Deadlines & Action Items

"I see it as critical to our long-term survival that our customers understand what’s going on, and that they buy into the value of helping sustain local stores by ‘voting’ with their book dollars," said Bookends and Beginnings owner Nina Barrett.

Booksellers are encouraged to sign up for the new program, which allows booksellers to meet with participating publishers of their choice in 15-minute time slots.

This new opportunity for booksellers unable to attend the entire conference grants access to the institute on Friday, January 24, as well as to the Author Reception on Thursday, January 23.

The American Booksellers Association’s homepage includes a “Bookstore Showcase” section that highlights independent bookstore members, as well as a feature to show off the unique shelf-talkers sent in by member stores.

Booksellers whose plans have changed are asked to tell ABA; those who do so by this Friday will have their money refunded.

Registration is open now for a range of special events, including bookstore tours, appointments with publishers, advanced education sessions, a bookselling boot camp, and more.

American Express Card-accepting bookstores can sign in to their AmEx merchant account to learn more about how to get listed so that consumers can browse the Shop Small Map and find their store.

Kenny Brechner of Devany, Doak and Garrett Booksellers in Farmington, Maine, said the ABC digital catalog is a “stellar means of online reach.”

Registered booksellers whose plans have changed are asked to notify ABA as soon as possible so waiting booksellers can be offered a chance to attend.

The next Marketing Meetup will look at marketing with Eventbrite, while the Technology Meetup will look at task management and staff communication tools.

This year’s holiday designs, in JPG format, include the taglines including “Give the Gift of Books,” “Everyone Gets a Book This Year,” and “Season's Readings.”

Booksellers at stores that did not have an ABC Children’s Institute scholarship winner in 2018 or 2019 can now apply for a scholarship to the 2020 Children’s Institute in Tucson, Arizona.

Registration for the Antitrust Symposium, to be held January 21, sold out within 24 hours; based on the high demand, ABA is growing the program so more booksellers can attend.

Booksellers can sign up by Tuesday, November 12, to participate in the Shakespeare for Squirrels cover reveal. HarperCollins will provide everything participating stores need to help them easily spread the message.

Once again, BTW offers our annual list of preparations to help booksellers manage day-to-day operations and keep things running smoothly during the holiday shopping season.