued Devlin. The fact that Harcourt had recently released a new paperback edition of the title had helped to put the book in their minds, and Harcourt was very supportive of the whole effort, supplying large mounted posters and other marketing materials for the prominent displays at both store locations.

A free reader's guide, written by Knapp, was available to readers at the bookstores and at the library, where several discussion groups met during the reading period. Having the support of the library, which scheduled the event to coincide with National Library Week, as well as the local paper, was critical to the program's success. Happy to encourage a community-wide effort in support of literacy, the Port Orchard Independent announced the event with a front-page photo of Ivan Doig and ran a calendar listing of discussion groups and meeting times.

The library ordered 20 new copies of This House of Sky for the reading, and Bell Book & Candle and Armchair B0oks each sold 30 books in the first week following the announcement. Both stores collectively sold about 40 more copies at the Doig's appearance, which took place at Port Orchard's Givens Community Center. David Nelson, Harcourt's vice-president of sales, flew in from New York City to attend.

To the delight of the more than 175 people who came, Doig spent time talking with those in line and began signing books even before the event started. Doig then spoke and answered questions about family, history, the West and other themes from This House of Sky for nearly two hours.

"Every chair in the house was taken," noted Devlin. "Listening to people in my store and at this event showed me just how much a book can mean to someone. We were all reminded that books really can change peoples' lives."

Though there are nine bookstores in and around Port Orchard (a town with a population of nearly 7,000) most are used or specialty bookstores. Cooperation between Armchair and Bell Book &Candle, the town's two full-service independent stores was essential to the project, according to Devlin.

"We have learned to support each other even though our tastes are different. If I don't have a book and a customer d sn't want to order it, I will send them over to De De," Devlion told PW. "We'd much rather keep the sale in town than have a customer drive half an hour to the Borders in Tacoma, or in the other direction to the Barnes & Noble in Silverdale."

Both women agreed that independents can accomplish more together than they can as single entities. The two had previously worked together in a small organization called Independent Booksellers of the West Sound. Most of the group's 20 members were also members of Book Sense. The group sponsored a booth at the Seattle Book Festival and later joined up to order art books at Christmas time.

"As soon as this began, we started fielding calls from nearby stores. Everyone who has heard of this event wants to join in," Teeters told PW. "We are expanding our plans for next year, and will include several nearby communities in an event called Kitsap County Reads."
Back To Bookselling
--->