Trade Discounts: Good for One and All

Hey, booksellers….c’mere. Yeah, you….and you….and especially you. Sit down here for a minute. I want to have a word with you all, about trade (dealer-to-dealer) discounts: why you should all be giving them, and why doing so should make you nothin’ but hap-hap-happy. There are three simple reasons for this:

(1) It’s good for your business.

(2) It’s good for our business.

(3) It’s good for the soul.

I come before you today, brethren, to testify to these, my articles of faith. So gather ‘round, and hear the story of how I came to see the light….

Internet-spawned booksellers like me, who (for any number of reasons) haven’t had the opportunity to serve a true apprenticeship in the trade, have had to find other ways of learning about its long-standing practices and traditions….traditions that IOBA, as part of its mission, has pledged to honor and perpetuate in the evolving bookselling landscape. Many (again including me) have turned to online discussion groups like the ABE Booksellers Forum, available to all registered sellers on AbeBooks, in search of education and community. There’s a lot of “noise” in such places, to be sure, but if you let the noise keep you away you’re missing out, because just beneath the distracting (sometimes even intimidating) surface layer of discussion and debate lies an incredibly rich knowledge-base about the ways and means of modern-day bookselling. Many participants are fresh to the trade and still learning, but there are also many seasoned veterans in the room, most of them remarkably generous in sharing their accumulated wisdom and expertise.

I refer to the ABE Forum because it’s an excellent place in which to observe the perpetual psychic struggle regarding the topic at hand. The questions surrounding the issue of trade discounts are particularly difficult for many “newbie” sellers to come to grips with, but it’s not just them I’m writing this for. It’s an issue that affects us all — right in the pocketbook — and I”m trying to do my bit to get everybody “on the same page” about it. So even if you’re a veteran (grizzled or otherwise), and have had your discount policy set in stone for a long time, I urge you to keep reading….and, just maybe, to take another look at the matter.

The questions about trade discounts that I most often see asked range from the fundamental (“Do you give discounts to other sellers?” “Is the whole concept obsolete?”) to the practical (“How much is ‘standard’?” “How do you decide who qualifies?”). And I’m sad to say that the ensuing discussions inevitably bring out sentiments along the lines of the following:

“I don’t like selling to other dealers, because they only want to cherry-pick my stock, and take my best books — the very ones that I’ve got the best chance of selling myself, at full price.”

“Dealers who buy from my stock are already taking advantage of me, and I resent being expected to also give them a discount!”

“I can’t afford to give discounts, because my profit margins are too low.”

“There are 20,000 ‘book dealers’ on the Internet, and why should I give a discount to a complete stranger who I’ll probably never buy a book from myself?” (The short version: “What’s in it for me?” Shorter yet: “Reciprocal, phooey!”)

All of the above, I believe, are simply wrong-headed, knee-jerk responses to the whole issue, put forth by those who either lack the perspective that comes with experience, or just haven’t given the matter the careful thought I think it deserves. Those who think about discounts in such negative, defensive and self-interested ways are missing something quite fundamental…and, I would also contend, poisoning their own wells in the process.

My frontal assault on this mindset begins with a single basic assertion: Other booksellers are not The Enemy. In a narrow-minded sense, yes, they’re your competitors, but in most important ways they are your professional colleagues, and the majority of them are facing pretty much the same challenges that you are. Therefore, I submit that our “default mode” towards one another should be empathy, not antipathy.

Consider the following scenario, which I think fairly represents the way in which too many booksellers think about discounts: Some Other Bookseller (SOB, for short) finds a book in your inventory that you’ve priced at $25. He buys it (discounted or not, it hardly matters), and turns around and lists it for $250. You conclude that you had “made a mistake” (by not pricing the book higher), and that the SOB has “taken advantage of you” (or, less charitably, “ripped you off”). But consider:

“I made a mistake.” Well, probably so. It’s certainly possible, through laziness or carelessness or ignorance (or some combination thereof), to put the “wrong” price on a book — and I’d be very surprised if we hadn’t all done this, at one time or another. (I sure have.) But here’s the good news: laziness, carelessness and (especially) ignorance can all be corrected! It’s a cliché, but that’s because it’s true: we learn from our mistakes. So the real issue here is not whether you’ve made a mistake, but rather what you’re able to learn from it.

“I’ve been taken advantage of.” Also true enough, but it’s not much more than a technicality, really — and you make a grave error if you characterize it as any sort of “bad conduct” on the part of the other dealer. It really boils down to one of two things: (1) the other dealer knows more than you do about that book, or (2) the other dealer has a business model and/or an established clientele that permits him to get (or at least ask) a higher price for that book than you can. How you react to these facts of life is up to you. You can be bitter and resentful about being “ripped off,” or you can admit that you’ve simply had an encounter with a more knowledgeable and/or experienced bookseller than yourself, someone who’s a little bit better at the game than you are…so far. Unless you truly think you’re the Smartest and Bestest Bookseller in the Whole Wide World, this shouldn’t be too bitter a pill to swallow — and it still leaves you in complete control over what you do about it.

I am not talking through my hat here, by the way. I’ve gone through this process myself, and have struggled with the same negativity I’m now trying to warn you against. Some years ago, I had a pretty nice copy of an uncommon book listed for $125, and a genuine Big Shot Book Dealer bought it (at a discount). It was his first-ever purchase from me, and I felt pretty darn good about it — until a couple of months later, when Mr. BSBD’s lovely printed catalog arrived in my mailbox, and right there on page 13 was “my” book…..now marked up to $600! (And worse yet, the book was in a subject area in which I’d imagined I had some specialist knowledge. Ouch, baby!) “Holy crap,” I thought, “what did I miss about this book?” It took a little contemplation before the little light-bulb went on, and I realized that I hadn’t “missed” anything, so much as I had just lacked the vision, if you will, to recognize the book’s full profit potential. And then I considered this: I had bought that book (yes, from another dealer, online) for $15, and thus hadn’t made out so badly by selling it for $100. (In other words, I was kinda smart, but the guy who bought it from me was a little smarter.) And ultimately, what I took away from the transaction was worth far more than even the $85 profit:

(1) Another reminder (you can’t have too many) that knowledge is a powerful thing, that can even occasionally be leveraged to make money.

(2) A cautionary note to not get complacent about what I think I know (i.e., my presumed “expertise” in this subject area).

(3) An enhancement of my knowledge in that important-to-me subject area. (We learn one book at a time, right?)

(4) The idea that an attractive presentation in a printed catalog can trump the Almighty Internet as a selling methodology. (I should mention that Mr. BSBD did in fact sell that book at his price, in less time than I’d had it listed at my price.)

(5) The start of a professional relationship with Mr. BSBD, who, when my own first printed catalog landed in his hands, made a substantial purchase therefrom, and has subsequently done more business with me, and has spoken well of me to others. (And if you don’t think that last thing ultimately turns into dollars, you are really missing something.)

Stack all that up against the $25 I supposedly “lost” by discounting the book, and I’d say I came out just dandy. But (you might think) couldn’t it also be said that I’d “lost” $500 by not figuring out, myself, that this was “really” a $600 book? Well, no. That sort of calculation is pure fantasy, to be avoided at all cost; as Johnny Mercer wrote, you’ve got to ac-cen-tu-ate the positive. Any perceived “loss” in such a situation is just an illusion — but the gains, as enumerated above, are very real.

Now let’s consider this shocking idea, afoot in the land, that dealers are constantly scanning other dealers’ stock, looking for stuff they can buy and re-sell at a profit. Well, guess what? It’s true! Such intramural commerce, often on naked display at your better book fairs, is and always has been a large part of what makes this business go — a fact of life (and commerce) that might not be so readily apparent from the somewhat isolated perspective of the online-only seller. There is a “food chain” in the used/rare book trade, and like it or not, you’re part of it. Or, if I can mix my metaphors, think of the business as a big lake: a few dealers float along on the surface (or levitate above it!), some troll in the muck at the very bottom, but most of us paddle along somewhere in the vast middle, trying to keep our heads above water (i.e., to not drown). But there’s a lot of room in the middle of that lake to position yourself, and although there’s nothing wrong with being ambitious and wanting to move up, it’s also important to understand just where you are at the moment, and how to make it work for you.

And in my opinion, one of the very best places to be is within the field of vision of the people above you in the aforementioned food chain. Don’t get hung up on whether or not they’re “better” than you; try, instead, to understand that other dealers — especially those who are more successful than you — can be among your very best customers. This is a total no-brainer: these people buy lots of books, all the time, and they’re the very ones you want to be scanning your online listings, frequenting your shop (if you have one), heading to your booth early in the book fair, and just generally paying attention to you and your stock. And when they want to buy something from you, it’s in your interest to treat them well, with a decent discount as an element of that. This is ever-so-much-more-so when it’s their first purchase from you, because it presents your best chance to make it the foundation stone for something bigger and better: a mutually respectful and mutually beneficial business relationship. The best traffic-flow in Bookselling City is on the two-way streets.

(By the way, if anyone has any lingering thoughts in the “being taken advantage of” line, consider this: when that dealer buys that book from you, it doesn’t necessarily follow that the markup/hefty profit scenario is a “sure thing” for him. In fact, in many cases his purchase is a gamble — or, if you prefer, a quantified expression of his confidence in his ability to turn that book for a profit. I’ve also made sales, for instance, where the dealer has subsequently jacked up the book’s price considerably — and has not, to date, re-sold it. So who’s ahead of the game? Me, who bought the book for $20, marked it up to $150, and sold it in a month for $120? Or Dealer Z, who bought it for $120, re-priced it at $800…and still has it, a couple of years later? I don’t mean to imply that Dealer Z was dumb, or made a bad deal — he just had more confidence in the book than I had, and possibly more cash in his pocket at the time he bought it. More power to him, I say — but from my p.o.v., it makes no sense to be anything other than 100% happy about that sale. To look at it another way: my gamble (albeit at smaller stakes) has paid off, and if Z wants to tie up his cash and double-down on the book, who am I to be upset about that, in any way?)

OK, enough with the philosophizing and hypothesizing. To bring the focus back to more practical matters, I’ll now take a crack at actually answering some of those “newbie” questions I referenced earlier:

“How much is ‘standard’?”

Opinions and practices vary, of course — U.K. dealers seem to think somewhat differently than American dealers, for instance — but as far as I’m concerned anything less than 20% is just weak sauce. I would respectfully suggest that those who say that 10% is “good enough” or is “all I can afford” just haven’t done the math. If you sell a book through a listing service like ABE or Amazon or Alibris, you are already giving them about 15%-20% percent of your take on each book, in the form of commissions and monthly fees — so how on earth can you justify doing less for a colleague? (And, sorry, I don’t give much weight to the “too-small profit margin” argument, either. If that’s your primary objection to giving a discount, it suggests to me that you’re paying too much for your stock — but that’s another article.)

“How do you decide who qualifies?”

I highly recommend against any sort of “litmus test” and, especially, that you not discriminate in any way against one “class” of bookseller. This comment is directed mostly to any open-shop owners out there who might still be harboring some ill-will towards online-only dealers. (You know who you are.) Here’s the thing, though: there is virtually no upside to making any visitor to your shop feel like a second-class citizen. Believe me: you will lose more than you gain, by a long shot. I am also not a big fan of the “reciprocal” requirement; it’s not that I think it’s unreasonable, only that I’d like to promote a world in which it’s unnecessary, in which all booksellers give unbidden and unencumbered discounts to all other booksellers. (As John Lennon had it: you may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.)

“Is the whole concept obsolete?”

Absolutely not! (Well, come on, what did you expect me to say?) Selling books at a discount to your colleagues in the trade is a good thing, all around. Let’s not forget that dealer-to-dealer sales are direct sales — which, in addition to being commission-free, are the building blocks for a network of trusted colleagues and friends. And anything we can do to encourage direct commerce amongst ourselves contributes to the important goal of keeping our businesses out of the clutches of Amazon, et al. This is exactly what the “I” in IOBA is all about.

At the top of this article, I made the point that trade discounts were good for three things: your business, our business, and the soul. I’ve covered the first two points, but that third one…..well, I don’t want to get all mystical on you, but I do believe that whatever you put out into the world will eventually come back to you, in some form or another, and that it can also benefit a lot of other people while on its journey. Call it what you will — goodwill, positive energy, karma, good vibrations, even Love — but I guarantee that you’ll feel better knowing that it flows from you. And one of the very best ways to put that kind of energy out into the bookselling world is with a generous and open-handed trade discount policy. I like to think of it as The Twenty-Per-Cent Solution.

I will leave you, then, with the Secret Word, which I lobbed at you in the very first paragraph. That word is “happy.” When you make a discounted sale to another bookseller, you can be happy to sell the book, happy to make a little profit, happy for the opportunity to make a new customer (or make life a bit better for an established one), and happy to help out a colleague who’s trying to make a buck, just like you are.

Think of it….all that happiness, just flying around. And it’s so simple for you to claim your fair share of it….at a discount!

[Editor’s note: For more on trade discounts, see our related article How to Get a Trade Discount, in Six Easy Lessons.]

Rostenberg & Stern: An Appreciation

Rostenberg & Stern Rare Books, specialized in finding previously undiscovered treasures. In 1942, following a great deal of literary sleuthing, Leona Rostenberg uncovered the information detailing that Louisa May Alcott (1832-88), the American author of the sweet, placid novel Little Women, had also published some risqué (by 19th century standards) thrillers anonymously and pseudonymously as A.M. Barnard. Stern edited and oversaw the publication of these works in 1975 and 1976, making a priceless contribution to students of Alcott and American Literature and also expanding the rare book market for Louisa May Alcott.

Rostenberg and Stern often used a phrase that sums up exactly what makes an antiquarian bookseller different from her other bookselling peers: In their memoir, Old Books, Rare Friends, they write:

“As far as we know, the word Finger-Spitzengefuhl never made it to a dictionary. It was originally Herbert Reichner [another bookseller to whom Rostenberg was an apprentice] who passed it on to us. A tingling of the fingertips becomes an electrical current of suspense, excitement, recognition. In an artificially controlled voice, one of us calls to the other, ‘Look! This may be something.’ And two heads look down upon the title page of a discovery. Sometimes the Finger-Spitzengefuhl occurs on the spot as we scan the shelves of a foreign dealer. Sometimes it takes place only after the purchase has been made and we study our finds. Whenever or wherever it occurs, it is an experience that makes the rare book business a hymn to joy.”

It was a combination of the Finger-Spitzengefuhl-like hunch and following small clues that led to big information for Rostenberg and Stern in many cases. Researching until they information not widely known to scholars and other booksellers allowed the two to increase (and perhaps create) value for those books that might have been previously overlooked by collectors and booksellers alike.

Rostenberg wrote, “If everyman is a potential discoverer, then everyman is also a potential detective. Sleuthing ranks high in the Rostenberg Antiquarian Credo and rightly so, for, at its most challenging, all research involves detection. Detection applied not to crime but to books has a special lure. It demands, at least, two indispensable abilities: the ability to ferret out those ‘small facts upon which,’ according to the master detective Sherlock Holmes, ‘large inferences may depend;’ the ability to recognize those large inferences for what they are whenever and wherever they are found.”

While all of their books have useful information and entertaining anecdotes, one in particular, Between Boards: New Thoughts on Old Books, ought to be required reading for antiquarian booksellers new and old. The two final chapters, Catalogues & Collections and An Antiquarian Bookseller’s Credo are as good as any instruction you might gain by apprenticing to a veteran bookseller. Here’s what they have to say about bookseller catalogues:

“There is never anything elusive about a dealer’s catalogue. If it is a good one, it will be its maker’s earthly representative and hopefully remembered. A catalogue is a dealer’s showcase. In it he displays his wares; parades his knowledge; offers his expertise. His first catalogue is extremely significant. He has made his public debut before a critical group of connoisseurs. This, his first catalogue, occasionally becomes his hallmark, stamping him as a specialist in Western Americana, medieval arts and letters, or modern firsts.”

And here’s what they have to say about building a meaningful collection of books:

“A collection equals more than the sum of its parts. This defiance of the laws of mathematics naturally exhilarates the collector and exalts the collection . . . Be that as it may, a collection of books is not simply a combination of any heterogeneous books but of books that in some one way are connected with each other.”

The Antiquarian Bookseller’s Credo covers everything from a bookseller’s education, motivation, and research skills to valuation and finding joy on the job. There are many more nuggets of information to be gleaned from the pages of Rostenberg and Stern’s books for those of us striving to know more about antiquarian bookselling. Once you’ve finished Between Boards, I’d recommend Old and Rare: Thirty Years in the Book Business and Bookends: Two Women, One Enduring Friendship next as you work your way through the list of their many published books below.

Books by Leona Rostenberg

1. English Publishers in the Graphic Arts, 1599-1700: A Study of the Print-Sellers and Publishers of Engravings, Art and Architectural Manuals, Maps, and Copy-Books, 1963.

2. Literary, Political, Scientific, Religious, and Legal Publishing, Printing, and Bookselling in England, 1551-1700: Twelve Studies (two volume set), 1965.

3. The Minority Press and the English Crown: A Study in Repression, 1558–1625, 1971.

4. An Antiquarian’s Credo, 1976.

5. Bibliately, 1978.

6. The Library of Robert Hooke: The Scientific Book Trade of Restoration England, 1989.

Books by Madeleine B. Stern

1. The Life of Margaret Fuller, 1942.

2. Louisa May Alcott, 1950, (revised editions published in 1971, 1996)

3. Purple Passage: The Life of Mrs. Frank Leslie, 1955, revised edition 1970.

4. Imprints on History: Book Publishers and American Frontiers, 1956.

5. We the Women: Career Firsts of Nineteenth-Century America, 1963.

6. So Much in a Lifetime: The Story of Dr. Isabel Barrows, 1964.

7. Queen of Publishers’ Row: Mrs. Frank Leslie, 1965.

8. The Pantarch: A Biography of Stephen Pearl Andrews, 1968.

9. Heads and Headlines: The Phrenological Fowlers, 1971.

10. Books and Book People in Nineteenth-Century America, 1978.

11. Sherlock Holmes: Rare-Book Collector, 1981.

12. A Phrenological Dictionary of Nineteenth-Century Americans, 1982.

13. The Game’s a Head: A Phrenological Case-Study of Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle, 1983.

14. Antiquarian Bookselling in the United States: A History from the Origins to the 1940s, 1985.

15. Nicholas Gouin Dufief of Philadelphia, Franco-American Bookseller, 1776–1834, 1988.

16. Studies in the Franco-American Booktrade during the Late 18th and Early 19th Centuries, 1994.

17. The Feminist Alcott: Stories of a Woman’s Power, 1996

Books co-authored by Rostenberg and Madeleine B. Stern

1. Old and Rare: Thirty Years in the Book Business, 1974

2. Between Boards: New Thoughts on Old Books, 1978.

3. Bookman’s Quintet: Five Catalogues about Books: Bibliography, Printing History, Booksellers, Libraries, Presses, Collectors, 1979.

4. Quest Book—Guest Book: A Biblio-Folly, 1993.

5. Connections: Ourselves—Our Books, 1994.

6. Old Books in the Old World: Reminiscences of Book-buying Abroad, 1996.

7. Old Books, Rare Friends: Two Literary Sleuths and Their Shared Passion, 1997.

8. New Worlds in Old Books, 1999.

9. Books Have Their Fates, 2001.

10. Bookends: Two Women, One Enduring Friendship, 2001.

11. From Revolution to Revolution: Perspectives on Publishing and Bookselling 1501-2001, 2002.

ABAA Holds First Official Webinar for Antiquarian Booksellers

The ABAA’s first official webinar took place on Tuesday, May 17, 2011. My calendar, iPhone alarm, etc. were marked for the date and time, and my own excitement built as I sat down to meet the faculty and hosts, namely: Sarah Baldwin, George Krzyminski, Brian Cassidy, Sunday Steinkirchner, Janine Moodhe and Susan Benne. There was, I will admit, a small learning curve on my part with regards to the actual program that allows for the webinar. Dashing between desktop and laptop, the correct software downloaded and in an instant I was connected with audio, visual and chat exchange.

Sarah Baldwin led us through the important history of the ABAA itself, its formation in 1949 and its journey to the 21st century bookselling world. She highlighted the remarkably different landscape which booksellers work within, from changes in storefront prominence to technological advances, with understanding that the trade is certainly and profoundly evolving.

The make-up of the ABAA itself was reviewed, from officers to the Boards of Governors, regional chapters, and content/focus of meetings. From chapter to chapter, participation and intensity of focus varies, with website development, lectures, hosting of literary events and involvement in local libraries all hinging on the ABAA members themselves. It strikes me as important to remember as we discuss the trade that in fact we are the trade.

George Krzyminski, a 12 year ABAA member from Westhampton, NY spoke to the variety of membership. Is there a typical ABAA member? What do they sell? What do they look like? What they do share … a love of books. In fact he asserts that the diversity of backgrounds as a whole make up a more relevant ABAA body.

Some have come up from within the trade itself, whether from long-standing bookselling families, from apprenticeship with exceptional mentors or simply growing within their own specialties. A sophisticated collector may enter the trade, having become highly knowledgeable and specialized by virtue of their passion. George emphasizes that however the road brought them to the ABAA, the overwhelming majority of them stay in the organization, thus speaking to the benefits and satisfaction that membership brings.

Next Brian Cassidy, a relatively new member with three years in the ABAA addressed the many benefits of membership. The heavy measure of credibility that the ABAA logo and association brings to an individual is invaluable a tangible (read profit) addition to one’s business. He tallies a condensed list of immediate positives: average sale = jumped; selling higher end material online = easier; quoting to institutions and libraries = facilitated; catalogs = well received. In short, buyers look for this ABAA stamp and your bookselling bottom line reflects this. In practical terms Brian shares that he is often asked the question of how? One large answer: ABAA book fairs.

The ABAA hosts three major (and major is not an overstatement) annual fairs: California (alternatively Los Angeles and San Francisco), New York and Boston. Brian has participated in several and puts the results of said fairs quite simply as this: his worst ABAA fair was far better than his best others. Again, the stamp of ABAA attracts a tier of customers that is exceptional. Many dealers question the cost, expense of exhibiting and travel, but again assures that fairs are, quite frankly, the key that many booksellers are looking for. He highlights, as an example, the Rare Book and Manuscript Conference which hosts a mini bookfair, attracting primarily special collections libraries, essentially a room full of these sought after professionals. With ABAA membership comes automatic ILAB entrance as well, with an exposure and marketability overseas that is unparalleled.

A thriving business reflects more than a well balanced ledger, and here the ABAA holds a special role as well. Brian elaborated on the sense of community that comes with membership. Some 400 colleagues, mostly experts in their field, with whom to exchange many facets of the trade, from reference material to the subtleties of customer relations, the ins and outs of the general trade and industry specific business advice.

Next Sarah Baldwin addressed the application process itself, cue dramatic music. Prospective members should begin to establish references, letters of sponsorship, etc. as they consider their own timeline for formal application. In other words, begin laying down the foundations, the five part application process will require solid, established connections in the trade. Briefly 1. The written application 2. The Biographical Essay 3. The Evaluation Essay 4. Credit and 5. Letters of recommendation.

Sarah addressed with detail the credit component, emphasizing the obvious but perhaps most important virtue of honesty, in this but of course all facets of application, membership and business itself. We are reminded that everything is confidential and that subtleties of one’s financial situation are to be shared with transparency, safe in the knowledge that the board is taking one’s privacy quite seriously.

Now to the dotted i’s of the application, we are able to see the actual form on Susan Benne’s desktop and are taken through this line by line, a most helpful process. First things first, a bookseller needs a minimum of four years in the trade, established by the date of one’s tax ID.

Following that, the nature of stock, sponsors, letters and additional references. This is the heart of who we are as a bookseller and a business person. Questions were asked regarding site visits, most prospective members would establish a relationship with a local ABAA member (in good standing of course) for a literal walk through of one’s stock, as well as sponsorship from other ABAA members that we have a long distance or virtual relationship with.

The biographical essay, essentially a one page “who am I”, should address how we found bookselling (or how it found us!), essentially what led us to the trade and what our former professional life experience brings to bookselling.

The hypothetical evaluation is an important essay, and it this point we are introduced to Sunday Steinkirchner to speak to this. She shares that she prepared to apply for about three months, and shares her specifics for the biographical and evaluation essays. For the bio, they are looking for our professional or academic background and/or our transition into the bookselling world. How did we acquire our knowledge? Who did we work with or for? What is our specialty and what are our qualifications? Much like a college entrance essay, we are explaining both who we are and how we got there.

She addressed the appraisal essay, or the hypothetical evaluation and explains that here, as we write an evaluation of a virtual collection, we have room to share our knowledge and approach with regards to our speciality or author focus. We would share what references, price guides and bibliographic materials that we would incorporate in the assessment, and offer the type of questions that we would ask a collector, thereby summarizing how we handle the evaluation of a collection.

Brian Cassidy touched on one important piece of the application puzzle, that of finding the necessary sponsors and references within the day to day of our business. He spoke personally of his sponsors to better give us an idea of the many ways relationships like this can burgeon. His first sponsor came from interaction and eventual collaboration (working at a fair) with an open store ABAA dealer. His second sponsor was born via CABS, and his third contacted him after receipt of one of his catalogs. It’s intriguing to hear of the many roads that lead to sponsorship and relationships as well as friendships within the trade. And so with that we are advised to look: 1. locally 2. through sales to dealers, which we may want to actively pursue 3. via fairs, notably ABAA but all, both in exhibition and attendance 4. CABS enrolment and 5. through catalogs, even in their simplest forms.

With this large plate of food for thought, the presentation segment of the webinar wound down, with chat and emailed questions trickling in. Two closing thoughts that were shared by the faculty were the importance of interesting as opposed to merely valuable stock, and a noting of the very valuable resources that are available for applications and potential members to educate themselves further: the ABAA newsletter, the listserve and CABS.

It was a pleasurable, fascinating hour and fifteen minutes, with exceptionally detailed answers to many burning questions. There are few aspects that would make the experience better, just my observations and thoughts from the hip.

1. I would have, as the email urged, spent a bit more time getting to know the webinar platform, such as muting/unmuting the voice, experimenting with the layout of the participants, and manoeuvering within the virtual desktop of Susan Benne. I played around with phone vs. computer audio to find which was clearest, etc.

2. Some of the faculty’s audio was quite poor, which I realize cannot be helped midstream, but this is as requested, the good, bad etc. I would love to see as many full video streams as possible, as this brings a true virtual seminar feel that can’t be paralleled.

3. Perhaps I missed it, but I didn’t feel much interaction with other participants, and I did not see most of their video, perhaps most had this disabled or perhaps I did not have the settings correctly adjusted. I would have like to say hello to my fellow inaugural alumni.

Let’s end with the great, which was basically 99.9% of the 75 minutes, I’ll leave the math to someone else.

The faculty was superb and a big thank you to each for volunteering their time and energy (let’s face it, if they were talking to us, they weren’t cataloguing anything!)

I feel much more comfortable with the process, and honestly feel that I could write or call any of the faculty and speak at ease with them about bookselling in general. This is special, important, and as many spoke to, the beginning of a blossoming network in the trade.

With regards to the importance and vitality of the ABAA itself, the pulse of our noble industry: this was duly noted and left me with total certainty that if bookselling is part of my long term plan, the ABAA must be as well. It was an honor and a pleasure to participate in this, which was well planned and offered as a courtesy and received as such.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: This article originally appeared here: http://www.ilab.org/eng/documentation/546-abaas_first_official_webinar_for_antiquarian_booksellers.html. The next ABAA webinar is scheduled for Sept. 21st, 2011 at 2pm ET. Anyone interested should contact Janine Moodhe or Susan Benne at hq@abaa.org.]