Chesterfield's Best Books Display 'Exceeds Expectations'

In the July White Box, bookstores with Book Sense were sent promotional materials for "The Best Books of the First Five Years of Book Sense" and were encouraged to create a "Best Books" summer display. Included were a set of shelf-talkers for the 25 titles chosen as "The Best Books of the First Five Years," as well as copies of consumer brochures featuring 223 adult and 148 children's titles culled from the Book Sense 76 lists and appearing on the "Best Books" ballots.

A display of "Best Books of the First Five Years of Book Sense" at Chesterfield Books (above). Consumer brochures (below) are also displayed.

In early August, Connie Geverink of Chesterfield Books in Chesterfield, Michigan, created a display and, she told BTW, noticed that it spurred book sales.

"[The display's] been working great -- exceeding expectations," she reported. "We've been selling a ton of the [Best Books] and people have been taking the fliers." She noted that when she heard the idea of spotlighting the Best Books -- books chosen by independent booksellers -- it appealed to her. "[These books] are all home-run hitters," she said. "I feel good about putting them out there."

Book Sense invites all booksellers to send photographs of their Best Books displays to be shared with publishers, as well as to possibly appear in upcoming ads in Publishers Weekly or inserts in The New Yorker. Digital photos are preferable, but color glossy prints, no larger than 4" x 6", may also be sent. Digital photos, approximately 3" x 5" and 300 dpi, saved as JPEG or TIFF files, can be e-mailed to Book Sense Marketing Coordinator Linda Sinisi at [email protected]. Multiple pictures may be sent as a stuffed file (.sit). PDF or ZIP files should not be sent, but photos saved on a ZIP disk are acceptable. Mail should be sent to Linda Sinsi, ABA, 828 South Broadway, Tarrytown, New York 10591. All photos should be labeled with store name, city, and state. Print photos will not be returned.

Bookstores that would like additional copies of either of the take-away brochures or the shelf-talker set should send an e-mail to [email protected].