ABA President Discusses the “Bookstore of Tomorrow” at Gothenburg Book Fair

ABA President and Books Inc. co-owner Michael Tucker and Books Inc. co-owner Margie Scott Tucker were invited to speak at the Gothenburg Book Fair’s “Bookstore of Tomorrow” panel. The 26th annual Gothenburg Book Fair took place in Gothenburg, Sweden, from September 23 to September 26.

The Tuckers were invited by the Swedish Booksellers Association and by Lasse Winkler, editor of Svensk Bokhandel (Swedish Bookseller), to speak at the Book Fair about changes facing booksellers in an increasingly digital market. Attending the fair, meeting with the Swedish Booksellers Association -- along with many other international booksellers -- and seeing how the Buy Local movement is being adopted in various countries was “extraordinary,” said Tucker. “It was really encouraging to see communication and dialogue happening internationally among booksellers.”

The “Bookstore of Tomorrow” panel, facilitated by Winkler (the only journalist to have interviewed Stieg Larsson before he died), covered bookselling in the age of digital development. In addition to Michael and Margie Scott Tucker, panelists included Martyn Daniels, author of the report “Brave New World” published by the Booksellers Association of the UK and Ireland, and Susanne Meinel, information officer of the German Booksellers Association. Daniels gave his “10 tips for booksellers to think about,” and Meinel provided an overview of the German bookselling market and Buy Local campaigns.

Tucker talked about the American Booksellers Association’s initiatives and programs and discussed in detail “some of the most innovative programs at ABA – IndieBound, the Winter Institute, and IndieCommerce.” He also addressed digitization in the U.S. market. Sweden’s bookstores haven’t felt the same impact as the U.S., said Tucker. “I could see the booksellers were enthusiastic. It was like the Winter Institute -- they could adopt the information for use at their own stores.”

Margie Scott Tucker, director of marketing & HR, presented a detailed look at Books Inc.’s marketing campaigns. “My talk focused on our new marketing plan of creating ‘an experience you can’t download.’ I also talked about our author events, book clubs, shopping nights, and children’s story time, and how we use e-mail blasts and social networking to reach out to our customer base and bring them into the store.”

The panel was reported on in Sweden’s national morning newspaper, Dagens Nyheter. The article highlighted Scott Tucker’s talk about using social networking as a marketing tool and the Experience You Can’t Download campaign.