Focus Group Offers Insight on Spanish-Language Bookselling

Recognizing that the Latino population is the fastest growing minority group in the nation, the American Booksellers Association recently convened a Spanish-Language Bookstore Focus Group to gather information about the experiences and needs of independent booksellers serving Spanish-speaking communities.

The group, which was facilitated by Gary and Valerie Berman of Market Segment Research, met on November 18 in the context of the 2005 Miami Book Fair International. Participants were America Alvarez of La Moderna Poesia in Miami; Celia Brehm of Cultural Legacy in Denver; Dennis Evans of Sam Weller's in Salt Lake City; Elisa Garcia of ImixBooks in Los Angeles; Bruce Haberkamp and Ruby Haberkamp of Libreria Diamante in Gaithersburg, Maryland; Bonnie Olesh of Fifth Avenue Books in El Centro, California; and Luciano Ramirez and Tonia Ramirez of Latino Books y Mas in Palm Springs, California.

Key findings included in a report prepared by Market Segment Research for ABA related to the cultural backdrop of Spanish-language stores, customer demographics, marketing and advertising, and an exploration of Spanish-language stores' unique challenges and how ABA can help meet their needs.

According to the report, most booksellers participating in the focus group were motivated to start their businesses by a commitment to the Latino community, coupled with a passion for books. A number of these booksellers also provide vital services and resources within their communities -- playing an increasingly important role in helping new groups of immigrants to transition into the mainstream of life in the U.S.

Within the Hispanic demographic served by the participants in the focus group, the report describes two currents: the new immigrant/transitional customer who purchases books to self-educate or train, and educated Latinos who wish to maintain a link to Spanish-language literature and culture. Far from being monolithic, the Hispanic community in the U.S. includes a number of subgroups and Spanish-language booksellers must pay attention to trends and adapt to changing customer profiles and needs, according to the report.

Among their top-selling categories of Spanish-language books, the focus group participants enumerated children's books, followed by how-to books and fiction.

Not unlike many of their English-language counterparts, Spanish-language stores are using websites to promote themselves, and marketing activities include book fair participation, school visits, and participation in community events.

But, whereas English-language stores see their competition coming from chain bookstores, mass marketers, and online entities, Spanish-language booksellers do not view chain bookstores as a major threat to their existence, according to the report. They see their major competitors as mass marketers, such as Wal-Mart, Costco, and Target, and online sellers, such as Amazon.com.

Focus group participants described the need for a support group of their business peers and encouraged ABA to continue the dialog begun at the meeting in Miami. Many of the participants had been unaware of the services that ABA offers, but, according to the report, once informed, there ensued a lively exchange of ideas about how the association could help provide networking and educational opportunities. In addition, participants discussed the possibility of ABA instituting a Spanish-language Book Sense Program.

The Spanish-Language Focus Group will meet again in Long Beach, California, in January in conjunction with ABA's Winter Institute, to continue the conversation and will then begin to focus on ideas -- products and services-- for this market.

Book industry professionals interested in more information about ABA's efforts regarding the Spanish-language market should contact ABA's director of membership Marketing, Meg Smith, at [email protected] or (914) 591-2665, ext. 6641.