A program to provide professional development opportunities to member bookstores.

Applications Details:

• $300 grants to cover the cost of these sessions are available to MPIBA dues paying member stores, or new members enjoying their first year of free membership.
• For existing members prior to July 1, 2020, the store must have paid dues for fiscal year 2019-2020 to be eligible.
• One grant available per store through June 30, 2021.
• Grant funds are limited and requests will be approved on a first-come-first served basis.
• Bookstores will not incur any costs associated with these grants. Paz & Associates will bill MPIBA for grant reimbursement.

Three different Expert Consultations are available:

Inventory Analysis and Action Plan with John Gaylord, Paz & Associates:

In the best of times your book inventory can become stale and unproductive. Pandemic related closures, reduced budgets, and slower sales can amplify the problem. John Gaylord analyzes your current stock, and reviews your buying and returns strategies. He will offer a detailed, title-by-title viability report, along with concrete solutions for getting back on top of profitable inventory management. One, 1-hour session and detailed written reports are included.

• Store must have an Above the Treeline Summit subscription to participate in this package.
• Above the Treeline is offering grant recipients a three month introductory offer of $25 per month.
• Click here to see if your store inventory system is compatible with Above the Treeline.

Digital Marketing to Drive Sales with Nicole Magistro, Paz & Associates:

Online purchases are a growing segment of indie bookstore sales. Nicole Magistro provides practical strategies and tools your team can deploy for increasing volume and improving profitability for merchandise sold through your websites. Together we will set a budget and plan for measuring results for this expanding part of your business. The session includes Edelweiss360, Bookshop.org and IndieCommerce best practices. You can expect two, 1-hour meetings and a detailed written report.

Strategic Problem Solving with Nicole Magistro, Paz & Associates:

What is the thing that keeps you up at night? How can the problem be solved to improve, grow and enhance your store? Nicole Magistro applies her industry knowledge, practical experience and creative ideas to your situation. Together we will identify a way forward in three customizable, 45-minute sessions. Your topics could include staffing, cash flow, food operations, succession planning, book fairs and more.

Meet our Experts:

For 15 years, Nicole Magistro owned The Bookworm of Edwards, a general interest, independent bookstore and cafe near Vail, Colorado. She is the recipient of the ABA Entrepreneurial Excellence Award, WNBA Pannell Award and James Patterson indie bookseller grant, and served as a judge for the Kirkus Prize for Fiction. Magistro volunteers with various nonprofits including the American Booksellers’ Association, The Literacy Project, The Mountains and Plains Independent Booksellers’ Association and Vail Mountain School.  She received her master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.

A detail oriented innovator and problem solver, John Gaylord loves finding ways to make book stores more profitable and he’s done just that for over forty years, beginning with the family business of bookstores. His passions are focused on creating, organizing, implementing and maintaining the systems and strategies necessary to make a bookstore efficient and successful. He has conceived, opened and operated twenty-four cutting edge bookstores, ranging in size from 2,000 to 20,000 square feet. He believes that an independent bookstore, whose operations are founded in sound, profitable business strategies and daily routines, will provide a most gratifying experience for owners, staff, and the communities they serve. John assists with improving bookstore operations and conducts business valuations.