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As 2024 comes to a close, the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) has released an updated catalog of Book Industry Standards and Communications (BISAC) codes, resulting in the addition of 223 new headings and modifications to 129 existing ones. These codes are intended to standardize how books are categorized within the North American marketplace. However, many independent booksellers express concerns about the practicality of the BISAC system. David Enyeart, manager of Next Chapter Books in St. Paul, Minnesota, describes it as “an interesting but minor tool,” which can complicate matters more than it clarifies. “We’re sitting on 9,000 books,” he noted, emphasizing the challenge of categorizing them across 600 different classifications.
Enyeart highlighted that Next Chapter utilizes only 45 categories within its point of sale (POS) system, which allows the store to effectively manage shelf space and assess sales. He pointed out that updates to BISAC codes do not influence his operational approach, as decisions are primarily driven by sales metrics. “We’re not like libraries that keep books indefinitely and require a broad classification,” he explained.
Independent booksellers conveyed to PW that the intricate details offered by BISAC codes are often unnecessary. Luisa Smith, head buyer at Book Passage in Corte Madera and San Francisco, California, stated that it is more vital for her team to engage personally with each book than to rely on categorizations formulated by external organizations. This is true even at the larger Corte Madera location, which boasts around 28,000 titles across 300-400 distinct categories, including extensive sections for travel and children’s literature. Shelving practices are guided by customer preferences and the insights of booksellers, rather than strict adherence to external codes.
Smith emphasized the significance of fostering genuine connections between readers and books. She pointed to the recent release of Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven, categorized broadly within young adult fiction, and likened it to the earlier work This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone, which falls under science fiction. “BISAC misses the connections that booksellers understand,” she asserted. “For us, it’s crucial to help a reader find the right book by showing them various pathways rather than confining them to isolated categories.” When in doubt about how to arrange books, she prefers to consult with a publisher’s representative for guidance rather than defaulting to BISAC codes.
Another challenge cited by Smith is that overly specialized categories can unintentionally limit representation for certain authors or genres. For instance, the designation of fiction/Indigenous/Indigenous futurism may inadvertently marginalize talented writers who have Indigenous backgrounds but are not confined to that classification. “Great Indigenous authors are simply great writers; their identity shouldn’t be the sole factor of how they’re categorized,” she argued, noting the broader implications for lesser-known authors whose works do not receive similar visibility.
While both Enyeart and Smith acknowledged BISAC’s utility for libraries and larger retail operations, they stressed that independent booksellers possess unique knowledge of their inventory and author backgrounds, making them better positioned to categorize books for their clientele.
At Charis, a feminist bookstore with a focus on LGBTQ+ literature based in Decatur, Georgia, owner Sara Luce Look shared similar sentiments. Although she occasionally references BISAC for updates, she often relies on Ingram’s iPage database for categorization assistance. However, she noted that both iPage and BISAC lack adequate filtering options, resulting in inappropriate titles appearing in searches conducted by customers.
When searching for “feminist, queer, or trans” titles on Charis’s website, customers have occasionally encountered homophobic or transphobic books. “People discover books that Charis would never choose to stock,” Look pointed out, noting the necessary effort to manually remove such titles from the store’s online inventory. She recounted a particular instance where Abigail Schrier’s Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters emerged at the top of search results related to transgender studies, among other transphobic works. “The system needs to differentiate critiques of transgender issues from supportive literature to avoid such confusion,” she suggested.
Look expressed her concerns regarding both the creators of these categories and the assignment of them. She has witnessed instances of self-published authors choosing categories to maximize visibility, leading to misrepresented titles that do not fit their assigned genres. “These authors strive for visibility but often miscategorize their works, resulting in misleading connections,” she explained.
Ultimately, Look summarized that BISAC serves as merely one of many tools available to booksellers, who have a deeper understanding of how to navigate the intricacies of book categorization. “A knowledgeable bookseller serves as a far superior search engine for connecting readers with the right titles,” she concluded.
Source
www.publishersweekly.com