• Contact your representatives about HR 7661!
  
• Take our annual Publisher Survey by March 26! Your feedback determines what conversations we’ll have with publishers in our upcoming annual meetings.
• Gather everything you’ll need to register for Children’s Institute 2026. Registration opens tomorrow, March 19!
• Check out the recording of our March 12 webinar, “Making Effective Third Spaces.”
• Register now for the ABFE Toolkit Webinar on April 10.
• Share your Indie Bookstore Day plans.

Yesterday afternoon, the United States House Committee on Education and the Workforce recommended passage of HR 7661, a bill that would censor books in schools nationwide, sending it to the full House for a vote.

Regardless of ideology, the broad, vague, and unconstitutional provisions of the bill should concern everyone who cares about books. The bill ties up federal education funding based on content, muddies the waters between “obscenity” and identity, and represents massive federal overreach into decisions that should be left to local communities. Presented with numerous opportunities to amend the worst provisions out of the bill, the committee nevertheless passed it roughly intact. 

Here’s the good news: there are signs the appetite for book banning may be waning.

We’ve crafted a sample message based on the talking points above, which we believe can reach both sides of the aisle. You can and should customize it as you see fit, but we encourage you to emphasize those points.

If you oppose this bill, the time to speak up is now.

Our annual Publisher Survey is your chance to be heard by publishers!

Although ABA meets with publishers throughout the year to advocate on behalf of indie bookstores, once a year we have official annual meetings with publishers, including key decision-makers. 

Your survey responses determine what concerns, comments, and suggestions we will bring to the 2026 meetings.

Last year’s survey responses resulted in additional discounts for indie bookstores for Indies First and the holiday season, more publishers participating in Batch, more Spanish language books, support for IGNITE, more racial representation at Winter Institute (authors, editors, representatives), more simultaneous paperback releases and paperback originals, shorter middle grade reads, and more. We also had the opportunity to advocate for fewer damages and on-sale date clarity, and to oppose AI-generated content!

Please fill out the survey by Thursday, March 26.

• Tuesday, March 31 at 3:00 pm ET: Intro to Benefits (Publishers Edition)
• Tuesday, March 31: Indie Bookstore Day Participation Form Closes
• Thursday, April 2 at 3:00 pm ET: League of Women Voters Webinar
• Tuesday, April 7 at 3:00 pm ET: New Member Series: Intro to ABA Benefits
• Thursday, April 9 at 3:00 pm ET: ShopTalk
• Friday, April 10 at 3:00 pm ET: Toolkit Webinar: Navigating Bookstore Harassment, Threats, and Intimidation

Have you checked out these bestseller lists?

Registration for Children’s Institute 2026 opens tomorrow, Thursday, March 19, at 1:00 pm ET/10:00 am PT!

ABA’s 14th Children’s Institute (Ci2026) will be held June 26–29, 2026, in Schaumburg, IL!

Children’s Institute will kick off on Friday, June 26, with the Buddy Meet and Greet followed by the PATHWAYS Mixer for Black, Indigenous, Asian American and Pacific Islander, Latina/o/x, Chicana/o/x, Hispanic, and BIPOC attendees.

While you wait for registration to open, check out the Children’s Institute 2026 schedule to see all the exciting events we have planned for you! And use this infographic to make sure you have all the information you'll need to register easily and efficiently.

Here’s a few other details to keep in mind:

• Registration for Ci2026 Bookstore Tours also opens on March 19.
• The Ci2026 hotel block will open on Thursday, April 16. (Registered attendees will receive a unique booking link via email.)

State Swipe Fee Reform Solutions Gain Momentum

As expected, following the federal court decision upholding Illinois’ ban on swipe fees on sales tax and tips, a number of states have introduced bills looking to do the same.

We are asking booksellers in Colorado, Vermont, and Oklahoma to reach out to state lawmakers in support of swipe fee reform in your state. 

Write to your state senators in our state-specific action centers below:

• Colorado
• Oklahoma
• Vermont