24 May 2011 05:00:00
The number of stores in the American Booksellers Association has again gone up. And they can thank, in part, the real estate bust.
"The soft real estate market absolutely works to our advantage," says Oren Teicher, CEO of the booksellers association, which represents independent stores. "Landlords are far more willing to negotiate for new owners and existing stores have been able to renegotiate their leases."
In a reversal from a decade ago, Borders is shutting down stores, while independents are adding them. According to the booksellers association, membership increased by 102, from 1,410 to 1,502, the biggest jump in years for an organization that had been more than cut in half by superstores, the Internet and the economy. In 2010, membership edged up from 1,401 to 1,410.
Independent stores are still going out of business, with recent examples including Special Occasions in Winston-Salem, N.C., and San Francisco's A Different Light. But Teicher says more people are looking to open stores than in previous years and some stores that had not been members have changed their minds. The association also is looking to take advantage of Borders' troubles. The superstore chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February and plans to close some 200 stores.
"We're working on a project to help some stores where Borders has closed. There is an opportunity in some markets that might be underserved," Teicher says.
Thousands of booksellers, publishers, authors and agents are expected at BookExpo America, the annual national convention, to be held next week, May 23-26, at the Jacob K. Javits Center. Featured speakers will include Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Jeff Eugenides, "Sookie Stackhouse" author Charlaine Harris, Man Booker Prize winner Anne Enright and actress-writers Jane Fonda, Julianne Moore and Diane Keaton.
An attendee who skipped the past couple of conventions will find a very different floor plan. Two years ago, just a handful of kiosks were devoted to digital publishing, according to BEA event director Steven Rosato. The digital real estate jumped to 6,000 square feet in 2010 and is expected to reach 10,000 square feet this year. Digital screens at the main entrances will offer live updates on convention-related Twitter feeds. Among international publishers, China's space will have more than tripled, to 2,900 square feet.
Independent sellers are holding on at a time when the industry is changing so fast that "bookstore" and "publisher" have become open concepts. Apple, maker of the iPad, will be hosting events throughout the convention at its store in downtown Manhattan, with featured authors including David Baldacci, Christopher Paolini and Erik Larson. Amazon.com has been a longtime presence as a retailer, but for the first time will have a booth dedicated to its ever-expanding book publishing program.
"Like other publishers, we're excited for booksellers and other industry folks to have a chance to check out our books in person and meet some of the authors who will be signing at our booth," said Amazon spokeswoman Sarah Gelman. "We're looking forward to having a chance to introduce our authors to potential readers."
