Edelweiss is known in the book industry as a powerful tool connecting booksellers and librarians with publishers and their titles. But in the last year, Edelweiss’s new owners have made some changes in both the site’s functionality and pricing. What does this mean for publishers, and how do we think it’ll effect the industry? Jane Friedman of the Bottom Line is back this week to talk with Joe and Elly about her thoughts.
“Innovation” is one of the biggest words you hear in just about any industry, especially with the rise of our new AI overlords. It can be so tempting to make big changes just for the sake of making changes! But what is real innovation, and how do you know when it needs to happen? How do you innovate with intention? Is innovation even right for you? Jane Friedman of The Bottom Line is back with Joe and Elly this week to talk about branding, change, innovation, and how to go about it all thoughtfully. (Does “innovation” sound like a word to you anymore?)
Usually books and math don’t mix. The book people sit in one spot, the math in another, with their calculators and abacuses (or whatever it is math people use). But Microcosm founder and CEO Joe Biel is a known champion of combining the two!
This week on the pod, Joe and Elly talk about the math that goes into publishing, from finances, to calculating print runs, and everything in between.
Being an author can often be an isolating experience. From writing to marketing, you’re often running solo.
Jessie Kwak, author of FROM CHAOS TO CREATIVITY and FROM SOLO TO SUPPORTED, joins us on the podcast this week to talk about building community as a freelance author, making connections as an introvert, and leaning into what people will notice about you.
Inside the treasured “nerd Disneyland” of Annapolis
Welcome to the Indie Solidarity Project! Part of Microcosm’s special sauce is our network of amazing retailers around the world—some of whom are traditional bookstores, but many more who aren’t solely book-focused—we peddle “books for stores who don’t sell books!” as our sales team puts it. Much like our Bookstore Solidarity Project, this series highlights our partners who run all kinds of small and independent businesses, blazing their own trails, supporting their communities, and growing our small world.
This week, we’re pleased to introduce you to Third Eye Comics, crown jewel of the Annapolis game, toy, music, and media scene. Co-owner, founder, and president Steve Anderson guides us through the personality-packed stores that have inspired a legion of Third Eye Faithful (a.k.a. loyal customers) with their diverse array of specialties for every nerdy niche. Dive in to learn more about this “place for everyone who doesn’t have a place”!
Tell us a little bit about the store and your community Third Eye is a regional chain of 8 locations varying in size, with the Annapolis stores – Third Eye Comics, Third Eye Music & Video and Third Eye Games being the biggest and the ones we’re known the best for. We consider ourselves the nerd equivalent of Disneyland for many, where no matter what your passion is: be it books, be it comics, be it music, be it toys, we have it for you. We’re very thankful to have the most diehard and enthusiastic customers in the world, affectionately known as the Third Eye Faithful, who truly make the stores what they are.
How was the store’s name chosen? There’s a few different reasons. The first was when we opened in 2008 —the phone book was still relevant, and I wanted something that we could spell numerically to get to the top of the listings, ha! But: the main choice for it comes from wanting a name for our store that we could shorten in case we moved into other categories (as we ended up doing). Third Eye stores are unlike any other, and we really wanted something that captured that. And, then the nerdy reason? I love Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing so much that I thought it’d be a fun nod to the occult bookstore, Third Eye Books, in the series. 🙂
How did you get into your store’s area of business? I started working at the comic shop I grew up going to when I was 18, and fell in love with it. The relationships with the customers, the atmosphere, the whole thing, but at the same time: also fell in love with specialty retail as a whole. I worked there until I was 23, tried my hand at a few jobs I wasn’t as wild about, and ended up going back to the comic shop at 24, working there all week, delivering pizzas on the weekends and nights, and selling my collection at local shows to raise the money to open the first Third Eye store.
What’s something about your store that you think will surprise people? It’s weird to say, but people are always surprised to find out we’re independently owned and operated. Our stores are large, and with the multiple locations, and the consistency of our brand across them, folks often think we’re much bigger than we actually are. Don’t get me wrong: for nerd stores, we are big, but it’s still Trish (my wife & co-founder) and myself working the stores and warehouses every day, alongside our amazing staff, many of whom have been with us for 10+ years.
What are some of you favorite ways your community supports your store? Honestly, the way they embrace all the crazy fun things we do. Whether it’s introducing new product categories, and them getting stoked on them, or turning out in droves for our events and chanting BUY THIRD EYE OR DIE for a midnight release: we just love how much they feel a part of Third Eye, and how important it is to them!
What are some of your favorite way to support your community? The mission statement of Third Eye has always been to be a place for everyone who doesn’t have a place. Stores like our’s are a common ground and comfortable space for many, and since day one, we’ve built our stores and the culture of them, to make it so that anyone who visits can feel welcome, and at home, no matter their level of experience with the items we sell. So, just having a space that people can come to and celebrate all the things they love: that makes us feel really good. In addition, we work hard to provide career opportunities for our community, by offering competitive wages, 401K retirement benefits, and health care. Outside of that, we do a charitable events & donations throughout the year to various local groups in our community!
What are three things (books or not books!) you’re stocking right now that you want everyone to know about? Oh this is tough! First off: Weird Music That Goes on Forever: A Punk’s Guide to Loving Jazz is one of our personal favorites, and people LOVE it! Second: Absolute Batman is the most punk rock Batman comic you’ll ever read, seriously: give it a go! Third: Mork Borg and its assorted RPG offerings are so much fun, and so gnarly—we love it!
How can non-local customers shop with you? Visit shop.thirdeyecomics.com—we offer nationwide flat rate shipping for just $5! And you can stay in touch through our newsletter at the bottom of that page (we send a lot of email though, be warned ha!).
It’s the 20 year anniversary Ashley Rowe Palafox’s original “Barefoot and in the Kitchen” vegan cookzine! This week on the pod, Ashley joins us to talk about the inception of the zine, how punk helps you let go of perfectionism, and updating the zines for the new collection, “Cook Your Own F*cking Life.”
This week on the pod, Lee Wind of the Independent Book Publisher’s Association is here to talk about the We Are Stronger Than Censorship campaign, book bans, and a few fun side quests like microwaves and 90s movies.
For more on the We Are Stronger Than Censorship campaign, click here.
There are new forms of ecommerce popping up every day, on every website from Instagram and Tiktok to Pinterest. Is selling online through Tiktok right for your books?
This week, Jane Friedman of the Bottom Line is back to talk to Joe and Elly about the growing popularity of TIktok Shop, and if she thinks it’s worth a publisher’s time.
Angela Engel is the founder and CEO of The Collective Book Studio, one of Publisher Weekly’s 2024 fastest-growing publishers. This week on the pod, Angela hangs out with Joe and Elly to talk about how Collective got where they are, how they develop their titles and marketing plans, outreach, bookstore engagement, and so so so much more!
Lindsay Sims McKee is a professor and digital marketing expert based in Ohio.
This week on the podcast, Lindsay joins us to talk universal marketing truths and strategies, like determining who your customer is (hint: it’s not you!), their needs, and publishing books that fill those needs.
Buckle in, aspiring marketing pros, for this fun, accessible, and jargon-lite episode!
