ABACUS Deadline Extended to May 5

Booksellers, having already gathered their financial data for their 2004 tax returns, can easily participate in the 2004 ABACUS study through an online form at http://www.bookweb.org/docs/abacusform/. The deadline for participation has been extended to Wednesday, May 5, allowing more time for booksellers to submit data to the 2004 study, which will provide participants with valuable information that can help improve their bookstore's operations.

There are only three steps with the simplified, online version of ABACUS, and all data submitted to the study is kept strictly confidential. For full details, click here.

Booksellers participating in the study will be provided with an individualized analysis of their store's performance in relation to the group as a whole, and ABA will use the data gathered for this second year of the new ABACUS study to begin analyzing trends. Allowing booksellers to see trends in the larger data set and to compare their store's performance to like businesses will provide a clearer picture of the success of their efforts to increase profitability.

"Why would anybody not [participate in] the ABACUS survey if you are serious about your business?" queried Carol Chittenden of Eight Cousins bookstore in Falmouth, Massachusetts. Chittenden explained that she was motivated to participate in last year's study because she wanted to know how her expenses compared with other independent booksellers. With ABACUS, "I found out exactly that," she said.

To read more about what booksellers had to say about their participation in the 2003 study, click here. For 2003 study results, click here. For an example of the personalized comparisons that booksellers can expect to receive if they participate in the 2004 study, click here.