Your last chance to cast your vote for the ABA Board of Directors Election is Friday, April 8. 

One person per ABA member store may vote; if you’re the designated voter, head over to the ballot now! But before you do, learn more about this year’s candidates.

Sign up now to receive a free Banned Books Week kit! Bookstores that signed up to receive the 2021 kit last year will automatically receive the 2022 kit (no action required).

Banned Books Week kits are sent annually to participating stores and include materials to decorate your store and educate customers about the freedom to read. Supplies are limited and are fulfilled on a first-come, first-served basis. We ask that each bookstore branch fill out its own form. Online-only stores and international stores are NOT eligible to receive kits. The deadline to sign up is Friday, April 22, 2022.

We are excited to announce the 18th Winter Institute will be in Seattle, Washington, from February 20–23, 2023. Mark your calendars and get ready to join us in-person at the Sheraton Hotel and Washington State Convention Center next year. 

The results are in from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance's (ILSR) January independent business survey.The top three challenges independent businesses reported were 1. Big competitors strong-arming suppliers, 2. Amazon controlling the online market, and 3. Big competitors selling goods and services below cost. A big thank you to all bookstores that participated. The survey results will be used to strengthen ABA's advocacy efforts and inform members of Congress, journalists, and community leaders. Read the coverage in Axios.

Here are the 25 Indie Next List and 6 Now in Paperback picks on the May 2022 Indie Next List flier. Top pick? Book Lovers by Emily Henry. And, to mark the start of a new month, April Indie Next List social media assets are live on BookWeb.

April is National Poetry Month! ABA's Director of Membership & Affinity Partnerships, Daniel O'Brien, curated a list of backlist poetry titles for you to check out and add to your shelves this month.

ABA, Candlewick, and General Motors are teaming up for the “STEM Reads” (#STEMReads) book giveaway, which invites booksellers to sign up to receive a free carton of Christina Soontornvat's The Last Mapmaker starting May 2 to give away to young readers in underserved communities. Stores that sign up to receive the special paperback edition will also receive a marketing stipend and will be invited to enter to win an in-person or virtual visit from Soontornvat. Watch for the signup form to open on May 2 and learn more on BookWeb.

For the third year in a row, the Indie Shindig events series is being offered to independent booksellers, combining the very best of trade shows, sales calls, and author events in a virtual format. The theme of this year’s Indie Shindig series is Everybody Needs Pride, featuring books with queer content and/or by queer creators and is raising funds for Lambda Literary and the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC). This initiative is a collaborative partnership between Abrams Books, Bloomsbury Publishing, Candlewick Press, Chronicle Books, Sourcebooks, and Workman Publishing Co. Interested booksellers can find out more about Indie Shindig and sign up for events via the Indie Shindig sign-up form.