What the heck is a Shelf Talker you ask?
It’s one of those pieces of cardstock paper you see on a bookstore’s shelf that tells you when an employee really loves a book and wants to draw attention to it. I think the best bookstores are the ones full of passionate readers always willing to share their literary discoveries while also cultivating a sense of community. You can learn a lot about a bookstore’s collective personality by scanning what they choose to give shelf talkers to. I have been to a couple of bookstores where there are NO shelf talkers at all and it always jars me a little, like the store is saying: “You’re on your own here. We are not excited about anything and we have no opinions.”
Oof. What a downer.
Bookstores: Show us your shelf talkers!!
Last year, at work, we introduced a whole line of new shelf talker designs to freshen up the look of the store. That’s cool and everything, but (like a bibliophile hoarder) I am a little sad about throwing away some of my old stand-bys. I love making shelf talkers for my small press section. I think it has really helped a lot of readers discover new talent through the past fourteen years I’ve been in charge of it.
So before I tossed them in the recycling, I took photos of some of my favorites and decided I’d post them here (about 140 more are not pictured). That way, they live FOREVER! Enjoy this journey–and read these books!
(click on the pic to make it bigger)
For Cowboy Maloney’s Electric City (Dark Sky Press)
The first shelf talker I wrote for Gary Lutz, when 3rd Bed republished Stories In the Worst Way.
Another book that we’ve sold a ton of at Powell’s.
Zachary Lipez, Stacey Wakefield, and Nick Zinner did a great reading for this book at Powell’s back in 2010.
I was so excited to introduce Chelsea Martin’s magic to the world.
I think this was for Greg’s first book, I Have Touched You.
For CA Conrad
I love Spork Books!
Proof of my early love of all things Iredell.
My favorite literary journal.
We’ve sold so many copies of Ghost Machine. One of my all-time faves.
Still pretty obscure, SJB was one of my first writing influences.
I still think this is kind of a minimalist classic. By Paul Fattarusso.
Like how I burned the edges?
The first shelf talker for Chloe’s classic.
Kevin Sampsell 