New Localism Toolkit Coming Next Week

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The American Booksellers Association will release a New Localism toolkit next week to help booksellers educate customers, other indie businesses, and elected officials about the latest relevant data regarding the localism movement. The kit will also help booksellers to better advocate in support of public policy that promotes vibrant and diverse communities.

The toolkit is part of ABA’s follow-up to the New Localism panel at Winter Institute 11 and to the release of the Civic Economics study “Amazon & Empty Storefronts: The Fiscal and Land Use Impacts of Online Retail,” which details the overall negative impact that Amazon has had on Main Street retailers, jobs, and communities across the country. The toolkit will be featured at each of this season’s nine ABA Spring Booksellers Forums as part of the new educational session “Indie Bookstores and the New Localism: What You Can Do.”

Among the items in the toolkit are:

  • FAQs and talking points
  • DIY materials for customers
  • Materials to share on social media
  • Sample letters to elected officials and a sample op-ed
  • Links to relevant information and media coverage

Also launching next week is a consumer landing page, www.IndieBound.org/spotlightamazon, containing additional resources for customers looking for more information about Amazon’s growth and impact on communities.