About ABA

On Thursday, May 29, over 300 independent booksellers from around the U.S. converged in Los Angeles for the ABA Education Day, which included ABA's first annual "What Are You Reading Lunch." The day's numerous sessions were packed with prospective, novice, and veteran booksellers alike, each looking to enhance their bookselling skills. According to comments from a number of booksellers, the programming did not disappoint.

ABA President Ann Christophersen

In a letter dated May 22, sent on behalf of ABA member bookstores, ABA President Ann Christophersen once again urges the state governors and other elected officials in the 45 states that charge sales tax to immediately take step

Once again, ABA members attending BookExpo America will have an opportunity to get a full update on ABA activities and share their concerns and voice their opinions to the association's leadership.

Booksellers attending BookExpo America (BEA) are encouraged to attend a special ABACUS session to be held on Friday, May 30, from 9:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. in Room 303A/B. This long-awaited session will present, for the first time, an in-depth and detailed report on the project's first-year results, and all ABA members are invited to attend. ABA CEO Avin Mark Domnitz will moderate.

LIBRIS, ABA's insurance subsidiary, recently sent ABA bookstore members who are not currently LIBRIS policyholders an invitation to meet with a representative during BookExpo America (May 28 - June 1 in Los Angeles). Qualifying booksellers who meet with a LIBRIS representative at BEA to discuss a no-obligation quote will receive two tickets for one of the trade show's author breakfasts.

The 2003 ABA Booksellers Forum series came to a close on May 1 at the UConn Co-op, in Storrs, Connecticut. The forum, organized in conjunction with the New England Booksellers Association (NEBA), followed a meeting of the New England Children's Booksellers Association. The ABA/NEBA forum was the twelfth forum of 2003. Since the launch of the forum program in January 1998, ABA has hosted over 70 meetings with member booksellers across the country.

ABA is once again offering an all-day educational program for booksellers attending BookExpo America (BEA). Thursday, May 29, at BEA, which runs from May 28 - June 1 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, will feature panels and seminars designed specifically to meet the needs and interests of independent booksellers. The program will run from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. and is open to ABA members and non-members.

LIBRIS, ABA's insurance subsidiary, is inviting bookstore members who are not currently LIBRIS policyholders to meet with a representative during BookExpo America (May 28 - June 1 in Los Angeles). Qualifying booksellers will be sent an e-mail including a request form for an appointment at BEA to discuss a no-obligation quote. Every bookseller who meets with a LIBRIS representative at BEA will receive two tickets for one of the trade show's author breakfasts.

A number of new volunteer booksellers are joining the American Booksellers Association's Booksellers Advisory Council (BAC), with 12 booksellers starting this June and two starting in January 2004. The BAC is designed to provide the ABA Board of Directors with a broad cross-section of views from within the community of independent booksellers. The council is composed of 25 members, each of whom will serve an average two-year term.

BAC members joining the council in June are:

At BookExpo America 2003, Recorded Books, LLC, a premier producer of audiobooks, will launch the Book Sense Audio Series, a joint effort between the American Booksellers Association and Recorded Books. The series of unabridged audiobooks bearing the licensed Book Sense name will be available exclusively to ABA member stores. Ordering information for the initial 10 titles, a combination of contemporary and classic literature, will be included in the May white box mailing to stores with Book Sense. Samples and ordering information will be presented at BEA.

For the past several years, David Walker has worked with ABA in different capacities to help resolve issues regarding trade practices of concern to independent booksellers. Walker recently spoke to BTW about the types of issues he's worked to resolve and the need for booksellers to keep ABA informed of the problems they are encountering.

The American Booksellers Association is inviting publishers to participate in the BookSense.com Co-op Reimbursement Program. The new program helps publishers promote their books through both the Web sites and bricks-and-mortar locations of participating stores. ABA has been testing the program with the help of four publishers -- AOL/Time Warner, Harcourt, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster -- and 30 bookstores.

On Saturday, May 31, at BookExpo America (BEA) in Los Angeles, ABA will be offering a full plate of Specialty Bookseller-to-Bookseller Roundtables, giving specialty booksellers an excellent opportunity to get together with their colleagues and chat about their specific niche market. ABA will conduct 12 different specialty roundtables designed for booksellers who are predominantly engaged in selling books in specialty areas; roundtable sessions are not intended for general stores with specialty sections.