Today, August 13, is the deadline to register for Children’s Institute! Here’s a taste of what’s in store:

• A special workshop on empowered listening (separate signup required)
• Storytimes with Max Greenfield and Ziggy Marley, along with a special tribute to Beverly Cleary and readings from Donna Washington and Kate DiCamillo.
• Education sessions on holding hybrid events, current market trends, and more.

Register now!

Missed out on ordering exclusive Children’s Institute merch? The webstore has reopened! Place your order by September 8 to receive it by the end of September. All proceeds go directly to Binc, which helps comic sellers and booksellers with unforeseen financial emergencies.

Sign up for next week’s August 19 LGBTQIA+ Meetup, a closed space for LGBTQIA+ booksellers only to gather for connection, support, and networking. To ensure that this space belongs to the attendees, ABA staff will not be in attendance and another attendee will act as the host.

With the Delta variant on the rise, bookstore owners and managers should remember that small businesses can receive refundable tax credits for providing paid time off for employees to get vaccinated. The federal government recently expanded the tax credits to cover wages paid to employees who take a family or household member to get vaccinated. The tax credits are available through September 30, 2021.

This Sunday, August 15, is the last day of the health insurance Special Enrollment Period for the federal health insurance marketplace and most state exchanges. Booksellers can also take advantage of newly expanded subsidies enacted under the American Rescue Plan. Learn more here.

Save the date! The next Disability Community Meetup will be held on Tuesday, October 19, at 7:00 p.m. ET. Booksellers and bookstore owners who identify as a member of the Disability community are invited to gather for connection, support, community, resources, and networking. The term disability includes but is not limited to physical, sensory, cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities, chronic conditions, and mental illnesses.

Sign up at the bottom of the ABA Meetups page to join the Disability Community 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.

This meetup is for people who identify or think they may identify as a person with a disability. Allies are asked not to attend.

E-Commerce Update: When the increase in the infection rate from the COVID Delta variant was making headlines around the world last week, shoppers shifted to buying online again. IndieCommerce and IndieLite websites experienced a 13.29 percent increase in online sales.

ABC Best Books for Young Readers catalog ordering is underway. Catalogs can be imprinted with your bookstore’s name, logo, and contact information, so it’s easy for customers to know where to purchase these books or place their orders. Email ABC Group Manager Gen de Botton for more information.