As a form of qualitative research and learning, StoryBrand, conversations with pioneering booksellers is an hour-long conversation with people who have deep and diverse perspectives on the art and science of bookshop creation. Each vodcast focuses on a different aspect of bookshop innovation, a problem or idea with an attempt to capture perspectives from bookshop keepers, owners, founders of nonprofit models, publishing professionals, and other adjacencies.
Steve and Lisa were paired as part of the Reimagining Bookstores project and have been meeting weekly and exploring these topics since 2021. Conducting interviews with 33 bookshops in 2022 and 2023, creating an advanced course for the Professional Bookselling School in both 2024 and 2025, and creating these vodcasts have been principal outputs from their work thus far.
They are also exploring the connected worlds of local journalism, libraries and bookshops with a group of experienced professionals that includes Praveen Madaan, Amanda Hall, Peggy Hollman, Paul Wright and Kathy Minardi — all with rich and deep backgrounds in book and media work.
The Storybrand project is celebrating highlights from the 2025 vodcast series, which included the following:
- Cal Crosby of The King’s English and Brainfood Books offering insights around everything from curation to staff culture.
- Donna Paz and Mark Kauffman of Story and Song offering practical and philosophical insights.
- Mitch Kaplan, founder of Books & Books walking the audience through early beginnings of the current independent bookstore movement to the present.
- Andy Weiner — 45-year veteran of Abrams and author — offering his insights gleaned from decades of supporting bookshops and booksellers and authors.
- Darryl Peck, former owner of Right On Books and current owner of a bookstore in Lakeville, CT, giving a wealth of practical pointers.
- Scott Glenn, unpacking an innovative co-op idea rooted on his white paper on the subject.
- Interviews with Praveen Madaan, Amanda Hall and Stephanie Denton. These were so powerful two episodes were dedicated to unpack Kepler‘s stances on liveable wages, events, and being a successful 70-year community partner, survivor and innovator in the world of bookselling. And then a third episode was added where Amanda and Lisa Uhrik talked about nonprofit models and shared all they had learned so far.
- Jason Rice, author, photographer and builder of bookshops talking bookshop and buying strategy via his work with Baker & Taylor and Ingram .
Highlights from 2024 included an in depth conversation about City Lights with Paul Yamazaki, insights from Baldwin & Co. with DJ Johnson in NOLA, publishing and bookshop perspectives with Vicki DeArmon, the PBS world of bookseller education with Eileen Dengler and Wanda Jewell, innovative models with Timothy Don of Clio’s in CA and Floyd from Libreria in England, insights from Plenty Bookshop in TN.
