At first a lot of people I knew questioned the Amazon Bookstore because...wasn't Amazon known for its online platform that essentially put other bookstores out of business? Well as it turns out, the Amazon Bookstore is incredibly different from a Barns n' Noble, and I think that's why I always find the time to stop in. Don't get me wrong, there are still some haters, but for the most part, even my "purist reader" friends love this store.
I'm a reader. But I'm not the type of reader that never leaves a book in every room just incase, and you won't find me turning down a brunch with my girlfriends to stay in and read (FOMO). I've never maxed out my library card, and I don't have strong opinions about how reading on a Kindle or iPad just, "isn't the same" as a paperback book. That's my best friend...
I'm the kind of reader who almost always has a book to read, and one "on deck" book incase I finish. I don't really take risks in my reading selections because I know what genres I like, and I don't want to waste my time with a book I don't enjoy. I have a list of fun books that my friends recommended to me. I have a list of children's books that my students said I absolutely MUST read. I have a list of professional books that my coworkers SWEAR BY! I've pinned every, "Must Read Book List" on Pinterest, and then I have an ongoing Amazon cart of books that popped up as something I might like since other customers also bought it...or because the cover was really cute. I'm a social reader. I love reading, and I love talking about what I'm reading. I will have those moments where I stay up late with my flashlight on underneath my covers....IF I have a really good book. I also go through reading "ruts" because if I don't have a great book to read, I find other things to do.
When I was younger, these reading ruts happened far more often because I didn't know how to find a good book, or how social of a reader I was. Donalyn Miller would have called me a dormant reader. I know we all have those dormant readers in our class. I know as teachers, we try to make reading a social experience for our students. The Amazon Bookstore provides a platform for a social reading experience in a number of ways.
What if we took some tips from the Amazon Bookstore, and applied it to our own classroom libraries?
- Less is more. Amazon has way less books than your average bookstore. To this indecisive, "must read great books only" reader, that's helpful! In my own classroom library, I had bins and bins of books that "might interest someone some day," but many just collected dust. I noticed that the more I scaled down my book inventory, the more students would actually use the library. Tons and tons of books can be overwhelming for students who don't know exactly what to read!
- Make the books visible. Amazon has all of their books facing out so you can see the covers, rather than the spines. I realize this is difficult to do in a classroom, but making at least SOME of the books visible will help "sell them" to the students. Especially ones with pretty covers (I'm so guilty of judging a book by its cover).
- Use data to drive book your inventory. Amazon is a data monster in the best (and most dangerous for consumers) way possible. From ratings and comments to purchasing statistics, they know what their customers want. As teachers, let's make our students as addicted to reading as we are to Amazon!! We need to be sure that we know what our students want SPECIFICALLY! This isn't the same class to class, it's not even the same in September as it is in December!! Click here to see a guide to using data to drive your book inventory.
- Tailor your inventory to your audience, based on interest. The Amazon store's inventory is different every time I walk in. Rumor has it, they readjust their inventory every 2 weeks, based on their charts (I can't find any research on this, but there has to be some truth to this because it changes each time I walk in). This is TOTALLY not possible as teachers, but we can have those certain sections of our library that adjust and change based on what our students need. Highlighting certain titles every few weeks?What better way to expose them to different books??
- Provide curated collections of books. Amazon's curated lists are based on this data. That's how they organize their books. They cater directly to the consumers (so directly that they have a curated list for the interests of people who love Southport as much as I do!!!) Some of my favorite lists are, "Most-Wished-For," "If You Like...," and "Unputdownable." Check out some of my other favorite curated lists below! Click here for a step by step guide on how to curate your own lists, pre-made curated lists, and book labels for possible curated lists.
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| Can you infer that this street has an abundance of stay at home moms and Instagram influencers? Also, this is a pretty spot on collection... Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari is one of my favorites!! |
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| Again, creepy spot on. I've read 4.5 of those books, and 2 are in my cart right now. |
- Give your consumers a voice. One of the coolest features of the bookstore is real reviews from readers. Of course, being the cynical person I can be, I know Amazon has thousands to choose from, and they pick only the best reviews to promote books in the store, so these particular signs don't sway my decision as much. I just imagine if they were more personal -- what if these reviews were from people I KNOW and trust?! You can TOTALLY give students this opportunity in your classroom!! And hey...if students have a bad review for a book...consider displaying some of those, too (more student buy in)!!
I'm not here to say that Amazon's brick and mortar bookstores are the most effective business model, and I also don't think it's feasible to mimic the exact strategy that Amazon uses to sell books. I do believe that at the very least, making some data-informed, student-driven changes to your library will reach more of your students.
