About Bookselling

On Thursday, May 29, over 300 independent booksellers from around the U.S. converged in Los Angeles for the ABA Education Day, which included ABA's first annual "What Are You Reading Lunch." The day's numerous sessions were packed with prospective, novice, and veteran booksellers alike, each looking to enhance their bookselling skills. According to comments from a number of booksellers, the programming did not disappoint.

The retailing industry in the U.S. and Canada is in the process of aligning itself with the rest of the world in a standard approach to product identification. The Uniform Code Council (UCC) has established January 1, 2005, as 2005 Sunrise, the date for general retailing in the U.S. and Canada to have the capability to scan, store, and process not only the 12-digit UPC code currently in use, but also the EAN/UCC 13-symbol code used in the rest of the world.

The publishing series that took the sting out of being called a "dummy" is offering independent booksellers a special publication to help them "work smarter, not harder." Beginning at BookExpo America, Wiley Publishing is offering booksellers free copies of a special BEA edition of Bookselling For Dummies.

What is the Retailer Coupon Program?
Scholastic Book Fairs is running a program for students to pre-order Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. At the time of purchase, for the full retail price of $29.99, a customer will receive a collectible baseball cap and an official certificate of purchase. Beginning June 21st, the holder of this certificate may redeem the certificate for a copy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix at participating retailers.

During the past week, the U.S.-led war on Iraq became a reality. Whether one agrees or disagrees with the U.S. decision to oust Saddam Hussein, the Iraq war likely means tough months ahead for small businesses.

For Kaye Peloquin, a former events planner, opening a bookstore in Lititz, Pennsylvania, has involved a long journey composed of hundreds of small steps. The 2,500-square-foot store, Buckhill Bookshop, will open around June 1. "Either right before or right after BEA, probably in the middle of the Harry Potter madness," joked Peloquin.

At a time when more retail space is devoted to selling books than ever before and an increasing number of consumers are turning to Internet retailers, sustaining and growing a profitable bookstore business requires that each person in a management role fully understand the fundamentals of running a business.