Tenth CIROBE Show a Knockout

News
Tenth CIROBE Show a Knockout Dick Donahue -- 11/20/00 By all accounts, the 10th edition of the Chicago International Remainder and Overstock Book Exposition (CIROBE) held November 3-5 was the best show to date. Looking back on the event--and on the nine CIROBEs that have entered the record books--it might be interesting to reflect on exactly what this show d sn't have. There were no autographing lines (indeed, not a celebrity in sight) and no panels on bookselling. There were no discussions on foreign rights, no clamoring for the white-hot galley du jour, no bickering over backlist discount offers. But there was the unmistakable hum of business being conducted, a steady scratching of pen on paper that signified a constant writing of orders. At the Time Warner Trade Publishing booth, inventory asset manager Michael Galvin told PW, "At last year's show, we moved 2.5 million units; this year we're going to do 3.5 million." Similar optimism was the order of the day at Thomas Nelson, where executive director of remainder sales Barry Baird said, "We've always done at least $250,000 net, and we should do substantially more this year." This was the fifth CIROBE for the Nashville-based religion publisher, and Baird added that he had "a large number of appointments with major dealers set well before the show." (Baird's enthusiasm was well-founded: he later told PW that he "wrote more business in the first day than in all three days last year.") With the opening of the doors, friendly bedlam prevailed. At the University of California Press booth, for example, it looked as though the 1848 Gold Rush was being reenacted, as eager buyers scrambled for the top titles. Inventory control manager Doug Wilcoxen told PW that the press's white sale assortments "are pretty well known among the regular attendees," and added that many titles "were gone within the first hour." As CIROBE cofounder Marshall Smith observed later in the weekend, "You have to be there to get the stuff that's relevant to your operation, because it's finite." Watching the opening-hour crowds mobbing the tables, it was clear that these buyers were practicing what Smith was preaching. As PW talked to exhibitors and attendees throughout the three days, a common thread emerged: how many ways can you say "bigger," "better" and "more successful"? World Publications was doing business to beat the band--literally. "We had a live jazz band in our breakout room," explained president Jeff Press. "We brought 17 people; it was just a tremendous show. And it was a fabulous show last year." World's business, Press continued, was "up at least 25% from 1999--and that's pretty good for an established company at a mature show." At the Texas Bookman booth, general manager Robert Wilkie said, "Our first day was as good a first day as any show I've ever attended, both in order count and quantity of orders." Overall, Wilkie termed CIROBE "by far our best show of the year--it has been for four or five years now." "An extraordinary show just keeps getting more so," agreed Don McGee, publisher of Courage Promotional Books, a division of Running Press. At Book Sales, sales director Joseph Fortin called it "an exceptionally brisk and busy show." Adding to the briskness was this year's tally of retailers. That figure, said Smith, was right at 1,300--"up 10% or 11%, which is a pretty significant jump after three years of just slight increases." Cofounder Brad Jonas added, "There's a maturity now about this show; buyers and sellers are understanding what g s on at CIROBE and how to approach it." The exhibitors' space, too, saw an extremely healthy increase: 460 tables, compared with 400 in 1999. Amy Simon, bargain products sales director for Advantage Publishing Group, took 11 tables, up from last year's seven--"and we could certainly have taken lots more." Bonnie Kaufman of I-Deal Books was echoing a common plight when she said, "Every year we get another table and every year we don't have enough room." Tamara Stock of Daedalus Books, which was one of several 10-year CIROBE veterans, offered a historical perspective when she spoke of the very first show. "There were no tables or chairs, and you couldn't see anybody as you looked around the hall. That's because they were all sitting on the floor, writing orders like crazy. But it was great; when the show closed, everybody said, 'Wow, let's do this again.'" She added that Daedalus was represented then with four tables and three staff members; this year, those numbers were 14 and nine. In all, 17 exhibitors were designated in the CIROBE program as 10-year attendees. They sported lapel pins that marked the occasion, and their booths were graced with striking floral arrangements, all courtesy of Jonas and Smith. The CIROBE cofounders were praised throughout the weekend. In the words of Don Sturtz of Chicago's Fujii Associates, "The organizers of this show are the most thoughtful organizers of any of the book shows. Nothing is ever too much for Brad and Marshall." David Schwartz, owner of the Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops in the Milwaukee, Wis., area, declared, "I have enormous regard for what these guys are doing. They are the brains and soul of the remainder business." "The buyers here are serious and make a serious commitment to the books" was how Abrams trade sales director Jonathan Stolper summed up CIROBE. Speaking of this year's business, he added, "We wrote more Abradale and white sale orders in the first hour and a half of CIROBE than we did for all Abrams publications at all the regional trade shows combined this past fall." Although foreign attendance was somewhat softer than in recent years (due no doubt to the strength of the dollar, many exhibitors agreed), Jonas noted, "The folks from overseas who did attend were very happy and bought aggressively." An especially pleasant development this year was the amount of new business written. As Simon at APG put it, "All the customers who should have been there were there, the friendly faces that we expect and love to see. But when we got back, we were surprised to see the size of our new orders file--I'd guesstimate that, in terms of orders written, they represented 20% of the total." That number dovetails with Jonas's estimate of new attendees in general--"about 20%, which is a greater figure than at past shows." Happy Retailers One of those new faces was Cadigan Gregory, who buys bargain books for the three Toadstool Book Shops in Peterborough, Milford and Keene, N.H. "I think this show is a gas," she enthused. "Last year, I was trembling with anxiety that I was going to be fired, because I bought so much. But every one of the books I bought was gone by Christmas. I guess it's just like [the movie] Field of Dreams: If you buy them, they will sell." More seasoned retailers, too, were delighted at the volume of business being conducted. Roberta Rubin, owner of The Book Stall at Chestnut Court in Winnetka, Ill. (a suburb north of Chicago), told PW that she hasn't come to CIROBE in four years, but is "perceiving a much greater market now for remainders in our store." Cookbooks, gardening and art were particularly strong categories, she noted. "This isn't like buying the latest Grisham," Rubin continued. "It's really important to be here, to see the books, to realize what tremendous values are available." Values, indeed, agreed Ed Devereux, owner of Chicago's Unabridged Books--a thriving independent that celebrated its 20th anniversary the day before CIROBE. "I never spend as much money in any four hours as I do here."

News

Tenth CIROBE Show a Knockout
Dick Donahue -- 11/20/00

By all accounts, the 10th edition of the Chicago International Remainder and Overstock Book Exposition (CIROBE) held November 3-5 was the best show to date. Looking back on the event--and on the nine CIROBEs that have entered the record books--it might be interesting to reflect on exactly what this show d sn't have. There were no autographing lines (indeed, not a celebrity in sight) and no panels on bookselling. There were no discussions on foreign rights, no clamoring for the white-hot galley du jour, no bickering over backlist discount offers. But there was the unmistakable hum of business being conducted, a steady scratching of pen on paper that signified a constant writing of orders.

At the Time Warner Trade Publishing booth, inventory asset manager Michael Galvin told PW, "At last year's show, we moved 2.5 million units; this year we're going to do 3.5 million." Similar optimism was the order of the day at Thomas Nelson, where executive director of remainder sales Barry Baird said, "We've always done at least $250,000 net, and we should do substantially more this year." This was the fifth CIROBE for the Nashville-based religion publisher, and Baird added that he had "a large number of appointments with major dealers set well before the show." (Baird's enthusiasm was well-founded: he later told PW that he "wrote more business in the first day than in all three days last year.")

With the opening of the doors, friendly bedlam prevailed. At the University of California Press booth, for example, it looked as though the 1848 Gold Rush was being reenacted, as eager buyers scrambled for the top titles. Inventory control manager Doug Wilcoxen told PW that the press's white sale assortments "are pretty well known among the regular attendees," and added that many titles "were gone within the first hour."

As CIROBE cofounder Marshall Smith observed later in the weekend, "You have to be there to get the stuff that's relevant to your operation, because it's finite." Watching the opening-hour crowds mobbing the tables, it was clear that these buyers were practicing what Smith was preaching.

As PW talked to exhibitors and attendees throughout the three days, a common thread emerged: how many ways can you say "bigger," "better" and "more successful"? World Publications was doing business to beat the band--literally. "We had a live jazz band in our breakout room," explained president Jeff Press. "We brought 17 people; it was just a tremendous show. And it was a fabulous show last year." World's business, Press continued, was "up at least 25% from 1999--and that's pretty good for an established company at a mature show."

At the Texas Bookman booth, general manager Robert Wilkie said, "Our first day was as good a first day as any show I've ever attended, both in order count and quantity of orders." Overall, Wilkie termed CIROBE "by far our best show of the year--it has been for four or five years now." "An extraordinary show just keeps getting more so," agreed Don McGee, publisher of Courage Promotional Books, a division of Running Press. At Book Sales, sales director Joseph Fortin called it "an exceptionally brisk and busy show."

Adding to the briskness was this year's tally of retailers. That figure, said Smith, was right at 1,300--"up 10% or 11%, which is a pretty significant jump after three years of just slight increases." Cofounder Brad Jonas added, "There's a maturity now about this show; buyers and sellers are understanding what g s on at CIROBE and how to approach it." The exhibitors' space, too, saw an extremely healthy increase: 460 tables, compared with 400 in 1999. Amy Simon, bargain products sales director for Advantage Publishing Group, took 11 tables, up from last year's seven--"and we could certainly have taken lots more." Bonnie Kaufman of I-Deal Books was echoing a common plight when she said, "Every year we get another table and every year we don't have enough room."

Tamara Stock of Daedalus Books, which was one of several 10-year CIROBE veterans, offered a historical perspective when she spoke of the very first show. "There were no tables or chairs, and you couldn't see anybody as you looked around the hall. That's because they were all sitting on the floor, writing orders like crazy. But it was great; when the show closed, everybody said, 'Wow, let's do this again.'" She added that Daedalus was represented then with four tables and three staff members; this year, those numbers were 14 and nine.

In all, 17 exhibitors were designated in the CIROBE program as 10-year attendees. They sported lapel pins that marked the occasion, and their booths were graced with striking floral arrangements, all courtesy of Jonas and Smith. The CIROBE cofounders were praised throughout the weekend. In the words of Don Sturtz of Chicago's Fujii Associates, "The organizers of this show are the most thoughtful organizers of any of the book shows. Nothing is ever too much for Brad and Marshall." David Schwartz, owner of the Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops in the Milwaukee, Wis., area, declared, "I have enormous regard for what these guys are doing. They are the brains and soul of the remainder business."

"The buyers here are serious and make a serious commitment to the books" was how Abrams trade sales director Jonathan Stolper summed up CIROBE. Speaking of this year's business, he added, "We wrote more Abradale and white sale orders in the first hour and a half of CIROBE than we did for all Abrams publications at all the regional trade shows combined this past fall."

Although foreign attendance was somewhat softer than in recent years (due no doubt to the strength of the dollar, many exhibitors agreed), Jonas noted, "The folks from overseas who did attend were very happy and bought aggressively."

An especially pleasant development this year was the amount of new business written. As Simon at APG put it, "All the customers who should have been there were there, the friendly faces that we expect and love to see. But when we got back, we were surprised to see the size of our new orders file--I'd guesstimate that, in terms of orders written, they represented 20% of the total." That number dovetails with Jonas's estimate of new attendees in general--"about 20%, which is a greater figure than at past shows."

Happy Retailers
One of those new faces was Cadigan Gregory, who buys bargain books for the three Toadstool Book Shops in Peterborough, Milford and Keene, N.H. "I think this show is a gas," she enthused. "Last year, I was trembling with anxiety that I was going to be fired, because I bought so much. But every one of the books I bought was gone by Christmas. I guess it's just like [the movie] Field of Dreams: If you buy them, they will sell."

More seasoned retailers, too, were delighted at the volume of business being conducted. Roberta Rubin, owner of The Book Stall at Chestnut Court in Winnetka, Ill. (a suburb north of Chicago), told PW that she hasn't come to CIROBE in four years, but is "perceiving a much greater market now for remainders in our store." Cookbooks, gardening and art were particularly strong categories, she noted. "This isn't like buying the latest Grisham," Rubin continued. "It's really important to be here, to see the books, to realize what tremendous values are available."

Values, indeed, agreed Ed Devereux, owner of Chicago's Unabridged Books--a thriving independent that celebrated its 20th anniversary the day before CIROBE. "I never spend as much money in any four hours as I do here."