Children’s Institute’s Backlist Book Swap: Pick and Pack Your Book Now

Next month’s ABC Children’s Institute will kick off on Tuesday, June 21, with a Welcome Reception and Backlist Book Swap party. All attendees planning to participate are reminded to pack their favorite kids’ book and a bookmark to share, and to let ABA know now what they’ll be bringing.

The Children’s Institute Backlist Book Swap is making its debut following the huge success of the inaugural book swap at Winter Institute. The festive reception at Children’s Institute will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Wyndham Orlando Resort International, where an old-school photo booth will also be on hand for snapping pictures with backlist favorites and with colleagues.

Those planning to attend the Children’s Institute Backlist Book Swap should bring a backlist book — a board book, young adult novel, or anything in between — that is at least five years old and still in print. Unlike at Winter Institute, there may not be an opportunity to visit a local indie bookstore to pick up a book before the reception.

In addition to their favorite kids’ pick, participants in the Backlist Book Swap are asked to bring a bookmark to share along with their selected book. (Booksellers should bring their store’s bookmark; there will also be generic bookmarks available on-site.)

On the bookmark, the giver will write the book’s title and a blurb about why they selected that particular book to share. They should also write down their name and business, plus an e-mail address or phone number.

The recipient of the book will be encouraged to reach out to the giver via phone or e-mail while at the reception so book swap participants can make connections on-site and discuss their picks.

Following the Children’s Institute, ABA will supply a full list of the books shared at the Backlist Book Swap to members, along with information about who brought each title.

Anyone planning to participate in the Backlist Book Swap should share their pick with ABA now and set a reminder to bring their chosen book, along with a bookmark, to the institute in June.

Registration for Children’s Institute is now closed. Registrants who are no longer planning to attend are asked to notify the American Booksellers Association as soon as possible. To cancel an event registration or hotel reservations, or for any questions regarding Children’s Institute, e-mail [email protected].

Ci4 is made possible by the support of lead sponsor Baker & Taylor with additional support from publisher sponsors large and small.