SIBA Discovery Show to Feature Two ABA Education Sessions

The American Booksellers Association will present education sessions on diversity and promoting backlist at the upcoming Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance’s annual fall trade show in New Orleans, taking place from Friday, September 15, to Sunday, September 17, 2017.

“Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Addressing Stereotypes and Creating a Welcoming Environment” is a full-day workshop designed for owners and managers and for frontline booksellers. The session, to be led by Ilsa Marie Govan, M.A., and Caprice D. Hollins, Psy.D., of Cultures Connecting, runs from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 14, at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, just ahead of the SIBA Discovery Show.

Registration for the “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” workshop at the SIBA Discovery Show is $75 per person and open to all ABA members, regardless of regional association membership. A BookWeb username and password are required to register for the workshop; booksellers who need login information should e-mail [email protected]. Fall show registration is not required to attend.

A second and final presentation of this workshop will also take place ahead of the Mountains and Plains Independent Booksellers Association’s annual fall trade show. The session will run from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 11, at the Renaissance Denver Stapleton Hotel and will be led by Govan only. Register now to take part in the “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” workshop prior to the MPIBA Fall Discovery Show.

ABA’s other educational session this fall, “Maximizing Backlist: Proven Ways to Market, Promote, and Sell Backlist Titles,” will be presented at all eight fall trade shows and will focus on how backlist titles with proven track records can be as important as frontlist titles for store sales and profitability. To be co-led by ABA senior staff and Board members, “Maximizing Backlist” will feature a discussion of advantageous backlist terms now being offered by some publishers as well as best practices for successfully managing stores’ cash flow and return-on-investment.

Booksellers also have the opportunity at each regional trade show to meet with IndieCommerce staff for one-on-one sessions. At the SIBA Discovery Show, sessions will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on September 16 and from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on September 17.

IndieCommerce one-on-ones, which will be held with ABA IndieCommerce Specialist Ryan Quinn at SIBA, are ideal for current IndieCommerce and IndieLite users as well as ABA members who would like to learn more about IndieCommerce and IndieLite. Booksellers can sign up now for a one-on-one session with Quinn at the SIBA Discovery Show to have their questions answered about either product. In addition, stores that sign a contract for IndieCommerce or IndieLite during one of the trade shows will be entered to win a free first year of the service.

New this year at the trade shows, a Winter Institute 2018 scholarship winner will be drawn and announced at the end of each of the eight shows. The winner will be selected from the pool of business cards submitted at the ABA booth throughout the show; booksellers do not need to be present at the drawing to win.

The 2017 fall regional trade show schedule is as follows:

• Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA): Friday, September 15 – Sunday, September 17, 2017
  Sheraton New Orleans, 500 Canal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana
• New England Independent Booksellers Association (NEIBA): Monday, September 18 – Wednesday, September 20, 2017
  Rhode Island Convention Center, 1 Sabin Street, Providence, Rhode Island
• New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA): Friday, October 6 – Sunday, October 8, 2017
  Crowne Plaza, 2349 West Marlton Pike, Cherry Hill, New Jersey
• Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA): Sunday, October 8 – Tuesday, October 10, 2017
  Red Lion Hotel on the River, 909 North Hayden Island Drive, Portland, Oregon
• Heartland Fall Forum (Midwest Independent Booksellers Association/MIBA and Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association/GLIBA): Wednesday, October 11 – Friday, October 13, 2017
  Westin Lombard Yorktown Center, 70 Yorktown Shopping Center, Lombard, Illinois
• Mountains and Plains Independent Booksellers Association (MPIBA): Thursday, October 12 – Saturday, October 14, 2017
  Renaissance Denver Stapleton Hotel, 3801 Quebec Street, Denver, Colorado
• Northern California Independent Booksellers Association (NCIBA): Thursday, October 19 – Friday, October 20, 2017
  South San Francisco Conference Center, 255 South Airport Boulevard, South San Francisco, California
• Southern California Independent Booksellers Association (SCIBA): Friday, October 27 – Saturday, October 28, 2017
  Sheraton Fairplex Hotel & Conference Center, 601 West McKinley Avenue, Pomona, California