Thanks for Shopping Indie [6], the first-ever multi-publisher promotion exclusively for ABA member bookstores, will give booksellers the opportunity to offer  an “extra” to customers on a broad range of 2012 Indie Next List titles. The promotion, which starts on November 24, Small Business Saturday, [7] and continues for at least one week during the most important shopping period of the year, will include a shortlist of more than 60 titles [8] chosen by an experienced group of indie booksellers and approved by participating ABA publisher partners.

“ABA member bookstores serve a unique role in helping customers discover new titles, and indie booksellers’ efforts spur sales across all channels. That’s why it’s so exciting that the groundbreaking Thanks for Shopping Indie multi-publisher promotion has come together,” said Joy Dallanegra-Sanger, senior program officer, BSI, Inc. ”This great list of hardcover and paperback, adult and children’s books — chosen by independent booksellers and representing more than 20 participating publishers — offers independent bookstore customers the best selection of gift choices for the holiday.  I hope booksellers will stop by the ABA booth at the upcoming regional trade shows to learn more about this unique promotion.”

ABA member bookstores are not required to participate; however, this special opportunity is being offered for a limited time only.

How Thanks for Shopping Indie works:

•  Each participating bookstore will order a minimum of 10 titles from the vetted list to bring into the store.
•  The 10 titles will include one required adult and one required children’s title; the required titles are noted in yellow, children’s titles with an asterisk. (Children’s-only stores will not have to carry the adult title.)
•  Stores agree to order at least three copies of each hardcover, five copies of each paperback, and three copies of each children’s title.
•  Stores agree to mount a Thanks for Shopping Indie front-of-store display with promo titles and specially designed downloadable POP, from November 24, 2012 through at least December 1, 2012.
• Stores agree to promote Thanks for Shopping Indie in their newsletters, through social media, as staff picks, and the like.
• Orders and reorders can be placed between October 29 and December 31, 2012.

To learn more about “Thanks for Shopping Indie,” stop by the ABA booth at one of the regional trade shows, and watch for a special e-mail with more details arriving in your inbox within the next few days. Special promotional materials are available now in the Booksellers DIY [9].

In addition to each store’s promotional efforts, American Express OPEN has agreed to promote Thanks for Shopping Indie in its social media efforts for Small Business Saturday.

To participate in Thanks for Shopping Indie, stores must sign up at BookWeb.org/indiethanks [10] on or before October 22. ABA will collect stores’ contact information and then pass it along to the publishers. After that, booksellers may begin ordering their minimum of 10 titles on October 29, directly from the publishers. For more information about Thanks for Shopping Indie, booksellers can also contact participating publishers’ sales reps.

The promo order window begins on October 29 and extends until the end of the year.

Booksellers with questions should contact Dallanegra-Sanger [11].

Publishers participating in “Thanks for Shopping Indie” include:

• Abrams
• Candlewick
• Disney Publishing Worldwide
• Egmont USA
• Grove/Atlantic
• Hachette Book Group
• HarperCollins
• HarperCollins Children’s
• Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s
• Hyperion
• Other Press
• Penguin Group Adult
• Penguin Young Readers Group
• Perseus Books Group
• Random House
• Random House Children’s
• Scholastic
• Simon & Schuster
• Simon & Schuster Children’s
• Sourcebooks
• Unbridled Books
• W. W. Norton
• Workman

Learn more about November 24 celebration of Small Business Saturday, sponsored by American Express OPEN and Facebook, at facebook.com/SmallBusinessSaturday [7].