Booksellers who would like help completing the 2009 ABACUS Survey [5] can now set up appointments to meet one-on-one with David Walker, ABA's industry consultant, at BookExpo America. Walker is available for meetings in the ABA Booksellers Lounge (Room 1E07/08 of the Javits Convention Center) beginning Friday, May 29.

The return for booksellers who spend the approximate hour it takes to complete the ABACUS Survey's online form [6] is a customized analysis of the bookstore's financial results that can be used to evaluate and improve performance.

"ABACUS tells you which areas you need to focus on to improve your bottom line," Walker recently explained [7]. "For example, how do you know whether your gross profit margin is good unless you have something to compare it with? How do you know whether your rent is too high, or you're spending too much on payroll? I think [former ABA president] Russ Lawrence put it best when he said, 'Running a store without the ABACUS data is like driving at night without headlights.'"

To set up an appointment for a meeting at BEA, booksellers should contact Walker at [email protected] [8] or (202) 425-5393.

Booksellers with questions about ABACUS can also contact Walker [8] or ABA CEO Avin Mark Domnitz [9] at any time.

All information provided to the ABACUS study is kept strictly confidential.