Don’t Miss Out: Register Now for ABC Children’s Institute

Booksellers who want to attend the 2015 ABC Children’s Institute (Ci3) are encouraged to register as soon as possible as space is limited.

The event, to be held April 19 – 21 at California’s Hilton Pasadena, is open to all bookseller members of the American Booksellers Association, with a maximum of five registrants per member business. The institute’s nonrefundable conference fee is $79 per person, and a number of publisher-sponsored scholarships will be awarded.

Ci3’s program includes three plenary sessions, a featured talk, 10 breakout sessions, five roundtable discussions, a reps’ speed dating lunch, an Author Reception, a Scholastic Meet & Treat After Party, a tour of Vroman’s Bookstore, and more.

The event opens on Sunday evening, April 19, with a plenary talk by Jeff Kinney, the author of the bestselling Diary of a Wimpy Kid series (Amulet Books) and a soon-to-be bookseller. Kinney will be share insights from his career as an author, as well as from his preparations to open the bookstore An Unlikely Story in his hometown of Plainville, Massachusetts, this spring. The opening plenary will be followed by a welcome reception for all attendees.

Monday at Ci3 will begin with a breakfast plenary featuring Mac Barnett and Jory John, the co-authors of The Terrible Two (Amulet Books), who will discuss their work with the nonprofit organization 826, which is dedicated to helping students age 6–18 with expository and creative writing and fostering a diverse array of voices.

Monday will also include the featured talk “Creating a Picture Book.” Two-time Caldecott Honor-recipient Marla Frazee and Beach Lane Books publisher Allyn Johnston will provide a behind-the-scenes look into the editorial and artistic development processes involved in the creation of bestselling picture books.

The ABC Children’s Institute will conclude at 12:15 p.m. on Tuesday with a closing keynote by Jewell Parker Rhodes, whose books for young readers include Ninth Ward, Sugar, and Bayou Magic (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers). Parker Rhodes will discuss why diversity in children’s literature is our next civil rights frontier.

Ci3’s educational programming will also offer 10 breakout sessions whose topics are:

• Best Practices for Greater Diversity
• Buying and Merchandising Non-Book Inventory
• Creating Book Subscription Clubs and Gift Registries
• Gauging Age-Appropriate Reading
• Hosting In-Store Birthday Parties
• Making Storytime Fun and Profitable
• Marketing to Grandparents
• Partnering for Diversity With Schools and Nonprofits
• Reaching Reluctant Readers
• Starting Teen and Middle Grade Book Festivals

For those interested in attending the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, which will be held on April 18 and 19 at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, just prior to the institute, ABA has arranged for a central meeting place. Luggage storage for Ci3 attendees will be available in Board Room 201 on the second floor of the Radisson Hotel on the USC campus.

For up-to-the-minute information about Ci3, visit BookWeb.org/ci2015. Details about public transportation options to and from LAX, USC, and the Hilton Pasadena will be posted as soon as they are available.

Questions about Ci3, or anything relating to children’s bookselling, should be addressed to ABC Group Manager Matthew Zoni.

Register now.