Third Place Books Has Broadsides Appeal

A broadside created to commemorate an appearance by John Dunning in March 2004.

How does an independent bookseller convince publishers that a bookstore can not only handle author events, but do it in a way that is especially pleasing to the author, as well as to customers? Lake Forest, Washington's Third Place Books found the answer in a series of broadsides created to commemorate store author appearances. Not only has the program drawn accolades from customers, authors, and publishers, the broadside program has generated the best kind of media attention -- free publicity. (In May, Third Place's broadside program was the subject of a feature by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's book critic, John Marshall.)

In 2002, Robert Sindelar, Third Place Books' managing partner, began by creating three special letterpress pieces of book art, or broadsides, to help Third Place stand out among other booksellers at the Pacific Northwest Bookfest. The pieces paid homage to Bookfest authors Michel Faber (The Crimson Petal and the Rose, Harvest), Nick Bantock (Griffin & Sabine, Chronicle), and Chuck Palahniuk (Haunted, Doubleday). They were so well received by everyone from Third Place staff to the authors and customers, Sindelar decided to continue creating broadsides for two to four author appearances per year.

Broadside marking the appearance of Gish Jen and Mark Spragg at Third Place Books.

"In my career as a bookseller I've always been interested in broadsides, whether they're by a publisher or bookstore," explained Sindelar. "It seemed like a natural way to commemorate some of the authors who are dear to our hearts and to celebrate their reading."

When a broadside is created for an event, customers who have bought a book also get the broadside, which features original artwork created by a local letterpress artist and an excerpt from the book. Sindelar told BTW, "A small loyal following of customers knows what we do and looks for them. Some people who are book collectors buy multiple copies of the book so they can have multiple copies of the broadside. And some people have no idea that we're offering this. They buy a book and are handed this piece of art ... and think it's a really nice bonus they weren't anticipating."

Broadside for Audrey Niffenegger's visit to the store in October 2005.

Authors are also pleased with the unanticipated bonus. When Black Swan Green (Random House) author David Mitchell came to Third Place and saw the broadside created for his novel, he was "over the top with enthusiasm," said Sindelar. "It made his visit that much more exciting.

"These authors go out on grueling book tours, and its gets to the point where they wonder which city and bookstore they're in," Sindelar said. "This gives them a little reason to pause during a tour and realize how excited we are that they're here. It reminds them of why they're on tour in the first place -- that it's really important to us that they read from and talk about their work."

Sindelar said that when he contacts the publisher for permission to use an excerpt from book, he mentions that it is for a limited-edition run (100 to 150), and copies are given away, not sold, to customers who buy the book. Permission is then usually easy to obtain, he said. Sindelar also asks if the publisher is interested in offering co-op for the promotion.

"We know some publishers who are very aware that we offer this," said Sindelar. "This year, for the first time ... we started getting calls from publishers asking if we're going to do a broadside for an author."

All of the Third Place broadsides hang in the event area of store. "It's an ongoing reminder of our events," Sindelar explained. "Ten years down the line, customers will say, 'Oh, I remember that author' or 'I didn't know you had that author here.'" He added, "There are so many new books you can sometimes lose some of that history. This kind of reminds ourselves and our customers that although we have an exciting author series today, there's a rich history behind it." --Karen Schechner