|
First, let me begin this issue by thanking every one of you who took the time to wish me well and offer suggestions. All your comments and ideas were appreciated and I have begun cataloging them in order to do more research or find knowledgeable people to write articles. In some of our upcoming issues we'll be looking more closely at packing materials, resources and methods for shipping. We'll be looking at software that facilitates our business; forgeries and how to spot them; developing special collections; and many more topics that I hope will be useful to all our readers. I welcome your input, especially if you have an article you'd like to submit.
I thought a great deal about what I would write for my first post-introductory editorial and doodled with ideas during the New York Autumn Antiquarian Book Fair this past weekend. I love doing shows held in the historic Lexington Ave. Armory, and this one was filled with over eighty dealers, many of whom were old friends. It's always wonderful to share time with other booksellers, those wonderful people who understand what you do to earn a living and can laugh and commiserate about the highs and lows you've experienced. And it doesn't hurt that this can be done during a lucrative venue for sales.
This year the laugh was on me. Dan and I were there early to set up and I brought our bag over to the Gershwin Hotel before the show. I had a little time so I sneaked in a nap, waking after four p.m. with plenty of time to shower and change before the five o'clock opening. Imagine my surprise when I opened my bag to find all my neatly ironed clothes were never packed!
Here I was on lower Broadway with nothing to wear but my dusty white slacks and a wrinkled yellow shirt. I did have a pair of shorts in my purse but I just couldn't resort to that for an evening opening. The hotel desk advised I grab a cab for Macy's, but time was running short. I ran up Broadway, past the hip hop sports shops, until I found a small clothing shop that specialized in African imports. For $10 I got a pair of black slacks and a flowing black top with lime green and white shells printed everywhere (I got the most subdued outfit I could find). Needless to say, for someone who dresses very conservatively, this was about the most festive I've seen myself in a long time.
Aside from making a fashion statement, what is special about shows is that it is one of the few avenues we have, outside of the Internet, for professional development. Like other industries, mentoring and learning ways to do our job better can transform into increased income. Fairs also provide an important vehicle to develop friendships and alliances with other dealers. Whether you set up at a show or attend them regularly as a customer, a book fair is a golden opportunity to meet fellow booksellers face-to-face.
Bookfairs are not the only avenue where sellers can benefit, and our newsletter will explore these different resources during the next few issues. While some of you are old hands at all the opportunities, there are some readers who may not know what they can do to enhance their professional standing.
Among the topics I'd like to include are online resources, reference works that are useful additions to a bookseller's library, a look at the annual book seminar school, and how to join organizations that promote better bookselling, as well as what trade journals you can receive. This issue, we'll target book fairs.
One of the topics discussed at this weekend's event was the lowered attendance at fairs. People debated whether the Internet was to blame. Some pointed a finger at the sluggish economy. A few just cited the weather as the culprit. And attendance did seem light this past weekend but, in all fairness, the Armory is so large that it takes a throng to crowd the place.
In the end, a tally of booksellers that I know showed that even if fewer people came through the door, those people were buying. I don't recall hearing anyone complain about sales after the show closed. Maybe there are more people shopping the Internet at home, and maybe disposable income isn't as plentiful, but the attendees came with a purpose - to see good books and acquire them. What more can we ask?
According to Gary Austin and Bruce Gventer (BABF) who managed the show, the attendance numbered 350 people opening night, and 125 had come through the doors by noon on Saturday. Bruce expected a total of 1000 before the show closed. 88 dealers filled 98 booths, and the items up for sale covered just about every kind of interest. 13 states were represented, and dealers from Canada and Germany were included in the mix. "The fair was a sellout and we had a waiting list," Bruce reported. He advised anyone wanting to exhibit next year should apply right away, warning, "It's never too soon."
The Armory is well known to booklovers who attend the Mancuso show there each year. BABF chose the site because of its size and familiarity as well as the proximity to a number of good restaurants and inexpensive hotels. Austin explained, "We wanted to reestablish the fall book fair in New York. It's been three years since the untimely death of Peter Klemperer, the former show promoter, and 9/11." Klemperer and his wife ran the successful Trinity show for many years, and its loss was a gap BABF wanted to fill. Austin chose this location because he particularly likes the historic aspect of the Armory, reminding people that "this was the site of the original Armory Art show that defined modern art early in the 20th century."
Their aim, according to Austin, is to provide a dealer-focused show. "Bruce and I have been bookdealers ourselves and veterans with 25 years doing trade shows ourselves. We've cataloged every bad experience we've had and mitigated those."
BABF hosts several shows each year, including the Greenwich Antiquarian Book Fair held this upcoming Oct. 4 at the Greenwich Civic Center (Connecticut). Their other shows include the NY Holiday Book Fair in November; 2 Carriage House Antiquarian Book Markets (one of which coincides with the NY ABAA show); and the New Jersey Antiquarian Book Fair. Anyone wishing to participate in any of these shows can contact them through bookfairs.com http://www.bookfairs.com.
And anyone wishing to know if my outfit was a success, it's hard to really say. I got some compliments but the one who most enjoyed the story behind it was Phil Reynolds who recently moved to Bath, Maine. He was just tickled with the story, or the outfit (he's too much of a gentleman to say which). And I am grateful that unlike the more famous Armory Show, there was NO nude descending the staircase.
|
