Lots of rumors, news, questions, stories, and concerns swirling around in the ether about From My Shelf Books & Gifts lately! We've answered a lot of questions in face-to-face discussions these last couple of months, so we thought we'd post some of the most-frequently-asked questions and answers here, for your reference. :)
1. QUESTION: I heard you were having a contest to give away the bookstore?
ANSWER: We WERE running an essay contest, where those wishing to participate sent us a $75 contest entry fee along with their short essay addressing this question: "Why is a bookstore important to a community?" IF we received 4,000 entries, a committee of judges would have chosen a winner. The contest entry deadline was March 31, 2018. We didn't receive enough entries to go forward with passing ownership on to a winner. Checks are being sent back to those who entered, along with our gratitude for folks who love bookstores and believe they are essential to a community. We'll be publishing some of their answers on the blog, so check in again!
2. QUESTION: Are you closing the bookstore?!?
ANSWER: No! Nope! Not true! From My Shelf Books & Gifts will continue forward, with your hosts Kevin & Kasey, bookstore cats Huck & Finn, and a couple of familiar faces on staff! We will be making some changes over the next few months, as we RE-organize, RE-boot, RE-birth, and RE-new the structure of the bookstore to meet the current market and our community's needs. Thank you all for expressing your love and concern for our staying here and staying at the helm.
3. QUESTION: Are you going to become a bookstore just for children's books?
ANSWER: We will be focusing more, BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY, on books and gifts for children. We're excited to expand our inventory for babies through young adult. If you know us, however, you know that each person on staff has their own favorite authors and genres, so we will continue to stock those, continue to have great personal recommendations for you and yours, and continue to introduce you to great new reads.
4. QUESTION: I'm a member: when can I start bringing in my trade-ins again?
ANSWER: We're not currently taking trade-ins. We love being able to offer new and used books, and we love the way real books recycle. It finally happened, though: WE RAN OUT OF ROOM. We've been having all kinds of HUGE sales over the last year to try to open the pressure valve, so to speak, on our storage capacities, but we've finally gotten to the point where we need to sell off and reorganize all the inventory we've accumulated over the last 12 years. A lot of that inventory comes from our generous trade-in program. So, for now, enjoy big sales. Later -- if summer ever gets here -- we can take trades again!
5. QUESTION: I'm a new author: will you buy my book/carry my book in your store/host me for an event?
ANSWER: Please email us at from_my_shelf (at) yahoo.com to sign up for this year's 10th Annual BookFest in October! This is a great way for regional authors to get their name out to folks in our area, get a ton of publicity, and get started selling books in our community.
6. QUESTION: I'm an author who has books with you that you agreed to sell on consignment. Are you selling those off in your 50% off sales?
ANSWER: No, at present, your books are NOT included in our 50% off sales. They are being sold at the agreed-on price. I do, however, strongly encourage you to contact us right away, because when we get ready to move a lot of inventory around here -- and the time is fast approaching -- we will expect you to take whatever books of yours are remaining. We cannot store them any more. We'll absolutely need to have fewer copies of your books. Please email ASAP.
7. QUESTION: Are all these great sale prices just for bookstore members?
ANSWER: Not all of the BIG sales are exclusive to members, but many of them are, and will continue to be. We do have sales that are available to EVERYONE, and we are currently changing the sales on a regular basis, so check in often. Don't be afraid to ask! Stop in to see what we have!
8. QUESTION: Can I still do custom orders with you, even if you're focusing more on kids' books/even if your physical store gets smaller?
ANSWER: OF COURSE!! We really enjoy helping you get the books you want. New books are almost always in our Chambersburg, PA, warehouse and can be here in 1-2 business days! People who custom order with us are often surprised that we get things in, regularly, faster than even Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Plus, if you prepay, we can offer you some fantastic discounts. If you haven't done custom ordering with us before, ask us what we can do for you. If you have had us custom order for you in the past, don't worry: that's not changing! We've got you covered!
Now, let us know what other questions you might have. Thanks for sticking with us, bookstore friends; we are sticking with you!
