Paging Sales!
GDA Staff -- Gifts and Dec, 10/22/2010 12:34:47 AM
New titles from the Patterns of Life series. 64 pages; $13.95 each. Blue Mountain Arts Inc. 800.525.0642. www.sps.com Circle # 942
If you're looking to expand your shop's merchandise mix, adding a selection of gift books can be one of the smartest moves you make this year. With a variety of topics as well as terrific price points, books are an ideal addition to any type of gift store.
JUST ASK ANY BOOK publisher about the benefits of selling books and how they fit into the gift mix. "Books inform, inspire and enrich our lives in a way that few other gift items can," states Suzanne Porter, national gift sales manager at Harvest House. "The right words given to a friend or loved one can comfort, uplift or affirm, and most people need help at times with expressing just the right words."
LOW PRICE, HIGH VALUE
500 Beers. 288 pages; $16.95. Sellers Publishing. 800.625.3386. www. sellerspublishing.com Circle # 940
Another reason to carry gift books is that their reasonable price points make them good sellers in today's challenging economy. "Books have intrinsic value, so they do well in tough times," confirms Lynne McAdoo, v.p. of sales/books for Andrews McMeel Publishing.
"Gift books are the ultimate gift because they offer a lot of benefit at a very affordable price," comments Dick Duff, executive v.p. of sales at Blue Mountain Arts, adding, "Books rarely break, they have lasting value, and there is always a need for them."
Lisa Bach, associate director of special sales at Chronicle Books, notes, "Gift books sell through and boost store sales revenue. Even during a difficult retail market, books continue to perform well." Bach also observes that books keep shoppers in the store longer because "customers love to browse/read books."
Brain Quest for the Car. 148 pages; $10.95. Workman Publishing Co. 800.722.7202. www.workman.com Circle # 944
COMPETING WITH THE CHAINS
With several major bookstore chains owning a significant market share, it's understandable that gift shops might be hesitant to sell books. Yet, gift stores actually have many advantages over the big guys when it comes to merchandising gift books.
"When you go into a bookstore, you're confronted with hundreds of books in any theme, and it's sometimes hard to make a choice," says Marilyn Barnett, director of gift sales at Workman Publishing. "Books enhance the assortment of gift stores' themes, including back-to-school, sports, entertainment and, of course, the holidays. It gives gift shops' customers a very edited choice of a great book in any theme."
"Since major booksellers often do not sell much more than books and stationery, you can set yourself apart by creating vignettes in your store using products that a major bookseller would not normally carry," notes Jean Christen, acquisitions and managing director, gift division, at Harvest House.
Golf Style. 256 pages; $60. Crown div. of Random House Inc. 800.729.2960. www.randomhouse.com Circle # 949
Often, retailers will purchase books for their store based on what products already exist there, relates Lauren Rouleau, special sales manager at Red Wheel Weiser Conari. "It can be as simple as displaying a book that complements their overall color scheme, or displaying a book [as] a customer would in their home - whether it be among cooking utensils, on a coffee table, etc.," she says.
Chronicle's Bach emphasizes that it's important for gift retailers to realize that although books are indeed sold in major bookstores, those sales do not affect the success of books in the specialty channel. "What will set them apart," says Bach, "is how they edit their collection. By thoughtfully choosing titles that best merchandise with their gift items, customers will see books in a very different light."
"Books tell a story and can help sell other product in the store," asserts Pam Roman, v.p. and director of special markets at Random House. "Books are inspirational when merchandised well, and gift stores have an advantage because of the range of merchandise being offered."
CLEVER WAYS TO DISPLAY
Bachelorette Bash. 48 pages; $3.99. Penguin Group (USA). 800.847.5515. us.penguingroup.com Circle # 943
To successfully sell gift books, it's crucial that gift shops create in-store displays that aren't "by the book."
"Leave the bookshelves to the bookstores!" insists Francesca Corea, Penguin Group's executive director for gift, gourmet and toy sales. "Employ creative ideas to bring attention to a focused selection of titles that relates to other products in the store. Beef up your plush display by adding children's books telling stories of the plush animals you are selling. Add interest to those pasta bowls by displaying stacks of pasta cookbooks alongside."
White Silk, Dark chocolate, and a Little Bit of Magic. 80 pages; $14.95. Red Wheel Weiser Conari. 800.423.7087. www.redwheelweiser.com Circle # 945
"Bookstores tend to display books spine out, and sometimes gift books can get lost there," notes Duff of Blue Mountain Arts. He suggests that gift stores combine books with other items in seasonal displays. "For Mother's Day, stores can display several mother-themed books with other Mother's Day items. For Valentine's Day, display love books with their other best-selling Valentine's Day gifts. This is an effective way to offer customers a lot of options for each holiday in one place."
"I love to see how buyers merchandise their gift stores - that's the creative part of our business," says Chronicle's Bach. "Some base all decisions on color; they purchase beautiful white plates and decide that our Country Cooking of France will look beautiful next to them."
Why Limit Happy to an Hour? 64 pages; $9.99. Andrews McMeel Publishing. 800.943.9839. www.andrewsmcmeel.com Circle # 946
"Set up a display with related merchandise that the big bookstores just don't carry," advises C&T Publishing's publicity manager Megan Scott. Scott, who suggests pairing cute jewelry and hair accessories for little girls with the fashion-related book such as Little Girls, Big Style. "Moms will pick up the book to glam up their little girl," she says.
"There are obvious pairings," remarks Samantha Williams, sales manager at Tuttle Publishing, "teapots and tea books, garden adornments and gardening books, pots and pans with cookbooks; but the greatest thing about gift shops is the folks who run them are so good at coming up with creative ways to display the products!"
Andy Sturtevant, p.r. and marketing manager of Sellers Publishing, who additionally suggests placing a small display of gift books near the register that can lead to frequent impulse buys. "Having seasonally themed gift books at the counter is another way to capture your customers' attention and dollars," he notes.
"Retailers that have embraced books have found that they become the number-one or number-two category in their stores," reports McAdoo of Andrews McMeel.
All My Friends Are Dead. 96 pages; $9.95. Chronicle Books. 800.759.0190.
Adds Roman of Random House: "A gift store that doesn't sell books is missing a key merchandising opportunity."
Haiku: Japanese Art & Poetry. 80 pages; $24.95. Pomegranate. 800.227.1428. www.pomegranate.com Circle # 948
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
"Books make great gifts," asserts Williams of Tuttle Publishing. "There is a book on any topic, hobby or new endeavor that you can imagine. If you need a gift for a foodie, an interesting and well-designed cookbook is a great choice, especially if you're not sure what they already have in their kitchen. A lavishly illustrated book filled with pictures of wonderful gardens is perfect for a gardener's coffee table."
The best-selling gift books at Sellers Publishing are its series of "500" recipe cookbooks, according to Sturtevant, who says the line has sold more than a half million copies to date. "With 21 different titles covering everything from Mexican food to cupcakes, wines to appetizers, these books are the perfect gift for anyone on your list," he states.
Trash Origami. 96 pages; $19.95. Tuttle Publishing. 800.526.2778. www.tuttlepublishing.com Circle # 941
C&T Publishing and its new imprint, Stash Books, offer books in the ever-popular crafting category that "celebrate handmade fabric arts," says Scott. "More consumers are seeking to experience the joy of making something handmade," she shares.
Little Girls, Big Style. 128 pages; $25.95. C&T Publishing. 800.284.1114. www.ctpub.com Circle # 947
Penguin Group (USA) and its DK Publishing division carry a wide variety of books ranging from baby to adult and everything in between. "Our children's books include classics as well as contemporary licenses that are popular themes in gift stores; our adult titles cover fully illustrated instructional books on cooking, gardening and knitting, just to name a few," says Corea.
Pomegranate Communications also publishes a broad assortment of gift books and coffee-table books. "We feature such a diversity of subjects ... that we have the perfect book to 
Cat Confessions. 64 pages; $9.99. Harvest House. 888.501.0160. www.harvesthousepublishers. com Circle # 950
satisfy any gift shop's customer base," states Josh Rifkin, national sales director. "Our books are priced reasonably and are of the highest quality design and printing."
Rouleau agrees : "Al l the people in your life are unique, and there is always a book that seems tailored to that special person. They convey love, comfort, laughter and more."
Editor at large, Kathy Krassner of Krassner Communications, is an experienced gift and stationery editor/ writer based in Ringoes, NJ. She can be reached at kkrassner@giftsanddec. com
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