Today, I am excited to share another one of the amazing Literati Partners, Mrs. Nelson's Book Company!
They provide libraries and schools access to a wonderful catalog of books from trade and school library publishers. I love how they offer new releases, bestsellers, classics, and even discounted textbooks and workbooks.
I had the honor of speaking with Patrick Nelson from Mrs. Nelson's Book Company. In fact, his mom, Judy, started the company in 1985. It's such a special story and Patrick is now following in her footsteps.
Here is our conversation. I know you will enjoy learning all about Mrs. Nelson's Book Company, friends.
Hi, Patrick. Thank you so much for talking with me today. I am very excited to learn about Mrs. Nelson's Book Company. Let's start by having you introduce yourself.
I’m Patrick Nelson, the owner of Mrs. Nelson’s Book Company. My mom, Judy, started the business in 1985 when she opened a children’s toy and book shop. I spent my childhood surrounded by books and I got to meet amazing authors and illustrators like Dav Pilkey, Tomie dePaola, and Lemony Snicket. I graduated college with a double major in film studies and business economics with plans to work in the film industry but I quickly realized working with book people was much more enjoyable.
I love that Mrs. Nelson’s is one of the Literati Partners. For those who don't know about Mrs. Nelson’s, tell me about Mrs. Nelson’s to start.
Although we are now a nationwide wholesale book vendor serving K-12 schools, our company was founded as a regional bookstore for children in La Verne, a town on the eastern edge of Los Angeles county. Our store hosted author and illustrator signings, storytimes, arts & craft lessons, and book release parties for nearly 30 years. My mom was raising four children and saw the importance of reading, especially for young kids. Most nights she would fall asleep on the couch while reviewing the advance reader copies sent by the publishers, planning her purchases for the next season. Shortly after opening the book store, she started offering school book fairs which quickly grew to serve over 450 schools throughout Southern California.
My sister, Laura, and I were both working with our parents after college and in 2005, I started our wholesale division as a way to offer more services and selection for educators, specifically books in library bindings that would withstand heavy use in the classrooms. Things changed in 2015 when we closed our book store due mostly to the growth of Amazon and we sold our book fair business to Scholastic at the end of 2019. My parents gleefully retired, my sister took a job with higher pay, and I took over the operations of our wholesale and bindery business. Since 2021, our company has seen incredible growth as we hired field reps to serve schools in states across the nation. And with our partnership with Literati, we are able to again serve book fair customers.
Tell us about the three different companies within Mrs. Nelson’s?
Our company now focuses on three main lines: Wholesale book orders, reinforced Readerbound editions, and textbook sales. We offer virtually any title from hundreds of publishers in both the original publisher bindings (paperback and hardcover with dust jackets) or in our extra strength Readerbound editions. These editions come with a lifetime guarantee, are built with superior materials and techniques, and will outlast any other binding.
Lastly, our company has focused heavily on building a vast textbook and workbook inventory to help schools purchase additional curriculum materials at deep discounts.
What does this mean to Mrs. Nelson’s to be part of the Literati Partners program with others like Ozobot, Novel Effect, Capstone, etc?
Partnering with Literati felt like a very natural fit for our company and being back in the book fair business is really fun. Literati has built a strong group of partners to help educators receive quality materials and we’re grateful to be an option for schools that need books.
I attended the Texas Library Association conference with the full Literati team and was really impressed with their organization and plans for the future.
What does Mrs. Nelson’s have to offer Literati book fair customers (schools, libraries)?
Mrs. Nelson’s is firmly focused on books, whether it’s the newest hot releases, award winners, bestsellers, non-fiction series, or textbooks and consumable workbooks to restock a school’s book room. We have a dedicated website built for Literati customers to spend their funds. Customers can browse a variety of curated book lists or search for titles by ISBN, title or keyword. Binding types are available in a variety of formats with inexpensive paperbacks to help maximize buying power or reinforced Readerbound editions for titles that need to last for years.
What does Mrs. Nelson’s have to offer Literati book fair customers focusing on bringing more to their classrooms with book fair funds?
Due to increased cuts to classroom and library book budgets, schools are increasingly relying on book fairs to raise funds to buy books and other materials. Our goal is to make sure that when Literati customers shop with Mrs. Nelson’s, they will receive a bigger bang for their buck than if they simply take cash and shop with another book vendor.
Are there Mrs. Nelson’s products that you want to highlight to book fair customers?
Our Readerbound editions have the highest demand among our customers. Although there are other book wholesalers that offer bound editions, ours are uniquely built. Instead of traditional glued pages, we wire stitch our book pages to ensure no pages become loose. We add an extra step using an aggressive glue to ensure the book has no gap between the book’s spine and the cover, thus preventing a loose book block. All Readerbound editions have a reinforced hinge, sturdy board, laminated covers, rounded library corners and a lifetime guarantee on our craftsmanship.
What exciting things are coming up from Mrs. Nelson’s?
When I was in high school I was able to visit Ray Bradbury at his house in LA and I spent two hours talking with him about movies, writing, and his family. When his wife called on the phone and asked what he was up to, he simply said “Just hanging out with a friend.” That left a big impression on me. With the closing of our book store and the after effects of the pandemic, we lost a lot of connections with authors and illustrators.
Over the last two years I’ve been trying to rebuild those connections by hosting dinners with authors and educators. We recently had a great dinner with Stuart Gibbs and another with Rex Ogle. My marketing director, Kim, has also been posting author interviews on our social media and I hope to continue working to connect writers and illustrators to our school customers and students.
Thank you for joining me and sharing so many amazing things about Mrs. Nelson's. What a wonderful job you have making an impact on so many readers, librarians, teachers, and communities. I can't wait to hear the authors and illustrators you talk to next!
You can learn more about hosting a Literati Book Fair and book fair rewards here.
As shared on the Literati Partner site,
Mrs. Nelson’s Book Company is excited to partner with Literati Book Fairs, providing schools with access to a vast catalog of books from trade and school library publishers. Our offerings include new releases, bestsellers, and classics as well as discounted textbooks and workbooks. Our exclusive Readerbound editions, crafted in our own bindery, deliver durable, reinforced bindings with a Lifetime Guarantee, perfect for long-term classroom and library use.
- Minimum Order: $300 per order.
- Turnaround Time: Standard bindings fulfilled in 3–4 weeks; Readerbound editions in 4–6 weeks.
- Product Highlights: Nearly every in-print title, exclusive Readerbound editions, and a large inventory of textbooks and workbooks.
- Literati Partner Credits: Redeem via a unique, non-expiring certificate code emailed upon earning credits.
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