Books and coffee have a long history of association. Long before Barnes & Noble linked up with Starbucks, the coffeehouses of 18th-century London served as England’s "penny universities" where Samuel Johnson, Alexander Pope, and John Dryden socialized, sipped coffee, and sold their works. Two hundred years later, many booksellers feel they need to add a jolt of java to enliven their store’s atmosphere and boost sales.

These days, the screech and hiss of an espresso machine is as common a sound in a bookstore as the beep of a cash register or the introduction to an author reading. An increasing number of bookstore owners are now required to know almost as much about paninis and half-caf-two-percent cappuccinos as they do about Michael Chabon and Margaret Atwood.

So, if your bookstore doesn't have a café, should it? And if it already does, how do you go about improving it?

In conjunction with ABA’s 2002 Spring Bookseller Forums scheduled in March and April, Avin Mark Domnitz, ABA CEO, will be leading four special financial sessions for booksellers. The sessions, "Basic Bookstore Finances," will discuss operating within a system of financial controls to help predict performance and measure outcomes against those predictions, and cash flow control. Attendees will receive a computer disk with worksheets, which will help them integrate the session’s ideas into their everyday business.

In an era where there is more retail space devoted to selling books than ever before, starting, sustaining, and growing a profitable bookstore business requires that each person in a management role fully understand the fundamentals of book retailing. From May 1 through May 3, ABA is sponsoring a three-day booksellers school to help booksellers deal with crucial business issues in "Fundamentals of Independent Bookselling -- Strategies for Understanding and Growing a Profitable Business," at this year’s BookExpo America.

The late Ken Kesey, noted author and Oregon legend, resisted conformity in every aspect of his life.

Fundamentals of Independent Bookselling -- Strategies for Understanding and Growing a Profitable Business
Wednesday, May 1 from 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.; Thursday, May 2 from 9:00 a.m. - Noon and 2:15 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.; and Friday, May 3 from 9:00 a.m. - Noon.

Avin Mark Domnitz, ABA CEO, will be holding three financial sessions through March and April 2002 in conjunction with ABA’s 2002 Spring Bookseller Forums across the country. The sessions, "Basic Bookstore Finances," will discuss operating within a system of financial controls to help predict performance and measure outcomes against those predictions, and cash flow control. Attendees will receive a computer disk with worksheets, which will help them integrate the session’s ideas into their everyday business.

There will be a particularly strong focus on professional development, education, and networking at this year's BookExpo America -- a centerpiece of which will be a full day of programming on Thursday, May 2, at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City.

Karl Kilian, owner of Brazos Bookstore in Houston, is determined to try to put his city and his store on the literary map. "[The University of] Houston has this very good writing program … and it's made serious inroads to the consciousness of the city. But we still don't figure in nationally," he told BTW. "When times were better, [Brazos] bookstore itself could hold events ... but we're off the map in terms of author tours."

The next week-long intensive workshop, "Opening A Bookstore: The Business Essentials," will be held March 3 - 8 in Raleigh, North Carolina. More than a dozen book industry professionals will conduct training to introduce attendees to retail bookselling. From what it will cost to how much you'll make, from choosing a smart location to creating your initial inventory and selecting a computerized management system, attendees will learn the kinds of details that will help decide whether bookselling is the right choice and how to avoid common start-up pitfalls.