BTW - Week of February 19, 2020

19 Feb

2020 Children’s Institute Registration Opens

The American Booksellers Association’s eighth ABC Children’s Institute will be held June 22–24 at the Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa in Tucson, Arizona.

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19 Feb
BookExpo 2019 logo

Applications Underway for BookExpo Bestsellers Grant Program

The grant includes a three-night stay at The New Yorker, a Wyndham Hotel, and $150 in BookExpo Bucks.

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19 Feb
BookExpo logo

2020 BookExpo Hotel Reservations, Event Registration Underway

The annual trade show, which will feature a variety of programming for American Booksellers Association members, will be held from Wednesday, May 27, through Friday, May 29.

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19 Feb
Screenshot of Amazon Empire documentary trailer screen

“Amazon Empire: The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos” Streaming Now

The PBS documentary features interviews with Amazon executives, former employees, industry insiders, regulators, and notable Amazon critics who touch on a number of different topics relating to Amazon. 

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19 Feb

ABA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee on Who Gets to Write a Story

“We urge booksellers and readers to instead reframe that question as: How do you write someone else’s story? And how are we, as an industry, elevating writers of color?” writes the committee.

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19 Feb

BTW News Briefs

BookExpo announces children’s breakfast speakers; RWA to hold special election; California Consumer Privacy Act sees update; Panorama Project announces new initiatives; James Patterson named Bookstore Champion; Harlequin’s Love Inspired to launch paperback program; Personnel changes at Holt, S&S; Winners named for LA Times Book Prize, Ripped Bodice awards, Southern Book Prize; Shortlist out for Aspen Words Literary Prize; Nominees and longlists announced for WNBA Pannell Award, PEN/Faulkner Award, Reading the West Book Award, AAP Prose Awards

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14 Feb

Retail Sales at Bookstores Down in December

Retail sales at U.S. bookstores were down by 7.6 percent in December 2019 compared to December 2018, according to preliminary figures from the Bureau of the Census. 

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19 Feb
Winter Institute 15 logo

Wi15 Education: “Operations: Time Management for the Small Store”

The panelists encouraged booksellers to discover their own time management system while focusing on organizational tactics, prioritization, and the use of resources.

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18 Feb

Wi15 Education: “Together in Courageous Conversation: Politics of Curation”

A panel of booksellers spoke about the challenges of curating inventory for their stores and how each decides what books to carry. 

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19 Feb

ABA’s February 27 Marketing Meetup to Look at Edelweiss360

Edelweiss360 is a new service that allows booksellers to efficiently craft and send store-branded, personalized emails to customers based on individual purchase behavior and staff knowledge of customers. 

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19 Feb
Counterspeak podcast cover art

“Counterspeak” Podcast Now on YouTube

Each month, Counterspeak features interviews with experts on the First Amendment and free speech, as well as discussions on relevant current events. 

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19 Feb

San Francisco Locally Owned Merchants Alliance to Hold Meeting on February 27

The meeting will focus on proposed changes regarding payroll and gross receipt taxes.

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19 Feb
IndieCommerce logo image

Wi15: IndieCommerce Institute Offers Ideas and Inspiration for E-commerce

The institute offered an interactive, classroom-style seminar that provided in-depth information about features that can help booksellers make the most of their IndieCommerce sites. 

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14 Feb

IndieCommunication: New Team Member, SEO Tips, and Password Security

The most recent update from the IndieCommerce team highlights the hiring of Specialist Courtney Karecki, a recent education session on SEO, and password policy changes.

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19 Feb
My Dark Vanessa cover image

A Q&A With Kate Elizabeth Russell, Author of March’s #1 Indie Next List Pick

Luisa Barbano of Oblong Books and Music said, “This novel is a timely and important read, sometimes difficult, but ultimately an unforgettable experience. You will be left astonished and transformed.”

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19 Feb

An Indies Introduce Q&A With Mark Rader

The family in Rader’s The Wanting Life “captures the wanting that is life — what could have been, what might still be, the pain of loss,” said Nadine Melahn of CoffeeTree Books.

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19 Feb
A full house for Mary Kubica's event at Anderson's Bookshop

Around Indies

Ryan Raffaelli and Jamie Fiocco on On Point; Idle Time now Lost City Books; Mustard Seed to become Mockingbird; Book Haven sold; Barbara’s moves; Matt Miller of Tattered Cover to retire; Bookshop Santa Cruz partners with Changing Hands; Mary Kubica visits Anderson’s; Phoenix, Twig, Left Bank, Hello Hello, Brain Lair, Odyssey, Auburn Oil Co., Nicola’s featured in local news. 

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About ABA

The American Booksellers Association, a national not-for-profit trade organization, works with booksellers and industry partners to ensure the success and profitability of independently owned book retailers, and to assist in expanding the community of the book.

Independent bookstores act as community anchors; they serve a unique role in promoting the open exchange of ideas, enriching the cultural life of communities, and creating economically vibrant neighborhoods.

Contact

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