Start a New Habit

I was just going back through emails from last year, in preparation for sending out emails regarding this year's BookFest, planned for the weekend of October 16th! I kept a folder of the many emails I had back and forth with all the local and regional authors we invited, and I have been reaping those to start on this year's invitations.

But BookFest is not the main point of this post. There will be plenty more on that later! For now, save the date -- Sat, October 16th, 2010 -- and read on, kind friend.

I found this email I wrote to an author ... a LOCAL author .... after I heard from one of our customers that this author was telling folks to go buy a bunch of reference books at Amazon. For once, I think I handled my anger and disappointment well, and expressed myself well, because as I read it over again, eight months after I wrote it, I still feel good about what I said. I feel good enough about it that I actually have the confidence (chutzpah?) to share it with you, in hopes of encouraging you, educating you, supporting you, wherever you are in this process of buying or selling or enjoying books.

Here's my letter, with names changed, because the names don't matter here.

Hi, John! Over the last two or three days, Kevin and I have started sending out invitations and advance notices of a big event we're co-sponsoring this fall. Please see the attachment with all the details about this event, which takes place at the Wellsboro Fireman's Annex on Sat, Oct. 17th, 2009. We really hope you can come, and present both your book and information about the seminars you lead.

You were on my list of several authors email today, as a group email, but I'm taking a little extra time on this email, because I needed to say something to you personally.

I just got a call from Mike Smith this morning, who attended your seminar this past Saturday. Mike has been a great customer of ours since we opened the store over three years ago. Today, he called me and asked if I could get him all of the books you'd recommended. He said you told everyone to go to Amazon to get them, and Mike wanted to know if I could get these books thru Amazon for him.

John, as a local author, and as someone who I would think would be in support of community sustainability efforts, I am shocked and saddened that you would tell a seminar full of people to go buy their books through Amazon. If Mike Smith had just gone online to purchase these books instead of calling me because he knows I'll give him a good deal, I would have lost a major sale of 6 books this morning. Who knows how many people from your seminar just went online instead of coming to us? We actually sell several of those books right here in the store ... we don't even need to special order them.

I was just having a great conversation this weekend with a few other independent booksellers and some other authors, regarding this very issue. The title of the article we were discussing was this: "the day of your book signing at your local bookstore shouldn't be the only time they ever see you!" The article went on to give some great tips about doing book signings and presentations with local businesses and organizations. One of the comments made by Sam Dickinson, of "Aaron's Books" in Lititz, was this: "You know, authors, we will work a lot harder at promoting you and your book if we know that you support us, too!"

I imagine that this referral to Amazon was an oversight on your part, a habit. But I'd really like to see you get in to a new habit. We've been here more than three years now, John. We do a ton of stuff for the community, offer great prices, and loads of free events. We donate hundreds of dollars in books and services to this community every year. What will it take to bring you around?

I hope you will accept the invitation to come to the event. We already have received enthusiastic "yes" responses from Ken Hull, Tina Howe, Bill Robertson, Romy Piccollella, Rod Cochran, Shirley Brosius, Michael Reid, Larry Kimport, Tom Smith, and several more regional authors, who write across every genre from outdoor writing to Christian devotionals to poetry to mystery.

Check your calendar, and let us know!

Thanks so much, John.

Sincerely yours,

Kasey Cox
From My Shelf
www.wellsborobookstore.com



I know that the online shopping is a habit, often a habit born of convenience. But let's start a new habit. How about picking up the phone quick and calling your local store to see if they have the kind of flashlight you're looking for? I bet you'll talk to a real person, maybe even someone you know.

Or, go to your Chamber of Commerce website, or just google the local store you're looking for to see if they have a website of their own -- most of us do now, even if it's just a rudimentary one, but you might be surprised. Check our websites to see what we have, or email us, or call, or even better, just stop in! It won't take long. You will get to talk to a real person, enjoy personal customer service, look at the items you're considering buying. By doing this, you're getting what you want, making your life easier if you need to return it or ask questions about it, AND you are supporting people in your community. Local shop owners tend to shop local. They pay local taxes. They donate to local charities. Amazon won't do this for Wellsboro. LLBean is most likely not in your hometown. Neither is some faceless guy on ebay.

If you want a downtown, if you want local jobs, if you want someone who will donate to your Relay for Life team, get the LOCAL HABIT.

Cheers!

Kasey