The Book Works

In honor of its 110th birthday, which falls on January 10, the University Book Store, which has eight stores in and near Seattle, Wash., asked 110 authors, poets and graphic novelists with some connection to the store to write 110-word compositions.

Pulp Romance

He saw her across a crowded shelf.

Her deckle-edge was seductively deep, her endpapers velvety. She was a first edition, probably autographed. Any man would want to write his name in a book like her.

She noticed him perusing her pages, and blushed. He had a hard spine, and a crisp dust jacket. His eyes were capitalized, and in an obscure font designed in Amsterdam in 1768. She caught herself glancing at his flyleaf, and looked away, mortified.

They were in the YA section, and she was acting like a common galley.

"Can I have your ISBN?" he whispered. He could nearly see her addendum.

"Yes," she cooed, helpless. "Yes."

Book groups are an important part of our store because of the lively and intellectual atmosphere that they provide and also, alas, to generate income for the store.

Along this line, consider this: a "corkage fee" at book groups for members who meet at The Book Works but who do not purchase their selections from us.

We would hang a sign in the window that says in neon lights, NO BYOB!

Note the parallel between restaurants and bookstores. In the definition of "corkage fee" below, think of restaurants as bookstores and wine as books:

Wine is a major source of markup for restaurants, and loss of wine sales can depress earnings. For this reason, most restaurants charge a corkage fee...to recoup at least some of the potential lost revenue. (www.wisegeek.com)

The Book Works would balance the corkage fee with extra incentive for customers, perhaps offering a higher discount for book group books.

We've discussed "the book club issue" many times with some of our business-astute loyal customers. The "value-added" principle has guided our position to date. We have not created policies that would alienate otherwise happy and dedicated customers who, I'm told, buy frequently from us, just maybe not their book club book.
"Value-added" works because of the notion of long-term gains. But what's the sense of long-term gains when there is no long-term assurance in the book business these days?

 

 

We recently discussed the importance of The Book Works to adapt to the future.  Whatever lies ahead in bits and bytes and terabytes, we also want with us our highly valued independent bookstores and the time-honored practices they comprise.

We are following news and blogs and talking to people who are also trying to create a model of sustainability for independent community bookstores. Over time we will test some of these ideas at The Book Works. We'll report what works and what doesn't.

The Book Works is stepping forward as a case study for the future and we're taking you -- our friends, customers, colleagues -- with us. Comments and suggestions are more than welcome -- they're necessary for our success.