Stay up to date with the world of independent bookselling.
Wednesday, November 8, 2023
Matt Nosanchuk, Biden’s Appointee for Book Bans, to Host Webinar for ABA Members
 

YOU have the power to report schools and libraries that ban books!

Join ABA and Matt Nosanchuk on Wednesday, November 15, at 3:30 pm ET for a webinar on how booksellers can work with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to report civil rights violations. 

Attendees will learn:

  • How the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights enforces federal civil rights laws
  • How book bans may violate federal civil rights laws
  • How the Office for Civil Rights evaluates and reviews cases 

This webinar is open to ABA member bookstores only.
 
Register Now
 
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Visit the Events Calendar
 
Question of the Week
 

How can booksellers help ABA ensure that strict on sale and affidavit sale dates are honored by the chains? 

Send us register receipts! Register receipts are the best way to prove any violations. 

If a customer says they bought the book early, ask if they would send you a copy of their receipt. If you hear about it, send someone to buy a copy and keep your receipt. 

We understand this takes time and effort, but with the help of this vast network of booksellers, we can track, and ultimately stop, these violations. 

The ABA team is conducting our own investigations of the chain stores and addressing issues with publishers.
 
Education Meetup: This is a Fire Drill

Join us Thursday, November 9, at 3:00 pm ET for a virtual encore of our regional show education session, This is a Fire Drill: Preparing for and Avoiding Crises. 

Structured around some of the top crises stores have experienced in the past year, ABA's Director of Education, Kim Hooyboer, will review best practices for bookstore emergency preparedness. Topics will include: fire, flood, natural disasters, protesters, break-ins, ransomware, credit card fraud, and more. We’ll explore ways to respond to these crises, prioritize employee communication, and mitigate the risk of these events occurring at your store. 

This session will be recorded and available for members to view in our on-demand video library on BookWeb.
Register Now
Last Week to Nominate for James Patterson Holiday Bookstore Bonus 

This is the last week to nominate a bookseller for the James Patterson Holiday Bookstore Bonus Program!

James Patterson has increased his contribution, pledging a total of $300,000! This year, 600 booksellers from ABA member bookstores will receive $500. 

Booksellers can self-nominate to be considered for a bonus, or they can be nominated by bookstore customers, owners, employees, managers, fellow booksellers, publishing professionals, or authors. 

Past recipients of James Patterson bonuses and grants are eligible for another bonus.

The deadline for nominations is November 15. Please double check bookseller details before submitting.
Nominate a Bookseller
National Native American Heritage Month: Featured Stores + Native Authors
 

November is National Native American Heritage Month, so we’re highlighting our Native-owned member stores! Thank you to these amazing bookstore owners who told us about their stores.

Check out these featured bookstores from all across the country!

We'll update this list as the month goes on! If you would like your store to be featured, please email [email protected] with a few photos and tell us about your store.

And if you need something to read this Nonfiction November, here are a few recent nonfiction titles by Native authors!
 
See the Featured Stores
Indie Bookstores Share Their Diwali Displays

This year, Diwali falls on Sunday, November 12. We asked our members to share photos of their Diwali book displays in celebration. 

Here are some of the beautiful Diwali displays bookstores shared with us!
Check Out the Displays
Veterans Day with Books & Black Coffee

For Veterans Day this year, we interviewed one of our many veteran-owned bookstores. 

Shonesha Evans founded Books & Black Coffee after more than six years of service. Originally an online store, Evans will be opening a physical location in Savannah, GA in 2024!
Read the Interview
Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day

Next Tuesday, November 14, is Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day. This day honors the power of dialogue and movements built by young people, and the wisdom young people have to change the world — just as Ruby Bridges did when she took her historic walk to school on November 14, 1960, at just six years old.

Want to get involved? Read on for some ideas to ignite your community this Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day.   
Get Involved
PRH and We Need Diverse Books Announce Free Expression Essay Contest

Penguin Random House, in collaboration with We Need Diverse Books, has announced a new Freedom of Expression category in their annual Creative Writing Awards (CWA) student essay program. The CWAs are Penguin Random House’s Scholarship program for high school seniors that helps elevate and support the next generation of writers.

Six awardees receive "college scholarships of up to $10,000 each,” while honorable mentions "receive 'creativity kits,' which include a selection of Penguin Random House titles and writing resources."
Learn More
Congratulations to the Wi2024 Scholarship Winners

ABA is thrilled to announce the 73 booksellers who have been awarded Winter Institute 2024 scholarships!

These scholarships cover the registration fee, hotel stay, and up to $600 in travel expenses for each winner.
See the Full List
Confirm Your Contact Info

ABA communications cover a wide range of topics and specialties, including reminders to submit your sales report, Indie Next List deadlines, renewal notices (which are fast approaching) and more!

To help direct our emails to the correct staff member, please tell us exactly who should receive which emails by completing this form. You must be logged in to BookWeb to access the form.
Complete the Form
Advocacy Updates
 

Campaign Opposing Pennsylvania Senate Bill 7

The Pennsylvania Senate passed a bill that would require schools to spend time and money developing an opt-in policy for books containing “sexually explicit material,” defined broadly and without considering the literary and educational merits of the work as a whole. Similar standards in other states have limited access to inclusive literature and classics alike.

It is essential that the Pennsylvania House not pass the bill. Better yet, it shouldn’t even come to a vote. ABFE is asking constituents in Pennsylvania to contact your state representatives to tell them you oppose PA SB7 and support the right to read. Visit our advocacy page if you need help identifying your elected officials.

If you want to receive our advocacy updates and calls to action, sign up at the bottom of our advocacy page or email [email protected].

ABFE Social Media

If you haven’t already, follow @ABFEFreeExpression on Instagram! We’ll post updates about book challenges around the country, interviews with free expression advocates, and more. 
 
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