Save the date: This year’s Annual Meeting and Town Hall will occur on Thursday, May 27, starting at 2:00 p.m. ET. (The Annual Meeting starts at 2:00 p.m. ET, followed immediately by the Town Hall.) Booksellers can submit questions or comments ahead of time at townhall@bookweb.org, or they are invited to speak during the meeting. Register here.

The next meeting space for BIPOC — for Black, Indigenous, or People of Color — booksellers will be held on Wednesday, May 12, at 7:00 p.m. Booksellers interested in attending should use the sign-up form at the bottom of the ABA Meetups page to join the BIPOC Meetups mailing list (if you've already signed up in 2021, you do not need to sign up again). BIPOC allies and booksellers who do not identify as BIPOC should not plan to attend.

Thinking about changing your store's business model? Sign up for conversation on May 13 at 3:00 p.m. ET with booksellers and experts about transitioning your existing bookstore to a co-op. (And view a recording of a recent session on transitioning to a nonprofit business model here.)

Email list management is a necessary part of using any email marketing tool. On Thursday, May 13, at 1:00 p.m. ET, join a Technology Meetup dedicated to sharing best practices applicable to any email marketing platform. The session will be led by Constant Contact Retention Specialist Cynthia Munoz. (ABA members receive an annual rebate based on average monthly usage). Sign up using the form at the bottom of the ABA Meetups page here.

Today, Friday, May 14, Oprah and Marilynne Robinson will discuss the last in the Gilead novels quartet, Jack. Remind your customers to stop by the Oprah Book Club website to watch.

Join six breakout authors and their editors at the Book Buzz Editors Panel on Wednesday, May 19, at 7:00 p.m. ET for a discussion of their upcoming titles. The event will be moderated by Donya Craddock of The Dock Bookshop. Find more information about the event and register here.

IndieLite stores: Sign up for the second in a two-part series on switching credit card processors on May 19 at 1:00 p.m. ET. This session will focus on new tools and features available to stores after they switch to their own credit card processor. (Remember, the deadline to switch is Friday, July 30.) Register here.

ABA is exploring interest in space for our booksellers and bookstore owners who identify as a member of the Disability community to come together for connection, support, community, resources, and networking. Please take a few minutes to complete this short survey by Sunday, May 16. Allies and those who do not identify as Disabled should not respond to this survey.

Booksellers, continue nominating children's book titles for the annual ABC Best Books for Young Readers consumer catalog through Edelweiss or by using the form on Bookweb.org.

On June 8 and 9, attend Edelweiss Bookfest, a virtual celebration of all things books. Keynote speakers will include bestselling authors Tayari Jones and Anthony Doerr. Attendees will have their pick of over 65 sessions, including Indies Introduce, author panels and genre-focused sessions, Edelweiss training, meetups, and more. Stores can also opt-in to receive direct attendee e-commerce book sales. Watch BTW for more information about ABA programming to come later this week. 

Based on the results of a recent survey, ABA will be providing space on Thursday, June 10 at 7 p.m. ET for our LGBTQIA+ Booksellers and LGBTQIA+ bookstore owners only to gather for connection, support, community, resources, and networking. Booksellers interested in attending should use the sign-up form at the bottom of the ABA Meetups page to join the LGBTQIA+ Meetups mailing list. To ensure that this space belongs to the attendees, ABA staff will not be in attendance and another attendee will act as the host.

The deadline for submitting to ABACUS is Monday, May 31. The ABACUS financial survey is a free report filled with detailed information highlighting where your store falls across a range of areas, including profitability, productivity, and financial management. Using the ABACUS report is like adding a financial officer to your staff; it clearly highlights areas that need improvement, areas in which your store is succeeding, and everything in between. To get this great tool look for an email your store received from Michael Becher of Industry Insights, with the subject line “ABACUS Benchmarking Survey,” which has all the necessary information. And here's more information on ABACUS.

Beginning on June 8, the NYC Department of Small Business Services is offering a free limited four-session workshop series, "The New Normal: Adapting Your Small Business Playbook," to help small businesses respond to the coronavirus pandemic and prepare for the future. The four-part series, which will take place over two weeks, will be interactive and include assignments to deepen learning and apply concepts between sessions. Register here.

ABA will have a booth at the U.S. Book Show, which take place virtually from Tuesday, May 25, through Thursday, May 27. ABA member booksellers can register using the promo code ABACOMP for free admission. Register here and watch BTW for more details to come.

Take a look at the titles featured in ABA’s Summer Reading Group Guide e-newsletter here.

Booksellers are encouraged to look through this list of federal COVID relief options available for small businesses, along with accompanying deadlines. Even if you think you’ve exhausted federal relief that’s available, look through the list to ensure you are not leaving money on the table.

Use ABA's one-click tool to urge your state lawmakers to support independent retailers as we begin the recovery phase of the pandemic. Your advocacy has the power to drive policy. Take action now. (It only takes 2 minutes!)