Dear Booksellers,

Short and sweet to start the week...

Announcement

I’m thrilled to announce that former national evening news anchor, journalist, author of What Unites Us, and indie champion Dan Rather is the 2020 spokesperson for Indies First, ABA’s national campaign in support of independent bookstores that takes place on Small Business Saturday, November 28.

Rather has always been an indie bookstore fan, but in recent weeks he’s become an advocate, promoting independent bookstores and asking his 1.6M Twitter followers to support the indies. Watch BTW on Wednesday for all the details about Indies First 2020: special publisher promotions, information about a national indies event with Dan Rather, the fresh Indies First logo (see above), and social media assets for stores to use to promote Indies First and Small Business Saturday.

Vote

• Last week’s issue of BTW reported on five bylaws changes presented to members for a vote. Four of these changes have been proposed not to make changes in ABA, but to make existing policies more transparent. There is also a vote to allow for up to two vice presidents in order to make board leadership more inclusive. Remember, ABA is your association and your vote matters. Sign in to BookWeb then vote on these proposed changes via this voting form. Each change is explained on the form and voting takes five minutes. Votes are due by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, November 20.

Tips

• Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville uses Slack for staff communication. They recently started a Slack “good news” channel for their team to share good news, proud moments, and thank yous from customers.

• Happy 20th anniversary to Sister's Uptown in Harlem and congratulations on this feature about the store and the importance of Black-owned bookstores.

• Some stores have reported that their Instagram and Facebook promotions for Obama’s A Promised Land have been removed by Facebook. We looked into it and learned that the algorithm is “stricter” right now due to this election and transition period. The Obama book is mistakenly being tagged as a political ad by the system. Stores that immediately appealed report that they had the images reinstated. The booksellers simply pointed out that it’s not a political ad but a promotion for a book. 

• Jenny Cohen, owner of Waucoma Bookstore in Hood River, Oregon, shared the video she posted on Facebook and Instagram when her store re-opened. She lets customers know the store is open and she gives a quick tour of safety procedures and changes in layout. 

This Week’s Events

Join us for an opportunity to share support, ask questions, and trade best practices at this week's Coffee Breaks. All booksellers are welcome. If you’ve never attended this event before, it’s a great way to hear what’s working well at other stores and crowdsource solutions to any challenges you’re facing at your store. Email [email protected] for Zoom login details.

• Coffee Break: Tuesday, November 17, at 3:00 p.m. ET

• NEW “Late Night” Edition Coffee Break: Thursday, November 19, at 8:00 p.m. ET

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