Things were also changing for Rachelle Markley, the owner of Crooked House Books and Paper. She said that walk-in traffic dropped off, but luckily she had always been selling online, her biggest presence being on Etsy. During March of last year, she fully expected not to make it when people were “hoarding beans and toilet paper;” she did not think that people were going to open their wallets and start buying “weird collectible books,” yet somehow the pandemic has been really good for online book sales.
Marketing
A Tale of Three Comic Shops
By Dustin Prisley
Central Portland is home to a number of fine comic shops, but three stand out for their diverse approaches to community-building and serving particular niches of the comics market.
Best Practices for Writing Blurb Requests
By Sarah Moffatt
What’s a blurb, you might ask? Cue the booming announcer voice: “Emotionally moving, socially poignant, and expertly crafted . . . a gem of contemporary literature.” Were you picturing the front or back of a book jacket just now? Good. That’s a blurb: the pithy quote on a book’s jacket that praises it and makes you want to pick it up.
In Defense of Movie Tie-In Covers
By Kelly Zatlin
Whether or not you’re familiar with the publishing industry, the oft-repeated adage of not judging a book by its cover often falls flat in application. The truth is that a book’s cover is the first thing a person sees, whether they’re browsing through their favorite bookstore or clicking around online.
How BookTok Made Me Fall in Love with YA Fiction
By Sarah Bradley
While TikTok has been utilized by publishers, authors, and bookstores, I have found that most of my BookTok book recommendations have come from laypeople or avid readers who love books but do not have any vested interest in book sales.
BookTok vs. Bookstagram—Who Will Win: Readers or Publishers?
By Rachael Renz @booksforbrunch_
For marketing books, and not just YA, it feels like a no-brainer.