About ABA

On Monday, February 13, at the Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia, the American Booksellers Association presented a Booksellers Forum and Education Program in conjunction with the Southern Independence Booksellers Alliance (SIBA). Approximately 30 booksellers attended the event, which featured a SIBA membership session, the Booksellers Forum, and the ABA session "Creating a 'Buy Local' Campaign."

The American Booksellers Association's Booksellers Forum Tour will return to the Pacific Northwest with a forum and educational programming, held in conjunction with the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA) Spring Show, which runs from March 16 to 18 at the Hilton Hotel, Seattle Airport. All members of PNBA and ABA -- owners and staff -- are welcome to participate in the free program.

The American Booksellers Association will hold two Booksellers Forums in the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA) region in March. On Tuesday, March 14, there will be an ABA Booksellers Forum in New Orleans at Galatoire's restaurant on Bourbon Street, and on Friday, March 17, ABA will hold a forum and present educational programs at the Omni Hotel at the CNN Center in Atlanta.

ABA member booksellers can now take advantage of an upload (and download) function in two of BookWeb's Idea Exchange forums. The enhancement is enabled in the Education Forum to allow booksellers to share ideas, best business practices, forms, lists, and other resource materials that may exist in different formats.

Last week, the American Booksellers Association announced the names of booksellers approved by the Board of Directors as candidates for the 2006 director elections. They are Gayle Shanks of Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, Arizona; Becky Anderson of Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville and Downers Grove, Illinois; and Beth Puffer of Bank Street Bookstore in New York City. Shanks is currently a member of the ABA Board and is eligible for one additional three-year term.

The American Booksellers Association Board of Directors, senior staff, and representatives from the regional booksellers associations held meetings from Saturday, January 28, to Monday, January 30, immediately following the Winter Institute at the Long Beach Hilton in Long Beach, California.

Among its activities during the three days of meetings, the Board:

At the recent meeting of the American Booksellers Association's Board of Directors, held in conjunction with the Winter Institute in Long Beach, California, the Board approved the report of the ABA Nominating Committee, chaired by Cathy Langer of Tattered Cover Book Store in Denver, Colorado. The Committee presented the Board with the names of three candidates for three-year terms (2006 - 2009) as directors on the Board.

The American Booksellers Association's 2006 Forum tour comes to the Southeast on Monday, February 13.

The American Booksellers Association is inviting bookstore owners and staff in the Midwest to a Booksellers Forum on Saturday, March 11, at the Clarion Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota. The event, which features an education component, is being held in conjunction with the Midwest Booksellers Association (MBA) Spring Meeting. All members of MBA and ABA are welcome to participate in the free program.

The first annual American Booksellers Association Winter Institute concluded its two days of programming on Friday, January 27, and booksellers and publishers who attended overwhelmingly praised the event, which combined 25 educational sessions with social events and hours of networking and impromptu conversations. A total of 375 Booksellers from 44 states and the District of Columbia, as well as Canada and Bermuda attended the institute.

The American Booksellers Association's 2006 Booksellers Forum Tour continues with a forum and educational programming held in conjunction with the Third Annual Mountains & Plains Booksellers Association (MPBA) Spring Meeting, to be held from February 23 to 25, at the Marriott Denver Tech Center. All members of MPBA and ABA -- owners and staff -- are welcome to participate in the free program.

The American Booksellers Association is inviting bookstore owners and staff in the Pacific Northwest to a Booksellers Forum on Saturday, February 25, at the McMenamins Kennedy School, in Portland, Oregon. The event, which features an education component, is being held in conjunction with the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA). All members of PNBA and ABA are welcome to participate in the free program.

In response to the continuing controversy surrounding the veracity of the memoir A Million Little Pieces, James Frey has written an author's note, now available on the Random House website.

Just two weeks ago, the American Booksellers Association announced the opening of registration at the Hilton Crystal City, which offers ABA member booksellers the same room rate and amenities as the sold-out Hotel ABA/D.C., the Doubletree Crystal City.

More than 130 booksellers answered an early wake-up call for the American Booksellers Association Winter Institute's 7:15 a.m. "What Are You Reading?" Breakfast. Patterned after the popular ABA lunchtime event at BookExpo America, the breakfast was an opportunity for many of the approximately 360 booksellers gathered in Long Beach for ABA's two-day education program to network and to share with colleagues some of the titles they are excited about.