ABACUS Deadline Extended to August 15

ABA members now have until midnight Eastern Time on Friday, August 15, to submit their store’s financial data to the ABACUS-13 survey.

Booksellers that complete the survey will receive:

• a customized report that analyzes their store’s performance and compares it with similar indie bookstores; and
• an Executive Summary with key insights regarding factors influencing indie bookstore profitability.

In addition, booksellers at stores that submit their data to ABACUS can apply for the Avin Mark Domnitz Scholarship to Winter Institute 10, to be held in Asheville, North Carolina, from February 8 to 11, 2015.

Past ABACUS participants have found their customized reports crucial in helping to establish important business goals, to determine how best to improve a bookstore’s financial health, and to monitor store progress. ABACUS reports have also been extremely useful in writing stronger business plans, conducting successful lease negotiations with landlords, setting benchmarks for payroll, and identifying areas where profitability could be improved.

Instructions for participating in ABACUS-13, the bookstore’s unique I.D. number, and links to the online submission form were sent to all ABA main store members at the end of June in an e-mail from Martha Love of the National Association of College Stores’ OnCampus Research, which is collecting and compiling the data for ABA. Questions about completing the survey should be sent to Love at OnCampus Research via e-mail to [email protected] or by calling (800) 622-7498, ext. 2448.

Booksellers with general questions about ABACUS should contact ABA Senior Strategy Officer Dan Cullen via e-mail or at (800) 637-0037, ext. 7560.

To apply for the Domnitz scholarship to Winter Institute 10, booksellers at participating stores should send an e-mail with “Domnitz Scholarship” in the subject line to ABA Education Manager Lisa Winn. The e-mail should include the applicant’s name, staff title, store name, and store contact information. The scholarship will cover the Wi10 conference fee, travel expenses up to $350, and up to a four-night stay at the host hotel, The Omni Grove Park Inn.