Thanks to all of you for the lively discussion below. I found at least two of the ideas both thought-provoking and possible: we’re working on establishing a new message board at the Well-Trained Mind Forums, where parents with expertise in a particular area can post their availability for small local get-togethers (I’ll let you know when this is up and running); and in the Peace Hill Press office we’re discussing the possibilities for an organized series of podcasts or an online conference.
That will take some thought and time, so don’t consider this an announcement–just an assurance that we’re taking the ideas and suggestions to heart.
Something else has come up I’d like some feedback on. At Peace Hill, we’ve been working on a brochure for bookstore owners that would help them organize a home education section useful to home school parents. A few months ago I asked readers of my writer’s blog to give me some feedback on what they’d like to see in a local bookstore. They gave plenty of suggestions, and I’ve drawn from those to make up ten tips for bookstore owners.
How would you change these? What would you add?
TEN TIPS FOR ATTRACTING HOME EDUCATORS
1. Keep a literature rack of home educator resources in a prominent place. Your state home school organization will be happy to furnish you with free copies of local regulations governing home education, lists of support groups, directories of tutors and resources, and more. You can find an up-to-date list of state (and local) home education associations at “The Old Schoolhouse” website: thehomeschoolmagazine.com/Homeschool_Nations/State_Listings.php.
2. Host a regular Curriculum Night: ask experienced home school parents to come and demonstrate/explain books and curricula they’ve found useful. (To find these parents, call one of the local groups listed at the website above)
3. Dedicate a shelf or section to the project and label it clearly. “Parent Educators” is preferable to “Home Educators,” since many parents “afterschool” (teach one or two subjects to a student who’s in a traditional classroom).
4. “How-to-homeschool” books are fine, but many parents have moved beyond this introductory stage and need content. Stock core texts in the main academic areas too: history, math, science, grammar, writing (see the Suggested Core List that follows).
5. Concentrate on K-8 titles; this is the growth area in home education.
6. Be willing to deal with smaller publishers who don’t have national distribution. Small, family-run presses are at the cutting edge in home education. Among them: Peace Hill Press (peacehillpress.com), Memoria Press (memoriapress.com), Commonsense Press (commonsensepress.com), and Gravitas Press (gravitaspublications.com).
7. Make the path to and from the Parent Educator section child-friendly. Parents who home educate often shop with their kids. A shelf of erotica at eye-level right across from the Parent Educator section will guarantee that they don’t come back.
8. Don’t stock the area immediately around the Parent Educator section with toys, movies, Disney adaptations, or books with push-buttons and musical elements. Parents who home educate put a high value on traditional books; they avoid buying books which are media-based and are often frustrated when their children zero in on these during book-buying expeditions.
9. Offer a regular storytime for kids, during which parents can examine buy books–and point out on your flyers that you’re doing this for the benefit of Parent Educators.
10. If you offer a teacher discount, be sure to offer it to your home schooling patrons as well; you’ll earn both their gratitude and their loyalty.
I wonder if a bookstore would balk at a brochure that outlined specifics about homeschool regulations. I don’t know if this would be considered giving legal advice.
I like the idea of watching out where the section is located. It seems that education is often placed near philosophy and religion rather than near the children’s section. This does tend to put it just around the corner from some esoterica that I’d rather not have the kids around (or on a more practical level, near books that are large and expensive that I’d rather they not be tempted to finger).
Do bookstores play host to book clubs anymore? I know several knitting groups who meet in a local Starbucks. Maybe just being willing to host a book/curriculum discussion group would be mutually beneficial. I know it’s hard for me to enter a bookstore without discovering some previously unidentified NEED. Things that get me into the bookstore and returning frequently would have a good payback for the store.
I wonder if this would be more advantageous for a big chain store like Borders or for a smaller independent store?
Those sound good to me. I would love to see more (well, ANY) smaller publishers on the education racks. It always seems to me that there are shelves and shelves of generic workbooks and nothing whatsoever that I would actually want to give my child–nothing with purpose. (OTOH, I am probably one of three people in town who buy from Memoria Press…) It’s also true that there are some how-to books and nothing else. What does the Suggested Core List look like?
I have been thinking that our local group ought to do an informational night this spring; had been thinking of the library’s community room, but the bookstore is a good idea.
I know a list like this should stay compact and not have too many additions; and it’s already really good… but is there a place to emphasize a need for good non-fiction? I can see this corner becoming all workbooks and Newbery winners otherwise. Also, I remember a number of people discussing audiobooks. We have to really search for these; the kids’ section usually has only a handful. If they can’t afford to shelve and display a bunch, maybe a pamphlet listing ones parents could order through them (using the discount)?
My favorite item on your list was the suggestion that parents share their experiences with particular curricular items while the kids go to story time. That is brilliant.
Is this something bookstore owners have asked for or something that you will try to offer stores that perhaps haven’t thought about the homeschool market? If the latter, you might want an intro along the lines of, “the average homeschooling family spends $$$ a year on curriculum and books. If you want to be a part of this growing market, here are some ideas….” We just got an annual report type thing from HSLDA that had the dollar figures in it. Not that many bookstore owners wouldn’t do it just because it supports the community, but they are operating on such tight margins (especially independents) it might be more well received if they see how it will benefit their business in the long run.
I love that you threw in a bit about a shelf of erotica. Somehow, everything you write is funny.
How about adding: ask your local homeschool group if you can set up an information table at their next curriculum fair or event. You can get feedback from the homeschooling community and reach new customers.
LV,
Interesting–what was the $$$ figure from HSLDA? (And did they indicate how they’d reached it?)
SWB
The figure is in the HSLDA Homeschool Progress Report for 2009 , which I found online: http://www.hslda.org/docs/study/ray2009/2009_Ray_StudyFINAL.pdf.
On page 5, it states that the median amount spent per child each year is $400 to $599 among the 11,000+ families interviewed. (I guess you answered to a dollar range rather than an exact amount.) I thought it provided a more specific figure, but it was part of a factoid and graph on the previous page about how homeschoolers spend less than public schools and do better on standardized tests; and that spending more than the median generates only small increases in performance.
HSLDA hired the National Home Education Research Institute to do the study, so they must have more exact numbers then sliced the data to make a pretty story. I’m totally new to homeschooling this year, so I’m sure you know more about these organizations than I do.
Hope that helps – sounds like PHP is doing cool things. Not sure where you find the time in the day!
Lisa
I like that you started most of them with action verbs. I’d make them all that way because it makes them sound positive, and gives store owners/managers quick understanding of what they can act on.
Will you be distributing these brochures to bookstores across the U.S. somehow? Or just giving them out/selling them as customers ask? Or including them with shipments of PHP products that people buy? Or at conferences? Could you include Canada in tip #1 and in your distribution efforts?
Another tip idea: Play only soothing, quiet music over the store’s speaker system, if you must play it. High-volume music with singing is very distracting when people are trying to think through their book-purchasing choices. It also makes some kids antsy, which causes their parents to leave the store without purchasing anything. (This is a big reason I don’t go to my local bookstore much – it drives me nuts, I can’t think in there!!)
Perhaps clear labeling as to whether materials are secular or otherwise? A sticker on the spine would be enough, I’m sure. I realise people are able to pick books up and look at them, but if you’re shopping with kids, these little time savers can help…
I love these. The one thing I would add would be something about not assuming all home educators are religious and/or conservative. *grin* When I was starting out, it was so frustrating to read about the homeschool information night at the library or wherever, and then realize it was a group that required a Statement of Faith to join. There are several groups in my area, for instance, that are not on the linked page.
Writer On Site Project…Please take the time to read my Blog Post of Feb. 6, 2010, on the Blog page at http://www.crimespace.ning.com. It describes what I think is the next logical step in trying to help save the brick and mortar stores by developing a closer relationship between the stores owners, customers and writers…Thank you.