IndieCommunication: Fall Trade Show One-on-Ones, Sweepstakes & More

The September 6 IndieCommunication newsletter includes details about one-on-one appointments with IndieCommerce staff at the fall trade shows, a chance to win a free year of services, news about an upcoming webinar, and a tip of the day.

Reserve an IndieCommerce One-on-One Session at a Fall Regional Show

Last year, the IndieCommerce team received such great feedback from its presence at the fall regional trade shows that it has decided to expand its program this year.

The IndieCommerce team will be available at each of the fall trade shows to meet one-on-one to discuss details and answer questions for booksellers who use IndieCommerce or IndieLite, or for booksellers who do not use these services but are interested in learning more about them.

Sign up today to reserve a time; walk-ins are also welcome. Select a trade show below to schedule a one-on-one appointment with an IndieCommerce staff member:

• Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance: IndieCommerce one-on-one at SIBA
• New England Independent Booksellers Association: IndieCommerce one-on-one at NEIBA
• New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association: IndieCommerce one-on-one at NAIBA
• Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association: IndieCommerce one-on-one at PNBA
• Heartland Fall Forum/Midwest and Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Associations: IndieCommerce one-on-one at Heartland
• Mountains and Plains Independent Booksellers Association: IndieCommerce one-on-one at MPIBA
• Northern California Independent Booksellers Association: IndieCommerce one-on-one at NCIBA
• Southern California Independent Booksellers Association: IndieCommerce one-on-one at SCIBA

Questions? Contact the IndieCommerce team at [email protected].

Win a Free Year of IndieCommerce or IndieLite Hosting

Booksellers that do not have a website or are using a service other than IndieCommerce or IndieLite can talk to an IndieCommerce representative at one of the fall regional shows to learn more about signing up for one of these services. Booksellers who sign up and turn in a completed contract during a trade show will automatically be entered to win a full year of free IndieCommerce or IndieLite website services.

For more information about this opportunity, contact [email protected].

Live Webinar: Creating Mobile-Friendly Booklists

At least 40 percent of customers visiting websites are on mobile devices, so creating a good experience for those customers is critical. In a live IndieCommerce webinar on Thursday, September 14, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. EDT, booksellers will learn how to use Drupal Views to create book lists on their websites.

Using Drupal Views for book lists can have a steep learning curve if users are not familiar with Views. To make it easier for IndieCommerce and IndieLite users, the IndieCommerce team has created an “out-of-the-box” feature for creating mobile-friendly booklists. This 90-minute webinar, which will include 30 minutes for a Q&A, will cover the simple steps for configuring this feature as well as quick and easy tips for customizing it. Register for the webinar now.

Tip of the Day

Consider joining the IndieCommerce online “roundtable” of booksellers interested in discussing online marketing opportunities for their business. Exchange ideas with other booksellers, talk about online marketing, and discuss what has and has not worked.

The IndieCommerce team will test this new format with a video conferencing service like Zoom or GoToMeeting, so participating booksellers will need an Internet connection, a computer with a video camera and a microphone, and headphones/earphones. E-mail ABA IndieCommerce Director Phil Davies to discuss the format and topics and to set up a date and time for the first meeting.

Booksellers are encouraged to send their thoughts, questions, or suggestions via e-mail to IndieCommerce staff at any time.

Past editions of IndieCommunication are available on the IndieCommerce Updates page on BookWeb.org.