my3books

In response to some feedback that we've received about the steep requirements of the Fall Handselling Challenge, we've modified the base rules to make it easier for stores to get involved.

The original concept was to encourage booksellers to choose three books that they believe passionately in and by way of the head-to-head competition, see which bookstore would sell the most copies of their chosen books.  That concept remains the same. 

The detail that we've changed - to make the Challenge more appealing - is that entrants no longer need to shoot for 100 copies of EACH of the three books. The new goal is 100 copies of all three of your chosen books combined.

Of course, the winning bookstore will be the one that sells the MOST of all three of their books combined. So don't stop when you hit 100!

We are still requiring some sort of monetary pledge from each competing store: whether that be a flat dollar amount or a per book pledge.  And the winning bookstore will still be covered in glory, and will still be awarded the combined total of money pledged for them to donate to their favorite book or literacy-related charity.

If you have any comments, thoughts, suggestions, or ideas about the Challenge, post them here in the comments.

 

presented by Rainy Day Books and my3books

Follow the competition on Twitter via hashtag #RDBFHC.

Geoffrey Jennings from Rainy Day Books says, "I can sell 100 copies of each of these three books by November 1, 2009. Can you outsell me with your three hand-picked, handselling champion titles?

"I know that there are many gifted & passionate booksellers in great independent bookstores out there. I challenge all of you to a competition. Pick three books flying below the radar -- any three -- and sell 100 copies of each book by November 1. Sell more, sell them faster.

"I pledge $1.00 for book each I sell, from my own pocket, to the prize pool and I eliminate myself from winning. Make either your own flat fee pledge or a per-book-sold pledge, but it will be public. Make it count.

"My picks:
* HOMER'S ODYSSEY by Gwen Cooper, from Delacorte Press
* MOONLIGHT IN ODESSA by Janet Skeslien Charles, from Bloomsbury
* THE PIG DID IT by Joseph Caldwell, from Delphinum"

(Click here for the official my3books post from Geoffrey about these books.)

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?
To celebrate these underdog books and authors, and to shine a light on the essential quality of independent booksellers -- their ability to spot wonderful books and sell the heck out of them -- we're having a little competition, a tournament.

Indie booksellers are challenged to pick three deserving books that they will particularly champion this fall. Entrants will pledge some amount of money towards the total prize pool. They can enlist the aid of other booksellers at their store to help with the handselling and with raising the pledge money. All sales of the chosen books through an individual storefront will count towards determining the winning store.

HOW WILL IT WORK?
Geoff's performance with his three books will set a baseline against which the other competitors will be judged. Geoff is claiming that he (and his cohorts at Rainy Day) will sell at least 100 copies of each of the three chosen books. To be considered for final judging, you and your fellow booksellers must also sell at least 100 copies each of your three chosen books.

The winning bookseller/store will be the one who sells the most copies of all three of their champion books. The prize pool from all qualified entrants will be awarded to the winning bookstore to donate to their store's favorite book or literacy-related charity. And of course, the winning booksellers will be covered in the glory of their victory.

Help spread the word about this contest by posting signs and building displays in your stores, tweeting and blogging about it online, talking it up. Of course, others can pledge money towards the prize pool on behalf of their favorite book or bookseller. All the money pledged & donated will go towards charity!

HOW WILL IT ALL END?
John Mesjak (@mesjak on Twitter) will act as the impartial judge of this competition. Each entrant will submit sales reports for their three chosen titles from August 15, 2009 through October 31, 2009 as documentation. The store that sells the largest total number of all three of their champion titles will be declared the winner.

THE OFFICIAL RULES:

1. You will choose three titles to champion. As an independent bookseller, your heart will inspire your choices. (The Lost Symbol and Catching Fire are a little easy, don't you think? John Mesjak will approve or deny your choices, if necessary.)
2. The titles should meet at least one of the following criteria:
   ⁃ debut hardcover fiction
   ⁃ a book with a first printing of less than 100,000 copies
   ⁃ a trade paperback of a hardcover that sold modestly.
3. Tweet or DM your three titles, and your pledge to @mesjak with the hashtag #RDBFHC no later than 08/15/09.
4. You can tweet your progress title/title/title if you want to, for example: "#RDBFHC 21/50/12. Halfway home on #2!"
5. Trash-talking is absolutely prohibited - you will be immediately and publicly removed from the competition. Let's keep it positive, folks!
6. Submit a post to @mesjak for my3books.com to share your passion for your chosen titles with other independent booksellers, and other book-lovers.
7. The period of eligibility for contest sales is 8/15/09 through midnight 10/31/09.
8. You must provide sales records or POS printouts to demonstrate your final sales totals.
9. You must sell at least 100 copies of each title to be considered for the final judging. Of the 100, at least 85 different people must purchase the book from your store.
10. If you happen to host an event for one or more of your authors, good for you. Those sales count, too.
11. You can, and should, encourage others to pledge into the pool on your behalf. However, we will only make public the names of the contestants, the amount of pledges in support of each challenger, and the total size of the pool. This contest is only for the promotion of independent bookstores and the individual titles they champion.
12. The winning bookstore/bookseller must pledge to direct the prize to a book-related charity in their local community. Independent booksellers pay it forward.

Go big or go home. It all ends on All Hallows' Eve.

All of this was inspired by The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, coming in January from Harper. Learn more at www.happiness-project.com.

Geoffrey Jennings
Rainy Day Books - on the web & on Twitter.

John Mesjak
my3books - on the web & on Twitter.