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Booksellers Association to import US IndieBound initiative to UK
22.11.09 | Philip Jones
The Booksellers Association is launching a marketing campaign in early 2010 based on the American Booksellers Association's IndieBound scheme. News of the scheme will be welcomed by the BA's independent bookshops members, some of whom have called for the association to concentrate more on the independent bookshop sector.
The BA is to launch an IndieBound website in the New Year, hosted by the ABA, and independent bookshops will be able to apply for an IndieBound pack. Both will include pre-existing ABA IndieBound materials, adapted for the UK. The BA said it would license IndieBound marketing materials for use by its independent bookstore members. The development follows talks between the BA and ABA held after its Independent Booksellers Forum earlier in the year, which was attended by the ABA's chief marketing officer Meg Smith.
Meryl Halls, the BA's head of membership services, told the BA's in-house magazine Bookselling Essentials: "We are so delighted to be working with ABA on bringing IndieBound to UK independents. . . It makes perfect sense to me to share the inspiration and rationale behind such a powerful campaign, and our idea is to make available to UK independents some of the great work being done in the States around booksellers profile-raising and community building."
Halls added, "is that IndieBound can not only help booksellers to create a visual impact in their windows and shops, but also become a real force for good in their wider community."
IndieBound was launched in 2008 to replace its 10-year-old BookSense. There are nearly 8,000 registered users of IndieBound.org site, which also operates a Twitter page and Facebook group.
Smith told the ABA's website Bookselling This Week: "The IndieBound marketing program both educates and energizes consumers, but the most rewarding part of our experience has been seeing all the creative ways that independent booksellers have found to spread the message in their stores and their communities. The materials themselves have proven to be excellent tools to get conversations started both with customers and other local businesses, but also flexible enough to be easily customized to suit each store's unique personality. We're interested to see what booksellers in the UK will do."
The BA will be inviting booksellers to register to participate in IndieBound early in 2010.
TheBookseller
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I would prefer the ABA to set up a UK branch.
Yes, but what is it exactly? Has journalism reached such a stage that it is assumed we know or have Google handy to work out what exactly something is?
Having looked at the US version, it is great but..... 1)The online element is little more than the UK's [excellent but underused] www.localbookshops.co.uk with a social networking element bolted on.
2) Is the BA actually going to deliver it? Or will it be another fiasco like EBT?
Incidentally, hands up all those indies who would leave the BA if it did not have a monopoly on Book Tokens?
Hands up
Sorry not to have more info at this point: we've had nothing from the BA besides the write up in its own magazine, which was reported on the ABA's own site.
You can though learn more about IndieBound here:
indiebound.org/indiebound-faq.
It says: "IndieBound is a community-oriented movement begun by the independent bookseller members of the American Booksellers Association. It brings together booksellers, readers, indie retailers, local business alliances, and anyone else with a passionate belief that healthy local economies help communities thrive. Supporting local, indie businesses means that dollars, jobs, diversity, choice, and taxes stay local, creating strong, unique communities and happy citizens."
It generally seems a good thing, and has been mentioned by indies as something they'd like to see over here. It was first mooted following IBF, and we were told the BA would be making an announcement later this year.
Hands up - feet too.
Hand Up!!
A little tip. On a quiet day after Christmas tell any non-regular customer who offers a Book Token that you no longer accept them. You may be pleasantly surprised by the number of customers who produce a couple of crisp
Also if you start to do your own Tokens, then you will be surprised to find the amount of local customers who buy the tokens for friends and family will get your own to not only encourage their friend/family to purchase a book, but also to use the local indie, just like they do.... and no Commision to pay NBT.
Is this a hurried response to the B.A or not B.A. blog ?Doesn't look too polished does it ?
Not been a BA member for nearly a decade. Have I noticed anything? Yes, I'm thousands of pounds better off as I haven't paid any fees.
I'm surprised to see the ABA getting into bed so shamelessly with the BA. You always thought the ABA, representing indie bookshops, local communities, etc. might have a qulam or two about the BA and their mission to welcome everyone who wants to flog a book, especially the big boys with plenty of bucks. Can we have a response please, ABA?
I would prefer the ABA to set up a UK branch.
Yes, but what is it exactly? Has journalism reached such a stage that it is assumed we know or have Google handy to work out what exactly something is?
Having looked at the US version, it is great but..... 1)The online element is little more than the UK's [excellent but underused] www.localbookshops.co.uk with a social networking element bolted on.
2) Is the BA actually going to deliver it? Or will it be another fiasco like EBT?
Incidentally, hands up all those indies who would leave the BA if it did not have a monopoly on Book Tokens?
Hands up
Sorry not to have more info at this point: we've had nothing from the BA besides the write up in its own magazine, which was reported on the ABA's own site.
You can though learn more about IndieBound here:
indiebound.org/indiebound-faq.
It says: "IndieBound is a community-oriented movement begun by the independent bookseller members of the American Booksellers Association. It brings together booksellers, readers, indie retailers, local business alliances, and anyone else with a passionate belief that healthy local economies help communities thrive. Supporting local, indie businesses means that dollars, jobs, diversity, choice, and taxes stay local, creating strong, unique communities and happy citizens."
It generally seems a good thing, and has been mentioned by indies as something they'd like to see over here. It was first mooted following IBF, and we were told the BA would be making an announcement later this year.
Hand Up!!
Hands up - feet too.
A little tip. On a quiet day after Christmas tell any non-regular customer who offers a Book Token that you no longer accept them. You may be pleasantly surprised by the number of customers who produce a couple of crisp
Also if you start to do your own Tokens, then you will be surprised to find the amount of local customers who buy the tokens for friends and family will get your own to not only encourage their friend/family to purchase a book, but also to use the local indie, just like they do.... and no Commision to pay NBT.
Is this a hurried response to the B.A or not B.A. blog ?Doesn't look too polished does it ?
Not been a BA member for nearly a decade. Have I noticed anything? Yes, I'm thousands of pounds better off as I haven't paid any fees.
I'm surprised to see the ABA getting into bed so shamelessly with the BA. You always thought the ABA, representing indie bookshops, local communities, etc. might have a qulam or two about the BA and their mission to welcome everyone who wants to flog a book, especially the big boys with plenty of bucks. Can we have a response please, ABA?