Wednesday, October 20, 2021  
 
The preliminary Winter Institute program is now live!
 

You’ve been waiting for it, and we have, too! We are so excited to finally share the preliminary 2022 Winter Institute (Wi2022) program with you. This program offers a detailed overview of what’s in store for the upcoming conference in Cincinnati. 

Some highlights: 

  • Four full days of programming and networking opportunities
  • Antiracism training
  • Affinity group meetups
  • 34 education sessions, with many categorized into three different levels: foundational, applied, and deep dive
  • Live Poetry Interludes 
  • *New* Poetry Theater! In between sessions, you’ll have the chance to drop in to watch recordings of poets reading their work. 

And we’re very excited about the keynotes for Wi2022! Watch BTW in the coming weeks for the keynote announcement as well as additional details about the program! Registration for Winter Institute is still open — sign up here. And, the hotel block is 80% full. Book your accommodations now.

 
View the program
NEW: ABA Member Dashboard

The Membership Team is excited to announce a soft launch of the Member Dashboard! The dashboard is a new, centralized place for booksellers to locate member information, including their stores’ ABA ID, event registrations, invoices, email subscriptions, and more.

All you need is a BookWeb login; all booksellers and owners of ABA member stores can create one here. Please send any thoughts and feedback you have about the dashboard to [email protected].

With readily available common links, store owners and managers can provide updated information about employees and store data, while individual booksellers can build a profile based on their identity, reading interests, and skills through easily accessible forms.

Check it out on your own or join us on Tuesday, November 2, at 3 pm ET for an afternoon ShopTalk, which will dedicate the first 30 minutes to a walkthrough of the Member Dashboard.
Action Items

We need your help! We’ve only had 35 members vote so far in response to the ABA Board’s proposed changes to the association’s bylaws to improve transparency. Your voice matters. Please vote by October 24.

We’re hoping that everyone nominates someone (or many someones) for a holiday bonus! James Patterson has generously revived his Holiday Bookstore Bonus Program. Nominate yourself or another bookseller. Ask your customers to nominate a bookseller. The deadline to submit is Monday, November 15.

Don’t delay — and booksellers who are thinking of nominating themselves, don’t self-reject! (And be assured that the nominators aren’t made public.)

Over 120 children’s booksellers are part of the ABC Group Discord server! ABC Group subscribers: Looking to connect with other children’s booksellers? Email ABC Group Manager Gen de Botton for a unique sign-up link to join.

The deadline to sign up to access special publisher promotions for ABA’s Winter/Spring 2022 Indies Introduce titles, which showcase the best debuts of the upcoming season, is October 31.

With Medicare open enrollment underway and general open enrollment set to begin November 1, now is the time to prepare for health insurance open enrollment this fall. Wondering what your options are outside of open enrollment, when open enrollment ends, and where you can find more information? ABA has you covered.

October is the New December! Take a look at the refreshed November is the New December marketing assets!

Save the Date

Here’s what’s on tap for the upcoming week:
What to Know

October marks National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). To help raise awareness about the importance of access and representation for disabled employees, we’ve compiled some educational resources for those interested in learning more.

Stores that use IndieCommerce or IndieLite platforms can install the digital ABC Best Books for Young Readers Catalog (ABC catalog) on their sites. Here’s what you need to know. And, the ABC catalog is now available for reordering! Use this form to place an order.

Want to simplify staff scheduling? Last week’s Technology Meetup weighed the pros and cons of scheduling services Deputy, When I Work, and Homebase.

Alejandra Algorta, the author of Neverforgotten, a Summer/Fall 2021 Indies Introduce selection, discussed mythology and magical realism with Cat Chapman of The Oxford Exchange. Chapman, who called Neverforgotten “utterly gorgeous,” served on the panel that selected Algorta’s book.
 

ABA members can save 50% on FedEx Express and 30% on FedEx Ground. If you’re new to the ABA Shipping Program, enroll today to start saving. If you’ve enrolled in the past and are on the old pricing, you will need to request an upgrade to the improved discounts.
 
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