Customer Reviews

Bookstore Tourism: The Book Addict's Guide to Planning & Promoting Bookstore Road Trips for Bibliophiles & Other Bookshop Junkies

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Reviewed by Katie Weekley for Small Spiral Notebook

Bookstore tourism is the brilliant idea that stems from an activity which, until now, most of us didn't realize was becoming a trend. We die-hard book-nuts already flip open the yellow pages when we travel to new cities, looking for local bookstores. Larry Portzline realized the beginnings of a movement and in the summer of 2003 organized a Pennsylvania college group to visit to several bookstores around Greenwich Village. When the tour sold out almost immediately, Portzline organized several more and, as he put it, "knew he was onto something."

Since then, he has received many inquiries from booksellers, librarians, travel professionals and many other types of booklovers who were excited by his idea and wanted to start their own organized tours of independent bookshops. He responded by starting a website (http://www.bookstoretourism.com/) and writing his book, Bookstore Tourism:The Book Addict's Guide to Planning and Promoting Bookstore Road Trips for Bibliophiles and Other Bookshop Junkies.

Portzline's book is an excellent how-to guide for those planning bookstore tours. He covers every possibility, from invitations/reservations, how to choose locations, methods of travel, and fun activities to do on the way. As for destinations, he offers descriptions of his favorite bookstores around the country, as well as methods for researching new places. He clearly loves bookstores of all kinds, and while he recommends researching places before visiting, he loves the thrill of finding hidden treasures and urges participants to be open to all possibilities.

Many independent bookstores, faced with high rents, low readership and competition from larger, more commercial stores, have closed in recent years. These bookstores are not merely businesses, but barometers of local cultures and environments for personal enrichment and learning. Portzline imagines, "Wouldn't it be great to see busloads of booklovers pulling up in front of your favorite indie bookstore on a regular basis?" He stumbled on a fantastic new trend and graciously shares his knowledge in this book.

Bookstore Tourism: The Book Addict's Guide To Planning & Promoting Bookstore Road Trips For Bibliophiles & Other Bookshop Junkies by author and bibliophile Larry Portzlne is a combination tour guide, planner, and celebration of the independent bookstore. The result of the author's campaign of innovative grassroot efforts to promote and support independent bookstores through identifying them as a tourist destination and crating a new travel niche specifically designed for booklovers, Bookstore Tourism is as much fun as it is informational and is a superbly conceived and executed tool for the promotion of reading, literacy, travel, tourism, independent bookstores, and a shared love of books. There is also a very special serendipity with respect to Bookstore Tourism. It is an ideal reference and resource for authors and small press publishers seeking to create their own book tours, establish bookstore events within the community of independent bookstores across the nation. Of special note and value are the appendices providing contact information for national bookseller associations; regional bookseller associations; American literary and book festivals; a listing of books about books, bookstores, and reading groups; and state-by-state resource listings for agencies and bureaus dealing with the arts, economic development, history, libraries, and tourism. One of the most inexpensive and useful book oriented resources, the 104-page Bookstore Tourism is enthusiastically recommended for bibliophiles, authors, publishers, and booklovers everywhere.

Kirkus Discoveries Review:

A college instructor shares his plan to help independent bookstores survive: shopping trips specially designed foróand marketed toótourist readers.

Portzline conceived the idea for bookstore tourism after hearing a fellow community college instructor explain restaurant adventures he led in New York City. Wanting to own a bookstore himself, Portzline figured he could learn about the business by leading tourists on buying trips, beef up the bottom lines of independent retailers, earn money for himself and encourage reading.

As of last August, Portzline had organized and led six bookstore tourism groups -- five to Greenwich Village in New York City and one to the Georgetown and Dupont Circle neighborhoods in Washington, D.C. Portzline's whim eventually evolved into a self-styled grassroots campaign -- he launched a Web site (BookstoreTourism.com), actively sought media attention and penned his guide to organizing journeys to independent retailers.

The handy how-to section covers many common questions: Do you have to be some kind of expert to do this?; Who should consider planning a bookstore road trip?; What's the main purpose of your trip?; Will it cost anything to get started?; Who are you inviting?; How will you handle reservations?; Where do you want to go?; How long do you want the trip to be?; What day will you go?; etc.

Even for those who don't take action with groups of their own, Portzline's guide is engaging reading because of the specific independent stores he mentions. They're not necessarily the most famous bookstores in the nation, nor does Portzline attempt to provide a comprehensive list. But each retailer has its own story to tell, and most will hold the interest of any book enthusiast.

A slim but invigorating guide to an appealing and promising concept.

"Bookstore Tourism" is a very interesting read that makes a strong case in support of indie booksellers. It addresses the competition between small, independent bookshops and the larger chain stores and internet merchants. It also gives numerous examples of how to organize bookstore trips with friends or with an organization or school. It's a great way to meet other book-lovers and to spend a day shopping at excellent bookshops that you might not be familiar with in another town. Mr. Portzline does a great job of spelling out how to organize such trips and why they benefit independent bookstores. It's a fantastic idea and a lot of fun! The book is enjoyable to read as well. If you love books, you can't go wrong with something like this.

Bookstore Tourism is a new way to help independent bookstores by marketing them as tourist destinations and encouraging booklovers to plan bus trips to towns with unique bookstores. Instead of, for instance, taking a bus trip to the Statue of Liberty, why not take a trip to the bookstores in Greenwich Village?

The book looks at the present situation for the independent bookstore. The news is not very good. While some store are able to survive, even thrive, more stores are closing every day. There are a number of reasons, including the coming of the chains, the economy, skyrocketing rents and the internet. Another problem is the sheer number of new books published, reaching 175,000 in 2003 from over 78,000 publishers.

What can indie bookstores do to survive? First and foremost, customer service is everything. Selling used books creates more profit than new books. Get creative with entertainment and special events. Consider a makeover of the decor to find that balance between fun and functional. Including a cafe encourages customers to linger and buy more books. Get involved in the community. Perhaps shrinking the store is the way to go. Cross promote with neighboring businesses.

The book also explores the mechanics of setting up a bookstore tour. Included are things like making sure that the destination stores are still there, anyone can plan a bookstore trip, handling reservations, the best day to go, the best kind of transportation, seeing if the destination stores will hold special events during your trip, where to eat, things to do while in transit, publicizing the trip and dealing with the bus company, among many others.

Bookstore tourism is a wonderful idea (anything that helps independent bookstores is a wonderful idea) and this is an excellent book that ended much too soon. I really enjoying reading it. The author mentions that more books on independent bookstores are planned in the future. I can't wait.

Bookstore Tourism Creates Travel Niche for Booklovers, Helps Indie Bookstores

"Bookstore Tourism" is an innovative grassroots effort started by Harrisburg, PA writer Larry Portzline to promote and support independent bookstores by marketing them as a tourist destination and creating a new travel niche for booklovers. The primary goal is to encourage booklovers around the country to organize day-trips and other kinds of literary outings to cities and towns with interesting, fun and unique bookstores that people in their own communities may not be able to visit regularly.

Between July 2003 and June 2004, Portzline led six sold-out "bookstore adventures" to New York City and Washington, D.C. for two colleges in central Pennsylvania. Since launching the project, he's received countless inquiries and expressions of support from people in the bookselling, publishing and travel industries, from educators, libraries and colleges, from book festival and "One Book" organizers, and from booklovers everywhere who are eager to get involved.

"Bookstore Tourism" covers the basics of planning and promoting a bookstore road trip, including how to do the necessary research, arrange transportation, publicize the event, etc. It includes numerous tips and step-by-step suggestions, as well as advice based on Portzline's experiences leading his own bookstore adventures. Other features include a primer on the bookselling industry, examples of great bookstore towns, suggestions for ways to partner with other organizations and agencies, and an appendix with numerous resources for anyone planning a trip.

The Chicago Tribune said, "This little volume might be just the thing to get people not only reading again but visiting their local independents. Spread the word." The Boston Globe said, "Larry Portzline has taken a novel idea on the road." The Dallas Morning News said, "Bookstore lovers now have their own guidebook." USA Today called the idea "a charming alternative" when it selected Portzline's website, BookstoreTourism.com, as a "hot site" in May 2004. Publishers Weekly said it "might be the beginning of a new concept in bookselling."

"Bookstore Tourism" is a great little book and an even better idea. The book delves into why it's so important to support indie bookstores, and how they're fighting for their lives against the large retail chains, not just B&N and Borders but WalMart and basically any other major conglomerate that sells books. The ideas in the book are great and very helpful, telling people how to go about planning road trips with friends and other groups to towns with excellent independent bookstores. It's an interesting, enjoyable read and I highly recommend it. My only criticism is that it's too short and the author should expand it and do even more with the idea. When is Bookstore Tourism Part 2 coming out like the author hinted?

This book is all about buying some independent book stores so let's see if this review gets published! The author organizes "field trips" for bookaholics to areas with special & unique book stores. I loved the information that it gave & only wished that it were longer! I'd love to see a sequel that covered other parts of the country.