At Beaverdale Books, Jan connects readers, authors, and communities, highlighting that bookstores are more than just shelves — they’re experiences

This article includes an optional audio read-aloud for easier accessibility.

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Beaverdale Books sponsored this article.

On a dark evening in a warm, well-lit bookstore, the room goes quiet as Jan Kaiser steps forward to introduce an author. Kaiser is the kind of person who greets everyone with a smile. Whether she’s addressing a full auditorium or a small space for 10, Kaiser’s chatty command of a space makes it feel both controlled and intimate — as if everyone has gathered in her living room for a book chat. 

Changing Chapter of the Traditional Bookstore

Bookstores used to be physical spaces for all our media essentials. Now, you can simply add items to a digital cart, and they’ll arrive at your doorstep. But online shopping can’t replicate holding a book in your hands, flipping through the pages, or wandering the aisles, hoping the right book finds you (and it usually does).

Bookstores, though — they get people out of the house and into an environment where the world moves at each person’s desired pace, and they can interact with others if they choose to. 

But bookstores can’t get people through the door on books alone. If a person doesn’t need a book to read, then why would they bother visiting? This is where the store’s bridgers come in — the movers and the doers who dedicate themselves to bringing the bookstore to the people and the people to the bookstore.

At Beaverdale Books, that person is Jan Kaiser — the bridge between the bookstore and the community.

“With her expertise in marketing, her relationships with publishers, and [her] seemingly unlimited list of contacts and ideas, she is a perfect fit for the position,” says Alice Meyer, founder and co-owner of Beaverdale Books. “I don’t know what we would do without her!”

History of Beaverdale Books and Jan’s Role

Founded in 2006, Beaverdale Books is the oldest independent bookstore in Des Moines, Iowa. After nearly 20 years, it’s now expanding its footprint. Jan Kaiser is the events and marketing coordinator at the store.

“While she doesn’t work behind the register, she will help people find books. She’ll give recommendations. She’ll tell stories about authors that she’s met and, of course, promote the events,” says Meredith McLean, a Beaverdale Books employee.

Kaiser says it’s part of her job to know the customers so she can understand what programs will resonate. You can’t cater to an audience if you aren’t familiar with them, and Kaiser is always out there — helping wherever she’s needed and making herself available to anyone who walks through the door. 

“I’ve loved reading since I was a youngster. My dad would take me to the library every Saturday, where we would each select an armful of books, so it’s not surprising that I loved working at the library,” Kaiser says. “I never get tired of seeing a book truck loaded with new titles.”

The Bridge for the Underdog: Iowa Authors

“Writing can be isolating. It is an individual endeavor, and it can be hard to find support,” says Laura Snider, an Iowa-based author and lawyer who launched two books at Beaverdale Books in the past few years. 

Beaverdale Books has long been committed to supporting local authors. Many, like Snider, launch their books at the store, connecting directly with their community. 

“She has opened her doors to all authors [through the events]. She encourages authors, giving many of us hope,” Snider says.

The shop’s shelves feature authors from major publishers, smaller independent presses, and even many self-published writers. 

“They make every author feel special,” says author Carol Roh Spaulding. Support includes making sure that copies of Spaulding’s book were available for sale and even shipping them across the country for an out-of-state event. “Jan is just plain fun to be around. She’s a warm and genuine person in what can be a brutal business,” Spaulding says. 

“After having taken the time to write a book, having someone at a store pay attention means more than people can imagine,” says Steve Semken of Midwest independent publishing company, Ice Cube Press. 

Kaiser can tell you all about “Pieowa,” a documentary about pie in Iowa, or Anesa Kajtazovic, author of “Anesa, No Škola Today,” a children’s book about Kajtazovic’s life during the Bosnian War. Kaiser does her research, picking each author purposefully, and the authors know she knows her stuff because she engages deeply with their work. 

“Through all of those positions, Jan has always been an enthusiastic champion of authors and their work. She brings her unfailing common sense and good Midwestern values to her job, never looking down on anyone and treating every author with the respect she believes they deserve,” Spaulding says. 

Inside the Bookshelves: The Making of an Event

Running events for a bookstore is no easy task, but some may say it’s the foundation of what connects a community to the ideas in those books. In a time when it feels easier to watch a ranting Instagram Reel or skim a SparkNotes summary, we need these events now more than ever.

There are months of setup and sometimes years of preparation and planning. But one of the biggest jobs, especially in this region, is convincing big-name authors from the coastal publishing hubs to visit, the ones most likely to draw a crowd and drive the sales that keep the lights on. Pitching authors (or their publicists) to add a Midwest stop can take major effort. That task becomes easier when the person organizing events is personable — and Kaiser excels in that role.

“She has deep connections with a wide range of authors, and she thinks like a bookseller/marketer, not an author,” Spaulding says. 

Events focused on bringing authors to Iowa also involve behind-the-scenes work that most visitors never see. Kaiser spends countless hours writing proposals, sending emails, and making phone calls to secure authors like Nick Offerman (Fall 2025) or Jodi Picoult (Fall 2024) for a stop in Des Moines. Once an author is booked, the endless list of to-dos continues. 

That’s Kaiser.

“She creates the buzz,” Spaulding says. “It’s a ton of work, though. I don’t know how she and Beaverdale Books do it all.” 

At the 2025 Beaverdale Books Banned Book Festival, the bookstore hosted a conversation between authors and community members about how Iowa book bans impact writers and students. Erin Becker, author of “Crushing It,” spoke shortly after her book was challenged and removed from some schools after the passing of Senate File 496, a law that prohibits schools from providing books that include “descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act” and restricts “instruction relating to gender identity or sexual orientation to students in kindergarten through grade six.” Hosting this event and creating space for conversations about this ongoing issue gave the Iowa community a platform where their voices could be heard. Beaverdale Books highlighted an author directly impacted by the topic and facilitated a real-time conversation about an issue that was timely and affecting Iowa schools. 

For a small bookstore in Iowa’s capital city, bringing in big names is one thing, but influencing statewide conversations was another. But Kaiser and Beaverdale Books reached out to their community and became part of the discussion. 

“When the publishers realized that we could pull good audiences, it got their attention, plus some of our featured authors told other authors about how much fun they had in Des Moines!” Kaiser says. “Soon authors were asking to come here, and our audiences recognized that we featured wonderful programs.”

Now, Beaverdale Books holds its own and brings in big-name authors on a regular basis and provides the Des Moines community access to some of their favorite authors that might not typically add stops here. 

Prior to working at Beaverdale Books during Kaiser’s 20 years at the Des Moines Public Library, one of the biggest accomplishments there was helping develop the AViD Author Series, which is now in its 25th year, a free event that happens each year that brings various authors to Des Moines dedicated to celebrating books. 

Some other grants and projects Jan had a big hand in were Conversations on Death and Dying, Listening to the Prairie, the Big Read, the Grand Opening of the new Central Library, and the Shoah Foundation project.

The Power of the Jans in the Midwest Book Community

In a world that moves fast, where content is just a swipe away and attention shifts by the second, meaningful spaces can easily get lost. Returning to physical places like bookstores encourages us to slow down and reconnect with the tactile. People like Jan place these spaces on our radar to begin with, inviting us in to take a seat on her couch, listen to a local author, and feel part of something special.

“Having successful events in ‘flyover country’ takes harder work and deeper relationships,” says Grace Hagen, Executive Director of the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association. “It’s so fulfilling to see what can be created with dedicated staff, eager readers, and compelling literature.”