Now We Are 10: Upbeat and Energetic Winter Institute Celebrates Anniversary and Indie Bookstores

The 10th anniversary celebration of the Winter Institute (Wi10), held this week in Asheville, North Carolina, brought more than 500 ABA member booksellers, 100-plus authors, and close to 20 international guests from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, and France to the stunning setting of the historic Grove Park Inn.

Wi10 featured three days of keynote addresses and featured speakers, education sessions, rep picks presentations, publisher/bookseller focus groups, and breakout sessions, and the event received the generous support of lead sponsor Ingram Content Group and a record-breaking 63 publisher sponsors.

ABA President Steve Bercu of Austin, Texas’ BookPeople welcomed booksellers to the opening plenary on Monday, February 9, in the Grand Ballroom at the Grove Park Inn ahead of speaker Steven Johnson’s talk.

“When we began planning for this year’s Institute, we wanted it to be memorable and fun, and we wanted it to highlight the unique characteristics that have helped fuel the resurgence of indie bookstores — especially the power of localism and indie businesses,” said Bercu. “It’s hard to imagine a better example of what Indies First is all about than our host city, Asheville, home of the great Main Street businesses we visited yesterday on the Indie Crawl.”

Acknowledging that 2014 proved to be a positive year for many booksellers, Bercu added, “After our many years of hard work, it’s become clear customers are realizing the importance of shopping at locally owned stores.”

Bercu also took the opportunity to acknowledge and to thank outgoing ABA Chief Financial Officer Eleanor Chang, who is retiring at the end of this month and who received a loud round of applause from the several hundred breakfast attendees. Looking back over her 28 years as CFO, Bercu said that Chang’s “insightful management of ABA’s finances and her unwavering commitment to indie booksellers has played a critical role in fulfilling ABA’s mission.”

Before the opening reception on Sunday evening, activities available to booksellers included tours of the Biltmore Estate, historic Asheville, and the Thomas Wolfe Memorial, as well as a self-guided tour through Asheville’s downtown commercial area. Sunday afternoon’s Indie Crawl directed booksellers to 14 independent businesses, which offered special treats and unique merchandise. Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café was bustling with badge-wearing visitors, who admired the eclectic variety of books and gift items throughout the store. Though weekends are generally busy at Malaprop’s, Sunday afternoon was “even more fun and exciting with booksellers coming in, because it makes for different conversations than with typical customers,” said bookseller Molly Brewer.

To prepare for their Winter Institute visitors, she said Malaprop’s staff spruced up the store with clever, new displays and a fresh selection of staff picks. Gift bags for visiting booksellers were stuffed with items from local businesses and artisans, including bookmarks, postcards, a “Yay, books!” magnet and catalog, calendar dishtowels from Poetic Nesting, and a map of Asheville.

Booksellers who gathered in the aisles of Malaprop’s reminisced about Winter Institutes of the past and the long-lasting relationships built at these events. Judith Lafitte of Octavia Books in New Orleans, who has attended nine Winter Institutes (only missing Kansas City due to the snow), noted, “It’s about making that connection and putting a face to a voice or an e-mail address. I love that personal connection.”

On Sunday evening, downtown Asheville’s The Venue had provided a unique setting for the Winter Institute Opening Reception, co-sponsored by Shelf Awareness. A banner proclaiming “We Are Ten” celebrated both a decade of Winter Institutes and Shelf Awareness’ 10th year in business. The packed event buzzed with booksellers, publishers, and authors, and, greeting the Wi10 attendees, CEO Oren Teicher said, “If anyone has doubts about the vitality of independent bookselling, they should be in this room right now.”

To top off the night, North Carolina publishers invited booksellers to “The Carolina Speakeasy” at Elaine’s Dueling Piano Bar at the Grove Park Inn. The event’s sponsors were Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, Duke University Press, John F. Blair Publishers, Lookout Books, University of North Carolina Wilmington, and University of North Carolina Press.

Throughout the full days of education on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (see this week’s related stories as well as upcoming editions of BTW), booksellers were treated to special events each evening, courtesy of Wi10’s sponsors.

Monday featured the Scholastic Meet & Treat After Party at the Century Room, above Pack’s Tavern.  Booksellers were met with an ice cream feast and had the opportunity to meet some of the publisher’s children’s and YA authors, including Pam Muñoz Ryan, Ally Carter, Sarah Weeks, and Dan Gemeinhart.

Tuesday evening was capped by the Author Reception, which was again a highlight of the Winter Institute. Booksellers packed the Grand Ballroom to meet more than 70 authors and illustrators and to fill their tote bags with books and galleys. Asheville’s ZaPow! art gallery showcased literary artwork created especially for Wi10, and the American Booksellers for Free Expression auctioned off works donated by children’s illustrators to support the free speech rights of young readers.

Enthusiasm for the 10th anniversary celebration of Winter Institute abounded at the reception, with many booksellers praising the setting, speakers, and educational programming.

Coming from Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Michael Webb was particularly inspired by John Green’s plenary talk, as well as the value of learning from fellow booksellers’ experiences. “I think the education is rejuvenating and inspirational. It makes you feel good,” he said.

Harriett Logan of Loganberry Books in Cleveland, Ohio, felt that the advanced learning session for owners and managers that focused on human resources for small businesses was the highlight of the educational programming. “It was worth the price of admission,” she said. “I could have sat there for six hours.”

Wednesday at the institute had a great start with what many booksellers characterized as an inspiring keynote address by author Azar Nafisi, who drew a standing ovation from the packed ballroom. The bookselling industry is not going anywhere, Nafisi said, because booksellers provide an essential service: books perpetuate the democratic imagination necessary for a culture’s survival. Independent booksellers, she added, encourage the curiosity essential for a free society.

The highlight on Wednesday was also on small and university presses at both the Books and Authors Lunch and at the Small and University Press Authors Closing Reception.

Watch for reports on Wi10’s education sessions and featured talks in upcoming editions of BTW.

See today’s BTW reports on Monday and Tuesday’s plenary sessions and the first ABA Town Hall. —Sydney Jarrard and Liz Button