{"id":20542,"date":"2017-03-03T09:00:07","date_gmt":"2017-03-03T14:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/?p=20542"},"modified":"2017-03-03T09:00:07","modified_gmt":"2017-03-03T14:00:07","slug":"letting-the-shelves-do-the-talking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/?p=20542","title":{"rendered":"Letting the Shelves Do the Talking"},"content":{"rendered":"

Handselling is the heart of bookselling, and nothing takes the place of engaging our customers in conversation and helping them find just the right thing. But sometimes the way we present our books can speak volumes even when we\u2019re not talking.
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\nWhether it\u2019s to raise the profile of books that are being overlooked, to engage readers with a specific idea, to address a specific customer need, or to simply mix things up in a fun way, I think creative sections add energy and discoverability to the store (when they work!) in a more permanent, structural way than our rotating monthly displays.
\nSometimes new sections come out of conversations with other booksellers. One of our\"\"<\/a> newer sections was inspired by a panel discussion I attended last year. The conversation, which included Margaret Brennan Neville from The King\u2019s English, among others, made me think about how to make our large middle grade section less daunting to emerging or reluctant readers. What came out of it was our \u201cIrresistible Reads\u201d section right at the front of BookKids, pulling together books that heavily incorporate illustrated elements, short story collections, or really exciting topics like those tackled in the I Survived series. We\u2019ve seen a great response and increased sales on a number of books kids weren\u2019t finding before, which hopefully means it’s resonating.
\nOther sections simply come out of insane demand. I don\u2019t think I need to explain why we have a whole Rick Riordan section! But we also try to add our own flair, building in a shelf of “next reads.” It\u2019s been super helpful, both building audiences for some terrific series and helping readers on their quest for the next great adventure.
\n\"\"<\/a>And sometimes we create sections to explore ideas or philosophies we find topical and relevant. The \u201cBeing Me\u201d section in our picture book room showcases books promoting individuality \"\"<\/a>and tolerance, while \u201cLove Your World\u201d tries to inspire curiosity and engagement with the world we live in, bringing together books about nature, conservation, and activism into one. And, of course, we champion the spirit of Austin\u2019s Independent Business Alliance with a proudly off-kilter collection devoted to \u201cKeeping Austin Weird, One Strange Book at a Time!\u201d
\nI\u2019m thinking about this today because I spent the morning yesterday pulling \"\"<\/a>together a new section. Years ago we built a section around \u201cGlobal Stories\u201d that features tales and experiences from around the globe (including here in the U.S.), and it\u2019s been one of our most successful additions, creating a focal point for parents and educators looking to build readers ready to join the diverse, global society of the 21st century. To build off that concept, we just merged nearby sections about travel, architecture, geography, and exploration into a celebration of the \u201cWonders of the World.\u201d Right now, highlighting how much can be gained by broadening our horizons and learning from each other just feels important, don’t you think?
\nI\u2019d love to hear what statements you all are building into the fabric of your stores — or even just ways you’re keeping it weird!
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Engaging customers through creative sectioning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20542","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20542"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20542\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}