In an e-mail this week to members of the ABC Children’s Group [7], the American Booksellers Association announced the date and location for its third institute developed specifically for children’s booksellers. The 2015 ABC Children’s Institute will be held from Sunday evening, April 19, through Tuesday morning, April 21, immediately following the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, at the Hilton Pasadena, just steps from Vroman’s Bookstore [8].

“Even before the enormously successful ABC Children’s Institute was concluded this past April in San Antonio, booksellers, publishers, and authors alike were all asking when and where would we do it again next year,” said ABC Group Manager Matthew Zoni.

“Booksellers overwhelmingly agreed that the institute should remain on the calendar in the spring but should rotate regionally around the country,” he added. And feedback from publishers showed that the institute needed to be held in conjunction with another major industry event in order for sponsors to be able to bring authors the caliber of Tim Federle, Chip Kidd, Brad Meltzer, and Oliver Jeffers.

New for 2015 is the expansion of programming beyond an evening and a full day to include morning programming on Tuesday, April 21. There will also be more downtime between sessions to provide booksellers with the opportunity to check back home, catch up with old friends, and become better acquainted with new ones.

Children’s booksellers are encouraged to save the date and to watch for future announcements about registration, education, and featured speakers in the months ahead.