The Children’s Institute combines ABA’s in-depth education sessions and roundtable discussions, which are free and open to all ABA member booksellers, with a specially priced package of popular author events.

Several indie booksellers who have made Pinterest part of their social media marketing efforts have found it easy and fun to use and better than Twitter for connecting with customers.

Updated March 5, 2012:     The first-ever American Booksellers Association ABC Children’s Institute will be held on Wednesday, June 6, at New York’s Javits Convention Center during BookExpo America 2012.

ABA bookstore members who have not attended BookExpo America in the past three years recently received an e-mail from BEA with information about an opportunity to secure one free hotel night for their stay in NYC if they are attending the 2012 trade show.

Julian Barnes wins Man Booker Prize; Lauren Myracle’s Shine withdrawn from National Book Awards; Ingram to distribute Nolo, Coutts to service Singapore libraries; New York Times examines effects of Amazon’s publishing programs; BEA announces Read Russia as focus of 2012 Global Forum

A new survey from BookExpo America is asking booksellers, publishers, and authors for their input on the annual trade show. The survey takes a just a few moments to complete and responses are completely anonymous.

Lawsuit filed against Apple and five agency model publishers; Borders given okay to auction name, website, leases; Amazon unveils Kindle Cloud Reader; Philip Levine named poet laureate; Sally Dedecker to direct BEA conference program; Sales rep Ann Wachur honored by NEIBA; PEN 2011 literary award winners announced

In a Day of Education session entitled “Turning Mind Share Into Market Share in the Children's Market,” Kristen McLean, a consultant to the ABC Children’s Group at ABA, asked booksellers the important question: “What is your Why?”

As part of ABA's Day of Education at BEA, a session entitled “The Digital Market and the YA Audience” addressed the reading habits of today's teens, and what bookstores can do to foster their interests.

At the session “Selling Non-book in the Children's Department," ABA President Becky Anderson of Anderson's Bookshops in Naperville, Illinois, moderated a panel discussion with Beth Puffer of Bank Street Bookstore in New York City and Andrea Vuleta of Mrs. Nelson’s Toy and Book Shop in La Verne, California, about their ordering tactics and top picks for toys and games.