The Art of Storytelling | Stephen Riggio - CEO of Barnes & Noble
Here are the top 10 key takeaways from Stephen Riggio's conversation on the "Success Story" podcast, offering insights into bookselling, leadership, and finding purpose through storytelling and personal challenges.
1. Bookstores as spaces of serendipity and discovery
Bookstores offer a unique environment for unexpected discovery that algorithms cannot replicate. Stephen Riggio emphasized how Barnes & Noble stores were intentionally designed with serendipity in mind – organized but also created to allow customers to get lost and find books they never planned to encounter. This contrasts with today's algorithm-driven content that typically reinforces existing preferences.
The power of physical bookstores lies in their ability to expose people to diverse ideas without an agenda. Unlike social media platforms that serve content based on predicted preferences, bookstores allow curiosity to guide exploration naturally. This open-ended discovery process helps readers develop more holistic worldviews by exposing them to information they wouldn't otherwise seek out.
2. Purpose-driven leadership and business
Barnes & Noble was built as a purpose-driven company with a clear mission: bringing books to underserved communities and "bookstore deserts." Riggio repeatedly emphasized how bookselling was seen as important work within the company culture. This sense of purpose became a powerful recruitment tool, with Riggio asking potential employees if they'd rather sell books or office supplies.
This purpose-oriented approach extended beyond profit margins to focus on creating third spaces for communities – places beyond home and work where people could spend leisure time surrounded by ideas. The company gave local store managers significant discretion to tailor selections to their communities, making each store unique despite sharing design characteristics. This localized approach helped Barnes & Noble maintain relevance across diverse locations.
3. Finding meaning after tragedy
The Sicilian Avengers translation project emerged from profound personal tragedy when Riggio and his wife lost their daughter Melissa to leukemia in 2008. Seeking a way forward, they began studying Italian together, which eventually led to discovering the untranslated novel. The three-year translation project became a healing journey and a way to honor their daughter's memory.
Riggio poignantly states in the book's acknowledgments: "My deepest wish is that this book never came to be, but that our daughter's presence in it is undeniable." This reflection illustrates how creative pursuits can provide purpose and meaning following devastating loss. The project allowed them to channel grief into creation while strengthening their relationship through shared goals.
4. Rediscovering cultural heritage through literature
Translating the Sicilian novel connected Riggio to his own heritage in unexpected ways. Despite having Sicilian grandparents, his family had limited knowledge of their roots. Through the translation project, Riggio became the first in his family to return to Sicily, where he traced his ancestry back 400 years and discovered that his grandfather was an orphan – mirroring the main character in the novel.
This cultural rediscovery provided Riggio with a deeper understanding of Sicilian history and culture beyond stereotypical portrayals in American media. He came to appreciate Sicily's unique position as a cultural crossroads, influenced by Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, and many others throughout its 2,000-year history. The project thus transformed from a literary endeavor into a profound personal journey of identity and heritage.
5. The enduring appeal of physical books
Despite technological advancements and competing forms of media, physical books maintain remarkable staying power. Riggio explained that books fulfill dual purposes: they provide information for learning and offer an incomparable immersive experience. The uniqueness of getting lost in a good book, whether it's a contemporary novel or a 2,000-year-old classic, remains unmatched by other media formats.
The resilience of books stems from their ability to serve both practical and emotional needs. Riggio observed that bookstores function as places of aspiration where people explore topics that interest them. The physical interaction with books – touching them, browsing sections, discovering new titles – creates a tangible connection to knowledge that digital formats often cannot replicate. This multi-sensory experience helps explain why physical bookstores continue to thrive despite digital alternatives.
6. The art of translation versus original writing
Translating an existing work differs significantly from writing an original book. Riggio gained newfound appreciation for authors who start with a blank page after experiencing the translation process. While translation provided him with existing content to work from, he still faced the substantial challenge of recreating the story's meaning and appeal for English readers beyond mere word-for-word conversion.
The translation process required both technical skill and creative interpretation. Riggio's work involved capturing not just the literal text but the spirit, tone, and cultural context of the original. This balance between faithfulness to the source material and creating an engaging reading experience for a new audience represents a unique literary challenge. The project ultimately gave him deeper respect for writers who create entirely new worlds from nothing.
7. Finding purpose in retirement through passion projects
Riggio's approach to retirement centered on finding meaningful pursuits rather than conventional retirement activities. He viewed his translation project as an "audacious" undertaking, consistent with the bold initiatives he led at Barnes & Noble. This perspective reframes retirement not as an ending but as an opportunity to pursue passions previously constrained by career demands.
The key to fulfilling retirement, according to Riggio, lies in identifying pursuits that genuinely excite you. He notes that while following passion may not always be practical career advice, retirement offers the freedom to prioritize interests over income. His experience suggests that challenging oneself with significant projects can provide the purpose and structure that many miss after leaving their professional roles. The translation project ultimately opened doors to new experiences, relationships, and continuing education.
8. The importance of word-of-mouth in publishing success
Despite decades in the book industry, Riggio acknowledges that predicting book success remains largely impossible. When asked what makes books sell, he emphasized that word-of-mouth recommendations remain the primary driver, especially for fiction. This fundamental principle has evolved but not disappeared in the digital age, with social media platforms and online communities now facilitating these conversations.
Modern book promotion increasingly relies on podcasts, Instagram, YouTube, and platforms like BookTok to generate buzz. These channels have democratized book promotion, allowing authors to connect directly with potential readers. Riggio notes that today's authors must take initiative in marketing their work, as bookstore shelf space remains limited and competitive. This advice led him to hire his own publicist for the Sicilian Avengers, demonstrating his belief in supplementing publisher efforts with personal marketing initiatives.
9. The overlooked wisdom in untranslated literature
Riggio's project highlights how much wisdom and knowledge remains inaccessible due to language barriers. The Sicilian Avengers had been popular in Italy for a century but was completely unknown to English readers until his translation. This observation raises important questions about what other valuable works remain undiscovered by broader audiences simply because they haven't been translated.
The growing popularity of works in translation represents an encouraging trend in publishing. Riggio hopes his project will inspire publishers to seek out similar untranslated classics from around the world. This perspective aligns with his belief that most wisdom isn't new but has already been discovered and written about somewhere in the world. Translation thus serves not just literary purposes but helps preserve and disseminate human knowledge across cultural boundaries.
10. Resilience through shared pursuits in difficult times
When faced with the devastating loss of their daughter, Riggio and his wife found healing through undertaking a challenging project together. He advises couples experiencing hardship to "find a new door" – an activity neither has done before – and pursue it jointly. This shared endeavor provided structure and forward momentum during an otherwise overwhelming period.
The language learning and translation project created a framework for processing grief while strengthening their relationship. Rather than each coping in isolation, they established common ground through their studies and translation work. Riggio's experience demonstrates how intellectual pursuits can offer therapeutic benefits during life's most difficult chapters. The project allowed them to honor their daughter's memory while gradually building a new chapter in their lives together.