Bookseller Urges ABACUS Participation

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In response to last Thursday's Bookselling This Week article reporting that the 2008 ABACUS Study is in jeopardy, Amy Thomas, the president of Pandora's Books Inc., which includes Pegasus and Pendragon Books, posted the following letter in BookWeb's Bookseller-to-Bookseller Forum.

Hello Fellow Booksellers,

I read yesterday that there is a possibility that our annual ABACUS report may not have enough respondents to be compiled this year, and I want to urge, beg, entreat, and implore you to set aside about an hour and fill out this form. It is uncomplicated, and it will be an incredibly useful hour for you as a businessperson.

The report itself, when issued back out to participating stores, will provide you with a lot of very clear clues about how to strategize your business. It will show you just exactly how all of the many facets of your store work together.

We have used it for years and truly, truly, people, it is an excellent tool for honing your systems and concentrating on areas that can potentially make or break your business. The assistance that ABA provides in filling out the form, understanding it, and helping you to think about possible avenues for you to pursue, is one of the great, unsung benefits of being an ABA member.

Please, if you can't do this immediately, but can make time soon, call David Walker or someone at ABA to tell them it is on the way.

The ABACUS report is remarkable and unique, and we should not let it go without a fight!

Amy Thomas
Pegasus and Pendragon Books
Berkeley and Oakland, California
pegasusbookstore.com
We are IndieBound!

Visit the Bookseller-to-Bookseller Forum to see what other booksellers had to say in response Thomas' letter.

And to help make the 2008 ABACUS Study become a reality, complete the online survey form by August 15. Questions about ABACUS may be addressed to ABA CEO Avin Mark Domnitz (800-637-0037, ext. 6610) or ABA's industry consultant, David Walker (800-637-0037, ext. 6612).

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