Dear Booksellers,

And the week is off...

Announcements

  • Apply to be Featured in a Small Business Holiday Gift Guide
    Bookstores can apply to be featured in Small Business Majority’s 2020 Holiday Gift Guide. This is a great opportunity to promote your bookstore for free during the holiday season. Approved applicants will be featured on Small Business Majority’s website from November 16, 2020, to January 1, 2021, and will be given a toolkit to share the gift guide with their customers. The deadline to apply is Monday, November 9. Apply to appear in the gift guide here.

  • Medicare Open Enrollment Has Begun: Contact LIG Solutions
    Medicare’s open enrollment period has begun and will run until December 7, 2020. Booksellers who are eligible for Medicare or have questions about their eligibility should contact ABA membership health insurance partner LIG Solutions for a no-obligation health insurance assessment. Find contact information for LIG Solutions here and more information on open enrollment here.

#BoxedOut: Spread the Message

  • Contact reporters who have written about your store in the past. Send them the press release and a photo of your booksellers wearing masks and holding up signs from the campaign. Let them know that you thought they might be interested in a local story about this national campaign. 

  • Alternatively, send us an image and contact info for your local press and ABA will reach out to them for you.

  • Ask friends and customers if they have any media contacts that they could introduce you to as well.

  • Watch for opportunities to “quote tweet” (a retweet with a comment; these are visible to your followers with your comments and they start a new thread so others can retweet and like separate from the original tweet) like-minded influencers. For example: Bernie Sanders often tweets about Amazon. Quote tweet something like, “We hear you, Bernie! The #BoxedOut campaign is a conversation about the cost and consequences of Amazon shopping. We hope you’ll support indie bookstores to ensure that Amazon doesn’t box us out. #BoxedOut⁠ #ShopIndie” 

  • Use the assets on BookWeb in whatever way works for you, whether on social media or in your store. Print brown-background signs on white paper to make it look like cardboard, or send the digital files to a printer to actually print on cardboard.

This Week’s Events

Coffee Break: Tuesday, October 20, at 3:00 p.m. ET
Email info@bookweb.org for Zoom login details. 

IndieCommerce & IndieLite Webinar: Wednesday, October 21, at 12:30 p.m. ET
How to Use Your Website for Institutional Business with Schools and Nonprofits: Register now.

Punching the Air Reading Series: Wednesdays in October at 2:00 p.m. ET
See Bookselling This Week for details.

Q4 Top 10 Things to Know About: Non-Violent Communication & De-escalation Workshop
The Center for Anti-violence Education will present a workshop on the importance of non-verbal communication, common communication practices that fuel conflict between individuals, and the stages of escalation. This session will cover a range of de-escalation techniques that are particularly relevant in the context of our current political and social environment and issues that may arise related to customers refusing to wear masks, racism, or political friction. Participants will have an opportunity to pool their own expertise of lived experiences and practice non-violent and de-escalation skills through relevant scenarios in breakout groups. Issues that arise from racism will be addressed in both sessions, but a BIPOC session will offer a space for BIPOC booksellers to discuss those issues more fully.    

  • BIPOC Members Only: Friday, October 23, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET.  This session is specifically designed for BIPOC booksellers. Register here

  • All Members Welcome: Tuesday, October 27, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET. Register here

Note: These sessions have limited capacity. Registration will be open on a first come, first served basis, but a recording will be available on BookWeb for one week following each session.

Non-Violent Communication & De-escalation Companion Workshop: Physical Empowerment Self-Defense 101
The Center for Anti-violence Education will offer a basic self-defense workshop through a trauma-informed lens to provide practical ways to respond to the spectrum of violence, from footwork and blocks to active shooter tips. This workshop will cover self-defense and the emotional aspects of self-defense, as well as concrete steps to take in order to stay safe when under threat. 

  • All Members Welcome: Thursday, October 29, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. Register here

ABA is here for all of you. Please reach out if there is anything we can help with. Members can contact me directly, or email the Membership, Advocacy, or IndieCommerce teams.

Best,
Allison

Allison Hill
Chief Executive Officer

American Booksellers Association
333 Westchester Ave., Suite S202 
White Plains, NY 10604 | 800-637-0037 
info@bookweb.org • www.BookWeb.org

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