ABA Education for Booksellers

ABA hosts two national education conferences per year. 

• Winter Institute: ABA's premiere four-day annual industry conference featuring educational programming for independent bookstores, as well as keynote talks, author receptions, publisher parties, and dedicated time to network with booksellers, authors, and publishers from around the country. As the largest gathering of bookselling professionals in the US, Winter Institute attracts over 900 booksellers, along with hundreds of authors, publishing professionals, international booksellers, and industry partners. The 19th annual Winter Institute (Wi2024) will take place in Cincinnati, Ohio from February 11–14, 2024.
• Children's Institute: A three-day event offering unique education for children’s booksellers in addition to general education sessions, roundtable discussions, networking events, and author appearances. The 12th annual Children's Institute (Ci2024) will take place in New Orleans, LA from June 10–12, 2024.

Browse our collection of education sessions recorded virtually and at ABA Institutes.

The Bookstore Resource Library is a collection of customizable templates and resources specifically designed for bookstores. From Consignment Applications to Daily Checklists, we’ve collected essential bookstore forms and documents that you can edit to meet the particular needs of your store, along with toolkits on everything from Advocacy to ABACUS.

Virtual meetups are an opportunity to network and learn from fellow booksellers on a range of topics relevant to bookselling today.

• Management Book Club: Join other bookstore managers and owners to discuss selected management books, share best practices in staff management, solicit advice on staff development, and grow their skills as leaders in their stores. The Management Book Club meets on the third Wednesday of every month at 3:00 pm ET. Register here.
• Monthly Education Meetups: ABA Education Meetups feature a rotating selection of bookstore education programming on the second Thursday of every month at 3:00 pm ET. Join us for virtual bookstore tours, bookseller lightning talks, and focused conversations on topics that will help your bookstore succeed. Register here.
• ShopTalk: Open conversation format to share best practices, talk about business, and crowdsource ideas & solutions to problems. Other ShopTalks are held throughout the year for smaller subsets of groups see the calendar for details. ShopTalks are held the first Tuesday of every month at 3 pm ET and the last Tuesday of the month at 10 pm ET. View upcoming ShopTalk meetings here.

Tune in to audio recordings from past ABA education sessions! New episodes will be added each month, so be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast app for updates when a new episode drops. 

ABA presents specially-designed education at the annual Regional Indie Bookseller Associations Tradeshows.

• Fall 2023: This is a Fire Drill: Preparing for and Avoiding Crises: Join ABA staff at the Fall Regional Tradeshows as we review some of the top crises stores have experienced this past year. From cybersecurity threats to a car driving into the store, we will provide resources and tips to prepare for and, when possible, avoid these crises at your store. Topics will include: fire, flood, and natural disasters; protesters, break-ins, and ransomware, credit card fraud, and more. Throughout the session, we’ll explore ways to respond to these crises, prioritize employee communication, and mitigate the risk of these events occurring at your store. Think of this session as insurance and take this time to invest in protecting your business.
• Fall 2022: Decoding the P&L for Booksellers, Managers, and Owners: A bookstore’s profit and loss statement (P&L) is a critical tool for evaluating a store’s overall performance. Join ABA staff on a walk-through of a bookstore P&L statement as we lay a groundwork for understanding bookstore financials, decode individual line items to identify opportunities for improved profitability, discuss how to use ABA’s ABACUS Report, and consider ways to share financials with staff in a meaningful and cooperative manner.

Bookselling is a wonderful and fulfilling profession. Owning your own store may seem a natural and attractive idea if you love books; however, passion and knowledge have to be combined with business acumen if your bookstore is to succeed. Like any other retail business, you will have to meet the cost of rent, utilities, compensation, and payments to your vendors, all while striving to make your bookstore profitable. It's not always easy, but ABA and our community of booksellers and industry professionals are here to help you each step of the way. Our Opening a Bookstore Tool Kit includes information on Provisional ABA Membership, Prospective Booksellers School, and developing your business plan.