Making the Most of a Taxing Time

ABA member booksellers can turn the approach of the April 15 tax deadline into a positive by making this the time that they submit their store financial data to the 2006 ABACUS study. In return, they will receive $50 off their next ABA dues renewal, a customized report with detailed analysis of their store's financial results, and the satisfaction of knowing that they are helping the independent bookselling community as a whole.

Completing the survey via the easier-to-use, self-calculating Web form only takes about an hour and help is only a phone call or e-mail [to David Walker, ABA director of special projects, at (800) 637-0037, ext. 6612, or [email protected]] away. Walker will also be available to provide assistance in completing the ABACUS form at this year's BookExpo America. To make an appointment, booksellers should contact him via e-mail.

Each ABA member bookstore participating in the study also receives comparisons with other stores based on more than 20 different criteria; an executive summary of the study's key findings; key insights into the drivers of independent bookstore profitability; year-to-year trends data; and opportunities to participate in ancillary studies.

With 278 ABA member bookstores -- representing 355 locations and approximately $379 million in sales -- submitting data to the 2005 survey (compared to 181 the previous year), the ABACUS study has set a standard against which each store's financial results can be measured, providing participants, as well as the bookselling community as a whole, with critical information.