With independent bookstores increasingly facing harassment, intimidation, protests, and threats over what books they choose to carry, American Booksellers Association advocacy associate manager Philomena Polefrone led a session last week at Winter Institute 2025 in Denver, Colo., to provide booksellers with tips for weathering such incidents.
Polefrone noted that although the culture wars have been spilling into bookstores for decades, "the volume has been turned up" over the last four or five years, with the attacks on schools and libraries leading people to believe that they can challenge bookstores in the same way. Polefrone reiterated that curation is booksellers' speech, and no one can tell a bookseller "what to sell or not to sell. Period."
Based on her experience supporting bookstores, Polefrone identified three general categories of stores and their approaches to curation: opinionated generalist stores, which are general-interest stores with "lines and principles" about what they do or do not carry; all-sides-of-the-issue stores, which try to present all viewpoints on a given issue, within reason; and activist stores, which have very specific missions and curate inventory around those missions.
While there is no "silver bullet" for getting through these crises, Polefrone continued, "there are best practices" and things to avoid. The general goal is to keep a controversy contained, let it blow over, and avoid making any "unforced errors" that will exacerbate the situation, and she pointed to three key principles for keeping a situation contained: keep it online or offline, never both; create a pressure valve; and prioritize staff and community safety.
 |
|
| Philomena Polefrone (courtesy ABA) |
|
Though controversies can happen online or offline, she said, the "real messes" happen when both occur at the same time and they feed into each other, such as online outrage resulting in an in-person protest or an in-person customer interaction going viral.
For keeping something online, Polefrone suggested controlling and limiting comments and shares on social media, and she emphasized the importance of not engaging. Though booksellers may feel compelled to air their side of the story, posts, comments, or statements about the controversy all too often serve as "troll food." In these situations booksellers want to be "absolute killjoys" and not give the trolls any additional fodder. It also helps to be "very cautious" with the press--while a specific reporter might be well-meaning, they may not control the headline or the final framing of the story.
Polefrone acknowledged that although it's impossible to stop someone from posting, the right behaviors and policies can make it much less likely that someone will post online about an in-store conversation. She advised booksellers to assume that all interactions with provocateurs are being recorded, and if a specific book is brought up, booksellers should "lean on the principle of curation" rather than focus on the book.
Booksellers can also employ "pressure valves" to help defuse these situations. Staff could be trained to provide a complaint form, which buys time and forces the complainant to articulate their complaint, or ask the complainant to point to specific passages in the title that are problematic. Frontline booksellers could be trained to hand out the business card of the store owner or manager, or refer the person to an official curation policy or free expression statement. Stores could also create e-mail addresses that serve as de facto complaint lines.
Polefrone stressed the importance of training staff members, saying that training them is protecting them. There should be clear policies in place, and booksellers should practice these scenarios and have sample language prepared. There should also be a code word or phrase that staff members can use to call for help, such as asking for a specific name to come to the register.
Owners and managers should be thoughtful about who is handling calls, e-mails, and social media. Even if a staff member volunteers to do it, Polefrone said, it might be smart to say no if it seems likely that that person will engage with the trolls. The store can unplug its phones or send calls straight to voicemail if they're being bombarded, and while harassment should be restricted and sequestered, everything should be saved in case it winds up being necessary for police reports or insurance claims.
Touching on police involvement, Polefrone urged booksellers to be cautious about calling the police. It may be unavoidable in some circumstances, such as in the event of a bomb threat, but if it is avoidable, they may want to reconsider, as police don't always de-escalate the situation. And if a police report is necessary, those often can be filed without an officer coming to the store. A bookseller in attendance added that 911 calls are recorded and can be obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests, which can then be edited and used as part of the attack on the bookstore.
On the subject of bomb threats, Polefrone emphasized that although she is unaware of a bomb ever actually being found at a bookstore, "you can't take that chance." Booksellers need to treat bomb threats, and all threats of violence, as credible, and there is no option but to call the police. Polefrone suggested booksellers follow the CISA bomb threat checklist and notify the police department that there may be further harassment, such as vandalism and swatting.
Bookstores should be careful about where they advertise controversial events. The most recent spate of bookstore bomb threats, Polefrone reported, seems to have been done by the same person or group of people, and they likely found targets simply by going through stores' websites and social media pages. Booksellers can prioritize in-store advertisements and customer newsletters, and, similarly, if an event may attract protestors, booksellers can decide to make it RSVP-only, with no one admitted at the door without a ticket. --Alex Mutter
Polefrone also led a session at Winter Institute about testifying against book bans; a write-up will appear in Shelf Awareness later this week.