Wednesday, December 8, 2021  
 
Reading is a Human Right #BooksNotBans
ABA Joins Fight Against the Attack on Books in Schools
 

The American Booksellers Association has signed a National Coalition Against Censorship letter on book challenges in schools and libraries. 

The letter supports defending freedom of expression and the rights of students to choose what to read. In signing on, ABA has joined over 600 organizations and individuals, including booksellers, authors, teachers, and librarians. 

On signing this letter, ABA CEO Allison Hill said, “The rise in organized censorship of books is gravely concerning as it impacts the rights of young people to choose what they read, their ability to see themselves in the stories that they read, and their education. ABA is proud to be part of the community defending the First Amendment rights of young people.”

And, join PEN America for a virtual teach-in on fighting book bans in schools on Wednesday, December 15, from 8:00 pm to 9:30 pm ET. The nationwide teach-in is geared towards students. Young people are encouraged to come learn from a range of experts, authors, and student activists, including authors Neil Gaiman and George M. Johnson.
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Winter Institute News

As we begin winding down 2021, we wanted to share a bit more about what’s in store for Winter Institute 2022. From now until February, keep checking the Winter Institute mini-site for new information about the event.

Newly added: 

Please note: Now is the time to book travel! Be sure to book refundable travel, as COVID continues to be an ongoing concern. 
Save the Date: Final Events for 2021

Save the date for our December events:
Action Items

Wednesday, December 15, is the last chance to enroll in Affordable Care Act (ACA) health coverage beginning on January 1, 2022. 

Enrollments completed between December 16, 2021 and the January 15, 2022 deadline will be effective February 1, 2022. 

Booksellers can contact ABA’s membership health insurance partner LIG Solutions for a no-obligation health insurance assessment. Learn more about open enrollment.

Share your thoughts! Complete this survey to help us advance opportunities for all existing ABA Affinity Groups (BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, and Disability Community), as well as the new group starting next year for the Neurodivergent community. If you would prefer to answer anonymously you can bypass the Name, Email, and Store Name fields.

*While allies are greatly appreciated, those who do not identify as a member of the BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, Disability, and/or Neurodivergent community should not plan to attend that groups coinciding meetup.
What to Know

The Institute for Local Self-Reliance's (ILSR) new report "Amazon's Toll Road" exposes the steep and growing fees Amazon imposes on small businesses selling on its platform. The report reveals that Amazon keeps taking more from sellers, with a cut of 34%, up from 19% in 2014. Amazon relies on these profits from seller fees to finance its massive predatory losses on items like books. Read more of the key findings. And Stacy Mitchell, co-director at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, recapped the findings on Twitter.

Good Morning America used ABA's help to launch a new segment showcasing book recommendations from indie bookstores around the country! 

Last week’s store was Words Bookstore in Maplewood, New Jersey. And, last month, they featured recommendations from Country Bookshelf in Bozeman, Montana, and Bel Canto Books in Long Beach, California. ABA continues to create new ways to highlight members' stories.

The peaks and valleys of the holiday shopping traffic pattern we've seen so far in 2021 more closely resembles 2019 — not 2020, the IndieCommerce team reports. 

If the return to an old traffic pattern turns out to also be the “new normal,” this is very encouraging for online bookselling in 2022.

Here is a preview of the titles on the January/February 2022 Kids’ Indie Next List flier. Top pick? Ain’t Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds and Jason Griffin (Illus.).

 

This Friday, December 10, stores that opted-in (via the Member Dashboard) to receive the Independent Bookstore Day newsletter will be receiving the latest issue, which will give you a sneak peek at all the exciting merchandise we have planned for the event. 

If you didn’t sign up, you can opt-in now via the Member Dashboard.
Eventbrite Special Offer

Eventbrite is offering a 30-day trial of Eventbrite Boost to ABA members. This service can help you reach a wider audience, sell more tickets for events, and save time on creating and running marketing campaigns. 

Here’s how you can get started:

First, build out your first Campaign (you must already be signed up with Eventbrite through the ABA partnership. If you aren’t, sign up first). Then, contact [email protected] to book an hour-long support session with the Boost team. 

This offer is valid until 3/31/2022.

In November, ABA held a Marketing Meetup dedicated to Eventbrite Boost, which included a live demo. View the recording.
 
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