Education

Booksellers who attended last month’s Winter Institute have been asked to complete a short survey that will help ABA plan for Winter Institute 10 in Asheville, North Carolina, in February 2015.

In his first letter of the year to members, ABA CEO Oren Teicher offers booksellers an update on some of this spring’s educational and networking opportunities, and he encourages those who attended the Winter Institute to share their ideas for improving the event.

This week, ABA revealed the names of nine authors who will be taking part in the Children’s Institute closing reception on Monday evening, April 7, in San Antonio, Texas. Additional names will be announced in the coming weeks.

The Winter Institute session “ABC Group Presents: Using Common Core to Develop Your Community Profile” delved into the expanding relationship between independent booksellers and local educators and highlighted ways they can work together and with publishers on Common Core issues.

The full-day schedule on April 7 at the Children’s Institute will begin with a breakfast plenary session featuring Tim Federle, author of Better Nate Than Ever and Five, Six, Seven, Nate!, who will speak on diversity in middle grades.

In case you missed our report last Saturday from the Winter Institute, here is a look at highlights from the Opening Plenary featuring author Dan Heath, the Thursday breakfast with the Seattle7Writers, and more.

Registration for ABA’s 2014 Children’s Institute in San Antonio, Texas, is open, and booksellers are encouraged to sign up now to secure a spot at this all-day networking and educational event for children’s booksellers.

Registration for ABA’s 2014 Children’s Institute in San Antonio, Texas, opens today to booksellers at all ABA member stores. The program includes a diverse array of educational programming, featured author talks, a children’s rep picks lunch, bookseller roundtables, and opening and closing receptions.

Dan Heath, Ray Oldenburg, Ryan Coonerty, and members of the Seattle7Writers are among the presenters who will share their expertise at this month’s Winter Institute on topics from social media and marketing to business decision-making and the need for third places.

Registration for ABA’s second Children’s Institute will open next Thursday, January 9. The full-day education program, sponsored by Baker & Taylor, will be held on Monday, April 7, in San Antonio, Texas, and is open to all ABA member booksellers.

Dan Heath, co-author with his brother, Chip, of  the bestselling business book Decisive, will be the opening plenary speaker for Winter Institute 2014. Here, Heath offers some key insights and tips from Decisive, in anticipation of a talk that will do much to answer the question of how booksellers can make better choices in life and work.

This week, ABA announces the presenters and panelists for the 2014 Winter Institute’s breakout sessions, to take place from Wednesday, January 22, through Friday, January 24, 2014.

The workshop “How to Succeed at Retail Bookselling: Introduction to the Book Business,” on Tuesday, January 21, just prior to the opening of Winter Institute 2014 in Seattle, will provide new and prospective booksellers with an intensive overview of retail fundamentals and bookstore best practices that are essential to establishing a competitive business.

As the Health Insurance Marketplaces opened for business, ABA made available on BookWeb the PowerPoint presentation “The Affordable Care Act: What the Healthcare Law Means for Your Small Business,” an overview that is being presented at ABA’s education session at each of the fall regional trade shows.

ABA and the Small Business Majority will present “Health Care Reform and the Bookstore: How It Affects You Now” at the last three trade shows of the fall season: PNBA and NEIBA, both October 6 – 8, and MPIBA, October 10 – 12.