Spring Forums Coming Up in NEIBA, GLIBA Regions

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2018 ABA Spring Forums logo

The American Booksellers Association will host Spring Forums in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on April 12 and Detroit, Michigan, on April 17.

All independent booksellers — ABA members and non-members alike — are invited to attend the forums, which are being held in conjunction with the regional bookseller associations.

Each program will feature an open forum discussion of industry issues plus the new education session “A Year of Bookstore Profitability.” The session will present a year-long calendar of effective steps that bookstores can implement — as well as key cost-saving programs — to boost sales and improve the bottom line. This session is applicable to all bookstore employees, and booksellers will be invited to join the conversation and share the initiatives they use to improve profitability each quarter.

As part of the open forum segment of the program, booksellers will have the opportunity to discuss any of their concerns related to ABA, the book industry in general, and other issues. The spring forum discussions are a critically important vehicle for ABA to gather feedback from members, and all are encouraged to come prepared to discuss their concerns.

Try Out an ABA Membership

Non-member booksellers attending one of the forums are invited to sign up to test drive an ABA membership for free through August 31. This offer applies to stores that have not been ABA members in the past two years.

Between March 15 and May 15, booksellers can enter the code “Spring2018free” in the new member application on BookWeb.org to sign up for the free trial. Following the trial period, stores will have the option to convert their membership to regular status until the end of the dues year (January 31, 2019) for a prorated portion of the new member rate of $199.

Need a Store Website?

Stores that sign up for an IndieLite website by April 30 will receive the first three months of their subscription for free (a $150 value). To participate, stores must be a current ABA member. For more information, e-mail [email protected] or call (800) 637-0037 (option 2).


Upcoming Spring Forums

The April 12 Spring Forum in Cambridge will be held in conjunction with the New England Independent Booksellers Association. Join ABA Senior Program Officer Joy Dallanegra-Sanger, Senior Strategy Officer Dan Cullen, Member Relationship Manager Liz Roberts, and Board Member Kenny Brechner of Devaney Doak & Garrett for the education session and open forum.

The event will take place from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at First Parish, located at 3 Church Street, Harvard Square, in Cambridge. The Spring Forum is presented in conjunction with NEIBA’s All About the Books.

Booksellers planning to attend the forum are asked to RSVP.


The April 17 Spring Forum in Detroit will be held in conjunction with the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association. Join ABA CEO Oren Teicher, Senior Program Officer Joy Dallanegra-Sanger, and ABA Board Member Jonathon Welch of Talking Leaves Books for the education session (10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.), lunch and an open forum (12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.), and additional programming.

The event will be held at The Loft at 1420, located at 1420 Washington Boulevard in Detroit. 

Booksellers planning to attend are asked to RSVP to GLIBA Member Relationship Manager Liz Roberts.

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