As I get ready to head back to work next week, I’ve made some resolutions for the store. There’s nothing like really going over the previous year’s numbers to make me realize that some things need to be run a little differently.

– First and foremost, order more from the publishers. I know it’s so easy to get seduced by the distributors and their overnight service, but the discount loss cannot be underestimated in this economy. It’s easy to see, when really looking at the cost of goods sold, that the profit margin for publisher orders is just better, often 4-6% more, and that can really add up. This requires planning ahead a little more and being a lot more organized, and honestly, that can only be a good thing.

– Have more events. Again, a lot of the books on our year-end bestseller list were ones from events, even events that weren’t very well attended. The sell-through on event books after the event continues to thrill me. This year we’re already planning more authorless events that will bring customers to the store while simultaneously creating something fun for the community.

– Beef up the Vermont section. Regional non-fiction books did astoundingly well this year. Admittedly, we had some great local books come out this year, but in general this section always does well.

– I hear every bookseller say this when I talk with colleagues, but claiming co-op needs to be more of a priority. It’s essentially free money just sitting there, waiting for me to ask for it, and ask for it I will. And the more direct orders I make with the publishers, the more co-op I’ll have.

– I need to not wear so many hats. This is the year where I’m really going to try to delegate more. I don’t need to be the one who orders all the books for events. Someone on staff can take responsibility for that and I won’t have to worry about it so much. And I bet there will be fewer moments of "Uh-oh! We don’t have books and the event is next week."

– Make sure to take one full day off a week, every week.

– Lastly, try to re-read this list monthly, so I don’t lose my focus.

I’d be curious what other booksellers have resolved to do differently in 2010, and what you hope the change will bring.