Booksellers Talk Shop

The latest in a series of New England Booksellers Association (NEBA)-sponsored "Shoptalks" will be held in Hanover, New Hampshire, on Thursday, August 14, followed by a complimentary lunch. The event will take place at the Hanover Inn at Dartmouth College and is free and open to all NEBA members.

Rusty Drugan, executive director of NEBA, told BTW about this latest in the periodic series of Shoptalk lunches: "People can suggest questions ahead of time or can offer questions or comments during the session. There is plenty of brainstorming that comes from networking."

The upcoming session, which runs from 10:00 a.m. to noon, will definitely cover topics of immediate concern to booksellers: techniques for fighting shoplifting -- how different stores handle it and what works -- and coping with print-on-demand publishing.

At the luncheon, held from noon until 1:30 p.m., booksellers will have the opportunity to meet some regional authors recommended by other member stores. The authors will circulate from table to table, and, in the past, these meetings have resulted in future signings and readings. The four authors attending the August session are Brendan DuBois, Lisa Gardner, John Griesmer, and Sarah Stewart Taylor. They were selected by the Norwich Bookstore and White Birch Books.

At the previous session, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in June, about 40 booksellers met and had in-depth discussions about the recently-held BookExpo America, the new Book Sense electronic gift card, and choosing successful sidelines. Spirited discussions about NEBA, the Read Around New England promotion, and other pertinent issues left some attendees deep in conversation long after the 1:30 p.m. ending of the luncheon. Drugan anticipates the same this time, and encourages booksellers to stay on and continue making connections and sharing information.

Any NEBA bookseller who would like to attend, contact Rusty Drugan at [email protected] or phone: (800) 466-8711.