ABA Forum & Education Program Heads to PNBA Spring Show

The American Booksellers Association will offer a Bookseller Forum and Education Program as part of the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association's (PNBA) Spring Trade Show, which runs from Monday, March 14 - Wednesday, March 16, at the Seattle Airport Hilton. ABA programming will be featured as part of the Education Workshops on Monday.

The association is encouraging bookstore owners to bring staff members to the forum and education sessions, which, in addition to valuable, practical information, provide a broader perspective on how individual stores fit into the larger industry.

ABA-sponsored events begin on Monday, with "The 2% Solution," which will be held from 9:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. This seminar examines the drivers of a bookstore's profitability and how they can be reworked to move a business to greater profitability. Specific suggestions and ideas about the ways a bookseller can work on sales, gross margin, total compensation, and occupancy expenses will be provided. The ABACUS Study of independent bookshop operations showed that the average profitability of all respondents was a negative 1.4 percent. While moving from negative profitability to a positive two percent is a long journey, this seminar will help booksellers to begin drawing a road map.

From 11:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. will be ABA's ABACUS Workshop. Members who bring their fiscal 2004 financial statements will receive one-on-one help in completing the 2005 ABACUS survey and will get a coupon for $50 off their next ABA dues renewal. The ABACUS study is helping all independent booksellers by establishing a standard against which individual financial results can be measured.

At the request of PNBA, from 1:15 p.m. - 2:45 p.m., ABA will hold the session "Book Sense for Publishers & Authors," which will review the ways publishers and authors can participate in the Book Sense program. This session will focus on The Book Sense Publisher Partner Program and will include information for both current participants and those who are not yet involved.

ABA programming will conclude with a Bookseller Forum from 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. This is an opportunity for booksellers to ask questions, express opinions, and hear from ABA senior staff, as well as from their colleagues. Past forums have proven very effective in helping shape future ABA programs and initiatives.

For complete details about the PNBA Spring Trade Show, visit www.pnba.org, or contact PNBA Executive Director Thom Chambliss at (541) 683-4363 or [email protected].

Booksellers planning to attend ABA events are asked to RSVP to Kristen Gilligan at [email protected].