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Winter Institute Updates: Book Swap, Bookstore Tours, Leadership and Finance Seminars
With the American Booksellers Association’s 12th annual Winter Institute (Wi12) just three weeks away, here are some important reminders and updates:
The Backlist Book Swap Party and Photo Booth Return
The Backlist Book Swap Party, which was such fun at last year’s Winter Institute, returns this year, complete with the popular photo booth. The event, from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Friday, January 27, in the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis Exhibit Hall, is open to all Wi12 attendees.
Participants who come with a copy of a favorite book to share with friends and colleagues will leave with someone else’s favorite. Books should be at least five years old and still in print. Suggested topics include regional titles, books with strong female characters, and books set in winter, but books on any topic are welcome.
Wi12 attendees who are planning to participate in the Book Swap are asked to let ABA know in advance what title they will be bringing by completing the Backlist Book Swap form available here.
Booksellers should include a store bookmark — with contact information — in their book so they can find out who picked their swap.
In addition to the bookmark left in their swap book, booksellers are encouraged to bring 50 or more store bookmarks to share with their colleagues. ABA will display the bookmarks at the party so participants have the opportunity to exchange, borrow, and steal good ideas.
This year’s Backlist Book Swap Party is sponsored by HarperCollins and Harlequin.
Limited Space Available to Publishers for Half-Day Bookstore Tour
A limited number of spaces are currently available to publishers for Wi12’s half-day bookstore/publisher tour (Tour 4) on Friday, January 27. The tour, which departs the Hyatt Regency at 11:45 a.m., will stop at Consortium Book Sales & Distribution, Common Good Books, Moon Palace Books, Red Balloon Bookshop, and SubText Books. Just prior to returning to the hotel, the tour will stop at Open Book/Milkweed Books, the site of the Wi12 Opening Reception and a Meet-and-Greet for scholarship winners and their publisher sponsors.
Tours will leave from the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis Nicollet Promenade entrance on the Nicollet Mall and will return to the hotel at approximately 4:45 p.m.
The cost of the tour is $25 per person.
Booksellers and publishers can register for the half-day bookstore tour via the form available here; a BookWeb username and password are required. (Forgot yours? Contact ABA Member Relationship Manager Nathan Halter.)
Still Time to Register for Wi12’s Leadership and Finance Seminars
Wi12’s advanced education sessions, “Understanding and Fostering Your Store Culture” and “Managing Managers,” are now booked to capacity, but there is still space for booksellers at two full-day workshops: the Leadership Workshop for Owners and Managers on Friday, January 27, and the Bookstore Finance Seminar on Monday, January 30. Pre-registration for the seminars is required.
At the Leadership Workshop, Amanda Cebula and Thomas Stanley of the Kansas Leadership Center will present the key principles and competencies for developing leadership skills.
Cebula is the director of business development for the Kansas Leadership Center, and Stanley serves as the center’s director of business initiatives. Together, they will help store owners and managers better understand the challenges facing their businesses and identify ways to make progress on these issues. The Kansas Leadership Center team led a successful session on the same topic at Winter Institute 11 in Denver and facilitated the event’s first-ever debrief.
The Leadership Seminar registration fee is $125 per person. The event is open to owners and managers only and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Attendance at the Winter Institute is not required to participate in the workshop, which runs from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Friday, January 27.
Learn more about the Leadership Workshop here and register here.
The Bookstore Finance Seminar is free and open to two booksellers per ABA member store. The 101-level seminar will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Monday, January 30.
Robert Sindelar, managing partner of Third Place Books in Seattle, Washington, and ABA Chief Financial Officer Robyn DesHotel will lead the program, which will include a segment focusing on strategies for achieving higher profits and improving cash flow. It will conclude with an interactive group discussion, working through an example of how booksellers can use their store’s financial information to make sound business decisions. Deep financial experience is not required.
Learn more about the Bookstore Finance Seminar here and register here.