Meet the SIBA Staff: Andi Richardson / Sales

Andrea "Andi" Richardson has been a book nerd for her entire life, reading all the paperbacks her parents left around the house far younger than she should have, like most of her Gen X counterparts. She's been a bookseller at Fountain Bookstore in Richmond VA since 2018 and was made General Manager in 2021. She says it's hard to pinpoint the best part of bookseller, but it's definitely either spending time with wonderful book people, interviewing authors, all the free books, or one of many many other amazing things.

When Andi isn't at the bookstore or reading at home, she plays (not very) competitive pinball, belonging to local leagues and playing in tournaments. She particularly enjoys being part of the Belles and Chimes, an international women's and non-binary players' league, and tries to find other branches whenever she travels. While she is technically an internationally ranked player, the rank is not very high.

Andi lives in a century-old house that used to be a speakeasy (the bar is still there!) with her former-chef husband and four adorable and very rotten cats. They've turned the speakeasy into a Gen X Museum of sorts with pinball machines, every video game ever, and a brick pizza oven in the backyard.

Since joining the SIBA team as Sales Coordinator in 2024, Andi has been helping publishers and authors connect with booksellers and the community by finding the right product for their budgets and goals. She's enjoyed strengthening relationships with colleagues and helping make the annual NVNR conference as fun and productive as possible.