SIBA trade show attendees are invited to join ABA staff for a special education session on the Affordable Care Act and what it means for bookstore owners and their employees. At the ABA booth, booksellers will have the opportunity to discuss their concerns with staff and to learn about member services, new initiatives, upcoming educational events, and more.

Porter Square Books in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has been purchased by longtime customers and local residents Dina Mardell and David Sandberg. The couple, who are new to the book business, will be helped for the next several months by most of the store’s former owners.

A fundraiser on September 19 at the SIBA trade show to benefit the Book Industry Charitable Foundation will feature former drummer for The Doors, John Densmore.

Earlier this month, the White House announced the launch of a “one-stop-shop” that provides employers with access to information on the Affordable Care Act.

Booksellers have just a few weeks left to register for ABA’s IndieCommerce Institutes to be held on September 19 in conjunction with the SIBA trade show in New Orleans and on October 2 in conjunction with the NCIBA trade show in San Francisco.

Bowker releases statistics on consumer book buying; SIBA offering scholarship to fall trade show; Miami Book Fair celebrates 30^th anniversary; Ingram adds new clients; Jeff Bezos to purchase the Washington Post

The strong reaction of independent booksellers and other Main Street advocates to President Obama’s visit to an Amazon warehouse in Tennessee to deliver an address on job creation was reported in media outlets across the country.

Maine and Missouri enact affiliate nexus laws; SIBA launches read-aloud program Parapalooza; Man Booker Prize longlist revealed; Romance Writers of America announces RITA, Golden Heart winners; Student spending on textbooks increases; ABFFE asks for transparency from Congress; Amazon loses battle to acquire .amazon Internet suffix

Planning is under way for the first-ever California Bookstore Day, a celebration of the written word and the culture of independent bookstores across the state, set for May 3, 2014. Last week, organizers launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds to support publicity and marketing efforts for the event. 

At each of this year’s fall regional trade shows, the American Booksellers Association, with support from the Small Business Majority, will be offering a timely and informative educational session on the Affordable Health Care Act.