Books in Common is a full-service consulting firm specializing in the retail book business. We work with independent booksellers on a diversity of projects: from designing new stores and store expansions to advising bookstore owners on operational and financial matters. Our client list includes some of the smartest and most successful independent booksellers across the U.S. and abroad. As our name implies, we also provide training and advice to publishers, wholesalers, schools, libraries, and others in the book trade.

We travel worldwide for on-site consultations, but more often we work using a combination of phone, FAX and e-mail (and sometimes even plain ole snail mail!) to assist our clients.

Kate Whouley began her career in the book biz at the age of eight, when she convinced her business partner, Bobby Nicolo, to add a hard-sided suitcase filled with pre-read Scholastic paperbacks to the offerings at their lemonade stand. She moved from roadside stands to library work for several years before returning to her bookselling roots at age twenty-one. Kate launched Books in Common in 1988 after management and buying stints at Waldenbooks, Boston University Bookstore, and the Garland & Grace Booksmith stores.

Kate has a number of book business publications to her credit, including Bookselling for Dummies (2003), for which she served as Technical Editor. In 2004, she published her first book unrelated to bookselling: Cottage for Sale, Must Be Moved: A Woman Moves a House to Make a Home. (Commonwealth Editions), to be published in paperback by Ballantine Books in May, 2005.

Anne Williams photographs people and places for Sweeney Media Arts. A long-time radio personality and host of Nightscapes, Anne is also a familiar face on Public Television where she has worked for many years as a pledge host. With her wide-ranging media experience, Anne approaches photography with a dynamic, photojournalistic perspective—perfect for creating exciting business tools for our clients. Recent collaborations with Anne include the creation of the all-day workshop, Refresh and Renew: Creating a Bookstore Your Customers Will Love (Even More), developed for the New England Booksellers Association.