The Book Fair program generates free books for the sponsoring school, preschool, daycare or organization. (Remember that to work within schools you need to become an Educational Consultant).

If the sales are:  between $200 and $500 the organization receives 25% in free books! If the sales are over $500, the organization receives 50% of the sales in free books!

This is a fantastic way to make contacts with lots of families, book home shows and build your business overall.  Be sure to use a drawing slip for a free book so you can gain information from the attendees of the book fair - you'll want to contact those interested in having a show or becoming a consultant.

I personally enjoy preschool book fairs or daycare centers.  To book these it's great to have a personal recommendation.  Then you can call the director saying something like this...

"Hi!  This is Suzie Sellabook with Usborne Books.  Polly Purchase suggested that I call you. Are you familiar with Usborne Books?"

If the answer is YES, then ask if she currently has an Usborne consultant servicing her.  If she does, then thank her for her time, wish her well with their upcoming Usborne events and hang up.

If the answer is NO, then let her know that "Usborne Books are wonderful children's educational books, which fit right into the ages of children in your center.   We offer book fairs with excellent service.  Based on the sales of the book fairs you can off you up to 50% in free books.  Would you like for me to bring a few books by for you to view or would you like to set a date for your bookfair to benefit your students at home and school?"  

What is a preschool book fair and what are the benefits?

Preschool book fairs can provide an excellent opportunity for large sales and making contacts with future hostesses and recruits.  Many consultants and supervisors are highly successful in this area of business and there is plenty of room for you to be highly successful here too!  Your goal is to produce sales, home show leads and to find recruits.  You can do these events well with only taking orders – cash and carry inventory isn’t necessary.  This is a fantastic way to make contacts with lots of families, book home shows and build your business overall

I like to do daycare/preschool book fairs for 2 days, like Thursday & Friday from 4-6pm, or whenever their heavy traffic time is.  You don't need to have a big inventory to do this well.  You will want to encourage the director to publicize the event - make her a flyer.

You can also provide the daycare/preschool with the First Learning flyers from the home office - I believe these are about $3.50 for 50 of them.  You could attach a flyer about your book fair to the First Learning flyer and have them put in the children's cubbies several days before the book fair.  Also make some copies on bright paper of the flyer you made or get the nice book fair poster from the home office to put up in the daycare/preschool before the book fair to advertise it. 

Promoting your book fair

Do you have any previous season catalogs remaining?  Cut the pages out from a couple of them.  Separate them into PRESCHOOL and SCHOOL AGE.  For preschool book fairs, attach a mini flyer promoting the book fair to the various preschool catalog pages or First Learning Flyer. The preschool could in the children's cubbies several days before the book fair to send them home with the kids.  Give the preschool a few simple signs to post around the school.  Have these printed on colorful paper.

Always set up an efair to go with the book fair and promote that efair link on all flyers, posters and other materials going home with students.  Also, email the efair link to the director so she can copy and paste it in an email to the families, if she'll do that.  :-)

Mini flyer stapled to a page from the most recent catalog or First Learning flyer:

There are also nice preschool book fair posters you can get from the home office.  Laminate these so you can use them at preschool after preschool.

You can get nice COME TO THE BOOKFAIR stickers from the home office.  You could give one of these to each child on the first day of the book fair or prior to the book fair. 

You might want to let some of the teachers read a couple of your books to the class.  Or maybe you could be a guest reader!

Displaying your books

Location is so important.  It’s better to be in a hallway where the parents pass through than to have a whole room that parents don’t usually go into. 

Take lots of Kid Kits and put them at eye level for the children.  Using a floor rack works well for this.  Use Kid Kits that will appeal to preschoolers, for example, Going to the Doctor Kid Kit, etc...

Stand up, smile, talk with the parents and the children.  Help them find great books for their children!   

Stickers on kids – the home office offers nice book fair stickers, which are nice for giving to the children

Here are some books displayed on a floor rack from www.FixtureCraft.com.

Directions for making display box (from Merike Tamm, Director w/UBAM): 

Select medium-height EDC box, 9 1/2” (w) x 15” (l) x 9 ½” (h). do not cut off top flaps. Measure 4 ¼” from top, at 2 corners at short end. Draw a line across front (short end) between two 4 ½” measure marks. Use exacto knife to cut from top corner to line. Fold cardboard down, into box, along line. Use duct tape to anchor folded section into box.  Also tape across flaps on inside bottom of box. Cover box w/decorative paper or fabric, folding paper or fabric into box about half way down. Cover box, including bottom, with clear contact paper.

Before covering front end with contact paper, put label on the box, examples:

Ages 11 years and up
Ages 6-10 years
Science
Social Studies

Often use these boxes to include books OTHER than your focus.  For example, at the preschool book fair you might have 2 boxes, one with Ages 6-10 years and one with Ages 11 years and up.  Display your main focus books on your book racks and table.

How to close the book fair

Use teacher wishlists, as it’ll provide for sales, but it also will make it easy for the director to select the free books.

If your book fair is on Tuesday and Wednesday, you could accept orders until Friday.  Go on Monday to pick up the orders.  Always allow time before your deadlines.  If you're trying to get the order in by the end of the month, close the book fair several days prior to the cutoff, for example.

When closing the book fair, ask the director: Is this a good time of year for next year? What could we have done better?

Make notes of her replies and add to your folder for that school next time.  Some preschools like to have 2-3 book fairs a year!

When the books arrive at your home: Bag the books, write the child’s name on each bag, deliver them to the preschool along with the box of free books the school selected. It’s nice to send the director a Thank You note in the mail or via email.

Using the Customer Survey forms or Free Book Drawing Slips

Be sure to use a drawing slip for a free book so you can gain information from the attendees of the book fair - you'll want to contact those interested in having a show or becoming a consultant.  

Free Drawing Slips

When you're talking with your customers, you can ask if they'd like to be on your email list to receive a monthly (or so) email from you with Usborne Books specials.  This is a great way to stay in contact with them and to help your customer base grow and grow!

Have fun at your book fairs!!!