booklog news

BEA 2011 A Publication from ComputerWorks of , Inc.

Booklog Travels to A Note From the President New York for BEA BookExpo America (or ABA as it used to be industry and called) 2011 will be my 28th! The first show fortunate to work Your friends at Booklog look I (and Booklog) attended was in Washington, with you. Even forward to seeing you in New York D.C., in 1984. As many of you remember, with all the City for BookExpo America 2011. the shows back then were huge and the ABA struggles of the Please stop by our booth #2633 had to seek new venues every year just to independents, to say hi and talk with our tech, accommodate the ever-growing number of beginning with training and sales staff. We hope vendors. (Booklog had been on the waiting the big box stores, to see you there! list that year.) The shows lasted five days and then Amazon, BEA SHOW HOURS many of the publishers sent crews over a then e-, it’s week in advance to construct things like huge still a great place Tuesday, May 24, 2011 sand castles or gigantic ceiling-high zebras to be. I am so that were 40 feet in length. Our computers glad that we’re 9 a.m.–5 p.m. were the size of small refrigerators and the still in business Wednesday, May 25, 2011 monitors were larger than the old non-flat- and can be a part of that. Thank you to all screen TVs. Traveling by plane with all the of you for making that the reality. 9 a.m.–5 p.m. equipment was quite a challenge, though Please stop by our booth #2633 at Thursday, May 26, 2011 admittedly easier than traveling today with BookExpo to say hello. Members of our sales all the restrictions and security. and technical support staff will be there to 9 a.m.–3 p.m. I was reminded of this today because I demonstrate the latest features of Booklog. had lunch with one of Booklog’s very first They will provide helpful hints on how to BOOKLOG USERS’ MEETING salespeople, Maggie Gautier. I’m sure some maximize your use of the software, both at of you remember her. She lives in Los Angeles the cash register and in the back office of Wednesday, May 25, 2011 and is now involved in filmmaking. She told your store. We’ve come a long way since me how grateful she was to have started her 1984 and it’s thrilling to be able to share the 2–3:30 p.m. work life in the “ business” — spending journey with you. Room #1E06 at the Javits Center time with people who are interesting and Happy spring, happy summer and best diverse and not focused solely on making wishes for a good year. May there be many money (good thing!). Though it spoiled her wonderful books written again this year! for the future, she said it was a great way to begin. That’s pretty much how all of us feel — Jean Fishbeck, president Booklog Offers at Booklog, fortunate to be a part of this Show Special

Again this year, Booklog is offering a BEA Show Special of 15% off software add-ons. Booklog Users’ Forum To take advantage of this savings, please contact Nancy Did you know that Booklog has a Users’ and support each other. Although the forum at 800-977-8212 ext. 224 or Forum? It is a great resource for giving us will be monitored by a Booklog technician [email protected] by June 30, feedback, discussing general usage, passing for questions unable to be answered or 2011. valuable tips to each other, and offering answered inaccurately by other users, please suggestions on how to make the system better. note that the forum is not intended as a Once on the forum site, any individual replacement for contacting Booklog with can review general announcements posted technical support issues. on the public boards. However, when you We hope you will take a few minutes ComputerWorks of Chicago, Inc. register for a login name, you can access all to check out the Booklog Users’ Forum by 800-977-8212 of the boards and post your very own threads. visiting booklog.com and registering for a www.booklog.com We hope that all of our customers will take login name today! [email protected] advantage of this valuable tool to ask questions Training Tips Customer’s Corner

Frequent Buyer Club In this issue of Booklog News we are pleased to feature Hub City Bookshop, located in Spartanburg, S.C. To reward customers for regular Hub City Bookshop has been a Booklog customer since April 2010. purchases, use Booklog’s Frequent Buyer Club feature (found under The old saying “you get what you pay for” Sales > Marketing). It allows you to certainly doesn’t apply to the Hub City issue credit certificates for customers Bookshop. In fact, at Hub City Bookshop when they spend a certain amount you get much more than what you pay for. of money or buy a specific quantity When you purchase a book from this unique of items. You can choose which independent retailer, you not only support the categories you want to make eligible nonprofit bookshop, but you also support for the club. When a customer scholarships and fellowships for developing receives a credit certificate, they writers and the of the works of Hub City Bookshop has over 2,000 titles can apply it to their next sale. You community and regional authors. attractively displayed in the store, which control which customers get to join Located in the heart of the Grain District covers approximately 1,800 square feet of your club, specify how much credit of Spartanburg S.C., Hub City is a bookshop, the renovated first floor of the old Masonic a customer gets, and even give them a writer’s project and a publishing house all Temple. This inventory includes mostly new a beginning credit to work with if in one. The bookshop, which grew out of the books, but also some used contemporary and you want to count past purchases writer’s project and the publishing house, is classic hardbacks and trade which toward your new club. The frequent operated by the nonprofit Hub City Writers have been donated by loyal patrons wanting buyer club is a great way to reward Project and specializes in new releases, regional to share their “good reads.” your customers’ continued loyalty authors, children’s books, literary fiction, The bookshop staff includes one full- throughout the year. history and its own Hub City Press titles. time manager and two part-time staff and Hub City Press is a nonprofit independent a number of volunteers, many of whom are Direct Marketing Segment press that publishes well-crafted, high-quality published writers as well as local book lovers. One advantage of taking customers’ works by new and established authors, with It’s not uncommon to learn that the person names at the register is that an emphasis on the Southern experience. ringing you up at the counter is the author Booklog lets you identify specific Although relatively new, opening in June of the book you are purchasing. So if you buying patterns in your customer of 2010, Hub City has great plans for the want a signed copy, you just have to ask. base. Whether you enter names or future with the ultimate goal of establishing One of the unique features of the store not, Booklog can tell you what is Spartanburg as the literary center of the is the section “What Spartanburg Reads,” and isn’t selling in your inventory. South. Among its core activities are regular which includes a regular exhibit and inventory But by accumulating customer data, by national and regional authors, of books recommended by local residents, such Booklog can show you why certain book clubs, and outreach programs for as college presidents, politicians, businesspeople, items sell in your store and give children at the and the local farmers’ key nonprofit leaders and ordinary readers. you the information you need to market. Each year, these activities are enhanced It also has rotating displays about the works plan and promote events. by the presence of a writer in residence and personalities of successful Upstate For promoting those events, among the staff. literary figures. there’s no better tool in Booklog When asked why Hub City chose than the Direct Marketing Segment. Booklog, Erin Haire, the bookstore manager, This feature (found under Sales > quickly responded, “Because Booklog was Marketing) allows you to build highly recommended by other bookstore a list of customers who have managers.” Booklog is pleased to have Hub purchased a specific item, items by City Bookshop among our supportive users a particular author, items from a and we look forward to following its success vendor, or in specific departments as an indie store for serious readers. or categories. You can export this The Hub City Bookshop in Spartanburg, information to a mailing list S.C., is indeed a revolutionary independent (usable in Microsoft Word’s mail bookstore. If you ever find yourself in the merge) or generate a targeted area, be sure to stop in and you will get “so e-mail to let customers know about much more than what you paid for.” your event. It’s great for letting people know about sales and specials happening at your store. Welcome to Our New Booklog Users Gift Receipts Altar’d State - Birmingham, Knoxville, Tenn. Hannibal-LaGrange University, Hannibal, Mo. Give your customers gift receipts Altar’d State - Corporate, Knoxville, Tenn. Hidden Lantern, Rosemary Beach, Fla. with a click. When making a sale Assouline - Corporate, New York, N.Y. Hiram College Bookstore, Hiram, Ohio and the customer asks for a gift ATA College, Louisville, Ky. A Novel Cafe, Tewksbury, Mass. receipt, just click the boxes next to Book-X-Change, Orem, Utah Pura Vida Books, Mayaguez, P.R. the items for which you want a gift Books by the Park/Parkside Church of Clev, Railroad Book Depot, Pittsburg, Calif. Chagrin Falls, Ohio Rivendell Books, Berlin, Vt. receipt. Booklog will print out two Common Grounds/First Baptist Euless, Euless, Texas Schwabe Books #2, Simi Valley, Calif. receipts; one with prices and a sales The Dwelling Place at Asbury Church, Madison, Ala. Wit and Whimsy, Marblehead, Mass. total, and a second without them. Georgia Court, Sarasota, Fla. The Woodlands Christian Academy, The Woodlands, Texas Tech Tips for Booklog Users

Keep Tabs on Your Vendor Purchases was created. After the purchase order is addresses. Booklog won’t know if a specific We make it easy to keep tabs on how much created, go to Utilities > Allocate Stock To address is incorrect, but it does know if the you are spending with a vendor by totaling Orders to take already received stock and format of the address is incorrect. If you that information in the Vendor Properties allocate it to the outstanding special orders. get an error during the export, run the screen. You will be able to see how much From the list that prints to the screen, you Customer E-mail Listing report and go you have ordered, received and even how will be able to identify and alert those through and check for e-mail addresses that much freight you have paid. Use this screen customers whose items are in and ready to were not entered in the correct format to ensure that you are getting the best be picked up. ([email protected]). It is important to have the return on investment from your vendors. @ symbol and a period in the address. To see this information, go to Remainders and Other Net Priced Items Maintenance > Vendors and select the With the ever-expanding base of bookstore Gift Card Features vendor you would like to view. Click on the inventory, you are now likely carrying items • Gift Card Batch Reset — In Sales > Purchasing/Receiving tab to view this history. that do not follow the traditional discount- Marketing > Certificates > Gift you oriented book costing method. As you have can reset a batch of gift cards by The Mail Order Proposal’s Other Use changed, Booklog has changed with you. If clicking on Batch Reset and scanning Given the economic times, consumers are you carry items that you buy at a cost and or entering the cards you want to reset. more aware of the cost of the purchases they mark up based on a margin, Booklog can After they are all scanned in, click on are making. If one of your customers would help you with those calculations. If you are Reset Gift Cards and they will be reset. like a proposal or a quote prior to a purchase, entering a new item, use the NEW GM • Gift Card Cash Back Threshold — you can use the Mail Order Module to (general merchandise) button on the Item If your state requires that you give cash provide them with this. Simply put the items Properties screen. If you would like to back when your customers redeem gift on a mail order. Do not mark any of the items convert existing items to a net-priced model, cards and the remaining balance is as shipped, just save the mail order as a draft. click on the Miscellaneous tab of the Item below a defined amount, Booklog can Then go to Reports > Reports Pick-list and Properties screen and change the item from help you know when to refund this find the mail order proposal. If you have Net Priced–NO to Net Priced–YES. This cash. To set up a threshold amount, go Adobe Acrobat installed, you can print this setting will allow you to enter the wholesale to Maintenance > Store > Defaults > to a PDF and e-mail it to your customer. cost and the margin, and Booklog will Gift Card Payback Threshold and enter Even if you don’t have the full version of calculate the list price for you. the amount that you must refund Adobe Acrobat, Booklog always ships with Don’t forget that you can set vendors when the balance falls below it. When a program called Ghostscript that can be to use this cost structure as well. Go to the gift card balance falls under this used to print to a PDF. Maintenance > Vendors. Select the vendor amount, the cashier will be prompted EXTRA USE: If you are starting to for which you would like to use this model to refund the balance. do school sales, the mail order proposal can and check the box for Net Pricing. • Use More Than One Gift Card in a also be used to give school districts an idea If your remainders or sidelines do Sale — Do this by either highlighting of the titles that they are purchasing prior not have their own UPC or ISBN assigned more than one gift card or choosing to issuing the PO. to them, Booklog has a built-in random Select Multiple and then scanning the number generator which will create a multiple cards. Special Order Review unique SKU that is not currently being Special orders are becoming an important used in your system. Simply print a label Scan Receipt part of everyone’s day-to-day business. and you are set to go. When a customer returns items and has Creating a special order is only the first part the receipt, you can use the handy barcode of the process in Booklog. After creating a Preventing Sales on the Wrong Date printed on the receipt to return the items. special order, be sure to add it to the purchase Booklog gets the sale date and time infor- The Quick Return function will bring up order using the Special Order Item Pick-list. mation from the operating system installed the original sale to the Cash Register screen By using the pick-list icon, Booklog can help on the computer. If someone accidentally with the refund box(es) checked. Even if you track that order through the purchasing changes the date and time in Windows, this the customer is refunding only one item, and receiving process. The icon forms a link will cause the dates and times of sales in there are many benefits to using Scan that will bind that order to the purchase Booklog to be incorrect. To avoid any Receipt. Since Scan Receipt brings up order so that you can always see the status. accidental date changes, we recommend information from the original sale, you will You can take the special order deposit using a calendar program to check dates bring up the exact price paid for the item. in the same sale when a customer is doing a instead of the Windows clock. If you have If there has been a change in price since the special order and purchasing other items computers in the store that are easily item was purchased, you will be refunding that you have in stock. Instead of going to accessible to a lot of people, you can use the the correct amount. It also automatically the Special Order Module, open the Cash built-in Windows security feature to restrict takes into account all discounts offered on Register screen and press ALT+F2 to open users from changing the date and time. the original sale. Scanning the receipt takes a quick link to the Special Order Module the item off the original sale, so that it that will allow the deposit to be brought E-mail Blasts cannot be returned again with the same into the sale with the rest of the items. When sending a promotional e-mail blast receipt. To use the Scan Receipt feature, through Booklog, remember that you must either click on the last icon on the right Another Special Order Function have MAPI-compliant e-mail software, side of the tool bar, click on Edit > Scan Booklog has a built-in function that will such as Outlook, set up and open for the Receipt or press the ALT+Q keys on the allow you to allocate the stock that you export to work. Keep in mind that you will keyboard. already had on order when a special order get an error if you have any bad e-mail PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID FARIBAULT, MN PERMIT NO. 21 ComputerWorks of Chicago, Inc. 5153 N. Clark, Suite 207 Chicago, Illinois 60640

Welcome to New York City and BookExpo America 2011

The Big Apple is alive and well, still serving and you are at the Museum of Natural Restaurants the millions of visitors that flock to this History. For the Metropolitan Museum Probably no place on earth has the variety great metropolis every day for fun and of Art, walk north through the park to and quantity of restaurants and eating spots. excitement! While you’re here for the BEA, East 86th Street, which serves as the Anything and everything is available to be sure to spend some time exploring this entrance to this famous museum. For a satisfy your hunger. Here are some that are wonderful city. We suggest that you try to special ride through the park, look for delicious and reasonably priced. take in some of the following. the carriages lined up on Central Park • Carnegie Deli, 854 7th Avenue at South, between 5th and 6th Avenues. West 56 Street, 212-757-2245. Entertainment Walk-ups only for carriage rides — talk Famous for its huge deli sandwiches • Broadway Shows. For discount tickets, to the driver for prices and schedules. and typical New York-style cheesecake, you can go to 42nd Street, Times • Greenwich Village. This historic and this one should not be missed. It’s Square, for day-of-performance shows. delightful neighborhood, home to usually crowded, but worth the long It can be a long wait in line, but there numerous artists, musicians and the wait. Don’t expect polite service — in is usually something available for all just plain famous, is waiting for a fact, the staff takes rudeness to a new and the prices can’t be beat. Located pleasant walk through its hodge podge level, but all in fun. It’s famous for “under the red steps” in Father Duffy of streets and lanes. Wonderful restau- a murder on the upper floor of this Square on Broadway and 47th Street. rants abound and are open quite late. building, many years ago, of course. • Empire State Building, located on The area is located between Houston • Ustav, 1185 Avenue of the Americas 5th Avenue between 33rd and 34th and 14th Streets. The center is occupied (enter on 46th Street between 6th Streets. The grand old structure is still by Washington Square Park, which and 7th Avenues), 212-575-2525. standing and offers tours daily. Visitors includes the New York University Delicious Indian food. The luncheon are welcome to take the elevator to the Campus. West of here is MacDougal buffet will fill you up for the rest of 86th floor, 8–2 a.m. (the last elevator Street, home to wonderful restaurants the day! goes up at 1:15 a.m.). Tickets are and bars. Several subway lines will take • Glass House Tavern, 252 West 47th $19.29 adults, $17.45 seniors and you to this lively locale. Street between 7th and 8th Avenues, $13.78 children. If you can’t make the 212-730-4800. This is a good spot (but trip to the top, try to look up while a little pricey) for a pre-theatre special. walking anywhere in the city after dark. Great food with standards and stand- The top of the building lights up in outs to satisfy all tastes. different colors each night, often a color • Bocca, 135 West 50th Street, 212- that has been chosen in honor of some 582-3000. Good standard Italian eats event or person. (pasta, salads, sandwiches) along with • Central Park. Open year round, 24/7. delicious desserts. Eat-in or take-out. Entrances are all around the park, but • Wichcraft, 1 Rockefeller Plaza, the one closest to BookExpo is probably 212-780-0577. Healthy sandwiches, at Columbus Circle (59th Street and salads and gourmet coffee. Stay and Central Park South). Visit the Central take a tour of the famious Rockefeller Park Conservatory Garden or famous Center. There is no ice skating this Central Park Zoo. Maps are located time of year, but the plaza will give throughout the park. Walk across the you a comfy seat for lots of people street from the park at West 81st Street watching.