Act now to take part in ABA's STEM Reads give away! Stores can sign up to receive a free carton of The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat to give way to young readers in underserved communities. In addition to the free carton, stores will get a $150 marketing stipend and a chance at an event with Soontornvat. Additional cartons can be purchased at cost, but supply is limited. Special thanks to Candlewick and General Motors for supporting this initiative.

Booksellers can now nominate children’s titles for the annual Best Books for Young Readers. Booksellers can email [email protected] if they're interested in joining the selection committee.

The third Bookstore Romance Day, created by Billie Bloebaum, is August 20, 2022! If you’re a bookstore that sells Romance in any form, from Classics to YA to those books we all think of as “Romance” or anything in-between, and would like to participate, you can fill out the sign-up form on the Bookstore Romance Day site.

Important Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) deadlines: The deadline to request a loan increase or reconsideration is this Friday, May 6, 2022. The COVID-19 EIDL portal (also known as the “RAPID portal”) will close on Monday, May 16, 2022. Borrowers should download their loan documents from the portal prior to this date.

On April 25, ABA co-signed two letters to Congress urging quick action to support small businesses.

ABA joined 57 organizations in calling on Congress to vote on two bipartisan bills to rein in Big Tech: American Innovation and Choice Online Act (AICOA, S.2992/H.R.3816), and the Open App Markets Act (OAMA, S.2710/H.R.7030). Read the full letter and the exclusive with the Washington Post.

ABA also joined over 50 organizations urging Congress to preserve the State Small Business Credit Initiative's (SSBCI) $10 billion allocation. Read the full letter.

Independent booksellers across the country have chosen Casey McQuiston’s I Kissed Shara Wheeler (Wednesday Books) as their top pick for the May/June 2022 Kids’ Indie Next List. Here, Bookselling This Week and McQuiston talk about how they wrote the book.

Here are the 25 Indie Next List and 6 Now in Paperback picks on the June 2022 Indie Next List flier. Top pick? This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub. And, to mark the start of a new month, May Indie Next List and May/June Kids’ Next List social media assets are live on BookWeb.

Members of the ABA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (DEIC) contributed to a curated book list  in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Thank you bookstores and booksellers for celebrating Independent Bookstore Day! Save the date for the 10th Annual Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday, April 29, 2023!

On Wednesday, May 18, at 7:00 pm ET, join Publishers Lunch and ABA in the Buzz Books Editors Panel! Six breakout authors chat about their forthcoming titles with their editors in this free virtual event.