About ABA

As a helpful reminder, here is a "Three-Month Bookseller Action List" highlighting important dates related to ABA/Book Sense programs and events for the period October through December 2005. The list may also be downloaded in PDF format.

The American Booksellers Association's Board of Directors and senior staff met from Wednesday, September 28, through Friday, September 30, in Chicago.

During the meeting, the ABA Board:

ABA member booksellers can now register for ABA's first annual Winter Education Institute, to be held on Thursday, January 26, and Friday, January 27, 2006, in Long Beach, California. Open to all ABA member booksellers -- owners and staff -- and free of charge, the Institute's comprehensive program includes all of ABA's education sessions from this past June's BookExpo America, as well as two new sessions developed in response to bookseller input gathered through ABA's 2006 Education Survey.

On Tuesday, September 20, the Bookseller Relief Fund (BRF) Board convened via conference call to establish administrative guidelines and a process for distribution of monies from the fund, which was established by ABA in response to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

BookExpo America and wholesalers Baker & Taylor and Ingram Book Company have become the first sponsors of ABA's inaugural Winter Education Institute, to be held on Thursday, January 26, and Friday, January 27, 2006, in Long Beach, California.

As news stories about the death, suffering, and destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina are replaced by accounts of the early steps the public and private sectors are taking toward reconstruction, the book industry, too, continued its initiatives to assist Gulf Coast residents affected by the storm.

Booksellers should note that the voting period for the inaugural Quill Awards ends today, September 15. However, there are still a few days left for ABA member booksellers who have been encouraging consumers to vote to participate in a random drawing to win a trip to the red carpet awards ceremony to be held in October in New York City.

To create a 2006 education program that meets the needs of membership, the American Booksellers Association is asking booksellers for their input through an online survey, accessible through the BookWeb homepage or directly at www.bookweb.org/read/7981.

In a piece on coping with the effects of disaster in today's issue of Bookselling This Week, Neal Coonerty encourages those dealing with disaster to "accept contributions ... and help."

Plans include special hotel room rate

ABA member booksellers can now register for ABA's first annual Winter Education Institute, to be held on Thursday, January 26, and Friday, January 27, 2006, in Long Beach, California.

The American Booksellers Association is seeking booksellers and other industry professionals to serve on a task force that will offer input on the world of Spanish-language bookselling, in both Spanish-language stores and within general trade stores. The goal of the task force will be to explore possible new ABA programming and services to meet the needs of booksellers who are currently selling Spanish-language books and those who would like to expand into this area.

The task force will meet at a time and location to be determined.

The American Booksellers Association is announcing the creation of a Bookseller Relief Fund to assist booksellers affected by Hurricane Katrina. Contributions to the fund will be accepted, and ABA is seeding the relief fund with an opening donation of $25,000.

The American Booksellers Association Nominating Committee, chaired by Cathy Langer of the Tattered Cover Book Store in Denver, Colorado, is searching for qualified candidates to serve on the ABA Board of Directors.

The American Booksellers Association is asking booksellers, publishers, and others in the book industry to check their various mailing lists to make sure they reflect the association's new office address:

200 White Plains Road
Tarrytown, NY 10591

The American Booksellers Association is forming a task force to offer input on the world of Spanish-language bookselling, in both Spanish-language stores and within general trade stores.