Advocacy

The Holiday Children’s Book Art Auction, sponsored by ABFFE and the ABC Children’s Group at ABA, closed on Tuesday afternoon, but not before hitting a new high and raising more than $10,000 to help defend the free speech rights of kids.

In response to what ABFFE President Chris Finan called “one of the most egregious cases of book banning in many years,” ABFFE joined  the Freedom to Read Foundation, the American Library Association, and several literacy and free speech organizations in filing an amicus brief in a case involving the removal of books that were used in the Mexican American Studies program in Tucson schools.

On Monday, December 2, in a resounding victory for sales tax fairness proponents, the U.S. Supreme Court said it would not hear a legal challenge to New York State’s affiliate nexus law, which was brought by Amazon.com and Overstock.com.

An auction of more than 70 pieces of art created for children’s books launched on eBay at noon EST today, November 26. The Holiday Children’s Book Art Auction features many original works and high-quality prints by leading artists and illustrators.

As the White House continues to address problems on the Affordable Care Act website, local health care navigators have told Reuters that they are seeing gradual improvements on HealthCare.gov.

In a November 22 BusinessWeek op-ed, the co-chairs of Advocates for Independent Business, ASTRA’s  Kathleen McHugh and ABA’s Oren Teicher, urge the U.S. House of Representatives to consider the issue of sales tax fairness and “act swiftly to tackle it.”

In response to the news that Amazon has struck an exclusive deal with the USPS, ABA has published a fact sheet for members that provides important details pertaining to how the postal service differs from a traditional private enterprise.

Uneven sales tax collection has helped online retailers at the expense of Main Street retailers, according to the study “An Analysis of Internet Sales Taxation and the Small-Seller Exemption,” released this week by the Small Business Administration.

The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression is urging booksellers, artists, and other supporters of the free speech rights of kids to help promote its latest auction of children’s book art.

Judge dismisses Google e-book scanning case; PEN report shows authors self-censoring due to surveillance; World Book Night donates to Operation Gratitude; Survey shows early holiday shopping among Americans; SCBWI creates The Spark Award; Gaiman’s Neverwhere returned to classrooms; Frommer’s returns due to Wiley by December 15; Ingram Publisher Services to distribute for Indiana University Press

On Monday, November 11, Amazon.com announced that it had struck a deal with the United States Postal Service that will enable the online retailer to offer Amazon Prime customers Sunday delivery in certain areas. ABA CEO Oren Teicher called the move disconcerting and said,  “The postal service’s role is not to pick favorites among competitors.”

 On Wednesday, the Campaign for Reader Privacy urged Congress to pass the USA Freedom Act to restore privacy protections that were eliminated by the Patriot Act. CRP is a joint initiative of ABA, ALA, AAP, and PEN American Center.

Artists and illustrators have until this Friday, November 15, to submit original children’s book art for the ABFFE holiday auction, which launches on eBay on November 26.

In the September Red Box, ABA members received a sales tax fairness window cling that can be easily displayed on a storefront window or any glass surface.

ABA has joined with six other organizations to launch Advocates for Independent Business, a coalition of trade associations and other groups dedicated to ensuring that locally owned, independent businesses succeed and thrive.