WWW.PUBLISHERSWEEKLY.COM 29Angela Schwesnedl of Moon Palace Books in Minneapolis and other
2018 Heartland Fall Forum booksellers line up in front of author
Lindsay Mattick and illustrator Sophie Blackall to obtain signed copies
of their picture book, Winnie’s Great War.showcases for holiday titles and big spring books, are now an
even more important forum for the education of frontline book-
sellers, many of whom may not yet have had the opportunity to
attend one of the larger, signature bookselling events such as
Winter Institute or BookExpo. A new bookstore with a small
staff simply cannot spare resources and staff to travel. The
regional shows are more affordable and closer in proximity, all
the while offering direct contact with colleagues and affiliated
professionals. For many bookstores, the regional shows are their
primary real-world connection to the larger bookselling and
publishing ecosystem.
Jamie Fiocco, the recently elected board president of the
American Booksellers Association and owner of Flyleaf Books
in Chapel Hill, N.C., says she plans to prioritize developing
education programs for small booksellers during her tenure.Booksellers assemble to share their strengths and struggles
By Ed Nawotka, with rEportiNg from Judith rosEN
B
ookselling, once seen—at least by some—as a
second-career opportunity for people entering
retirement, has all but flipped into a notably
more youthful profession. Beth Ineson, execu-
tive director of the New England Independent
Booksellers Association (NEIBA), notes, “NEIBA has been the
grateful recipient of an enormous youth quake in the past
couple of years—our organizational conversation drivers and
agenda setters are largely under 35, and I am in constant
dialogue with them about how we can be more inclusive to
frontline booksellers—not only in show programming and
education, but in the organization’s general outreach.”
Over the past few years, as the demographics of bookselling
have shifted, the eight fall regional shows run by the nine inde-
pendent bookseller associations across the country have become
more relevant than ever. New blood is joining the industry,
with younger entrepreneurs coming into the trade and experi-
menting with fresh formats and, often, smaller stores. As a
result, the annual autumn shows, which have long served as
p h o t ob y
c l a i r ek i r c h