ABA’s Spring Forum Season Kicks Off in Atlanta

The American Booksellers Association is inviting booksellers to join ABA CEO Oren Teicher and Senior Program Officer Joy Dallanegra-Sanger at a Spring Forum program in Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday, March 1. ABA’s programming, which includes an open discussion and the all-new education session “Indie Bookstores and the New Localism: What You Can Do,” is presented in conjunction with the Southern Independent Business Alliance’s SIBA in the Springtime! Day of Education on Tuesday, March 1, and the Great American Bargain Book Show’s GABBS Education on Wednesday, March 2. ABA’s forum programming is open to all indie booksellers, ABA members and non-members alike.

Below is the schedule of ABA programming; both events take place on Tuesday, March 1, at the Westin Peachtree Plaza (Chastain J Room), 210 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30303.

• 10:45 a.m. to 12:20 p.m.: Indie Bookstores and the New Localism: What You Can Do
  Data from a recent study, commissioned by ABA, suggests that the localism movement is now at a transition point and indie booksellers, indie retailers, and downtown community associations have an opportunity to refocus their efforts and bring about real change in public policy and perception. ABA will report on the Civic Economics study “Amazon and Empty Storefronts: The Fiscal and Land Use Impact of Online Retail” and provide important resources and data to help all booksellers communicate the “new” localism message to colleagues, customers, community members, elected officials, and the media.
   
• 2:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.: ABA Booksellers Forum
  ABA CEO Oren Teicher will lead an open discussion of industry issues. Attendees help guide the agenda of the forum, so all are encouraged to come with their questions, comments, and concerns.

Booksellers planning to participate in the ABA Spring Forum program are asked to RSVP to ABA Member Relationship Manager Nathan Halter by Thursday, February 25.

SIBA’s full day of education — “SIBA in the Springtime!” — starts at 9:00 a.m. on March 1 with breakfast (prior to ABA’s education session) and runs through 5:00 p.m. For more information and to register for the full-day program, visit the SIBA website.

Registration information for GABBS, which takes place from March 2 to 4, can also be found on SIBA’s site; registration for GABBS is separate from SIBA registration.

On Wednesday, March 2, from 8:45 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., GABBS will present “The Economics of Publishing and How They Impact Booksellers,” a session developed last year by ABA. In this detailed and informative financial session, George Gibson, publishing director of Bloomsbury USA, will walk booksellers through the Profit and Loss statement of a new trade title and, in the process, will introduce booksellers to the key financial realities of publishing and delineate the many factors that affect both the bookstore channel and consumers. ABA Board member Jamie Fiocco of Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, will moderate this session and facilitate the discussion following the presentation.

For the dates and locations of ABA’s upcoming Booksellers Forums, visit BookWeb.org and look for updates in future issues of BTW.