BTW

In this first installment, Angela Maria Spring of ABA’s Committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion shares highlights about the team’s recent efforts.

ABA’s new award recognizes and celebrates the achievements of booksellers whose ideas, creativity, and execution have improved operations, fostered community relationships, created a more inclusive environment, increased sales, and more.

Booksellers at stores that did not have an ABC Children’s Institute scholarship winner in 2018 or 2019 can now apply for a scholarship to the 2020 Children’s Institute in Tucson, Arizona.

Stores that are new to Indies Introduce must complete the Indies Introduce sign-up form by Wednesday, October 30, in order to participate in the program.

The scholarship provides resources for one winning bookseller to attend two upcoming bookselling events and receive a grant that will help make their community stronger.

Libro.fm CEO and co-founder Mark Pearson and Christine Onorati of Libro.fm partner store WORD also appeared in the news segment to talk about the importance of indie bookstores.

NCIBA President Michael Barnard and SCIBA President Maryelizabeth Yturralde detailed plans for bringing the associations together.

Retail sales at U.S. bookstores were down by 10.3 percent in August 2019 compared to August 2018, according to preliminary figures from the Bureau of the Census. As of October 10, the year-to-date sales among ABA member stores, as reported to the weekly Indie Bestseller Lists, are down 0.26 percent over 2018. Compound annual growth among ABA member stores is 7.5 percent over the past five years. 

Banned Books Week served as an opportunity for booksellers to spread awareness about the dangers of censorship through both in-store visual depictions and social media campaigns.

During the meetup, three booksellers shared their experiences with various payment methods, including Square, PayPal, and more.

By reading more, learning more, and building empathy, Beehive owner Susan Beck said, “I hope we can be more kind to each other. I think that’s missing right now.”

“We are a cultural institution disguised as a retailer,” said Jeff Deutsch, director of the Seminary Co-op Bookstores. “Our cultural work of creating an unparalleled browsing experience and a hub for community...needs no further utility to justify its existence.”