Looking to increase revenue and bring in new customers on top of their regular, in-store business, a number of indie booksellers are turning toward business-to-business sales — large-quantity book sales to companies and organizations.

Six panelists joined moderator Richard Buthod of Turtleback Books for the session “Common Core: Insight From Industry Touchpoints” at BEA: Melissa Jacobs-Israel from the New York City public school system; Cheryl Dickemper of The Booksource; Kenny Brechner of Devaney Doak & Garrett; Phoebe Yeh, then of HarperCollins Children’s Books; Becky Anderson of Anderson’s Bookshops; and Victoria Stapleton of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

At ABA’s education session “How to Plan for a Second Location” at BEA, a panel of experienced booksellers shared their experiences of starting a new venture, including determining when to expand, arranging startup capital, finding a location, coordinating staff, managing inventory, and handling POS and store logistics. 

With BEA less than two weeks away, now’s a good time to revisit a checklist of recommendations from booksellers who are masters at navigating the trade show and accomplishing key business goals while grabbing galleys, attending educational events, and making new connections.

Shipping can be one of the most complicated — and costly — activities for any small business, but there are ways to reduce your shipping costs, including developing an inbound shipping management program, consolidating shipments, using the correct shipping mode and service level, and getting the best discounts.

At Winter Institute 8, veteran booksellers Barbara Theroux of Fact & Fiction and Bill Cusumano of Nicola’s Books joined Other Press Associate Publisher Paul Kozlowski and BEA Event Director Steve Rosato to give actionable advice on the best strategies for tackling BookExpo America.

At the Winter Institute session “Beyond the Traditional Author Event,”panelists sweet pea Flaherty of King’s Books, Lacey Dunham of Politics and Prose, and Lauren Savage of The Reading Bug addressed the logistics of planning successful and creative events to increase traffic and drive sales.

At the Wi8 breakout session “Nonfiction Buying With Core Curriculum in Mind,” panelists Becky Anderson of Anderson’s Bookshops, Kenny Brechner of Devaney Doak & Garrett Booksellers, and Richard Buthod of Turtleback Books explained how the new Common Core State Standards are impacting their schools, communities, and nonfiction sales.

Booksellers who hold in-store sales on New Year’s Day agree that it has numerous benefits. From how to handle inventory and merchandising decisions, to learning the best ways to promote the event, booksellers talked to BTW about how they make the most of a New Year’s Day sale.

As tax season approaches, it is important to remember that the Affordable Care Act includes small business tax credits that could help your business.