Podcast

Lightning Talk - Zsamé Morgan (Babycake's Book Stack) on Mobile Bookstores

Thursday, August 10, 2023 3:00 PM EDT

ABA's Lightning Talk series features booksellers presenting 5-10 minute talks on tech tools, organizational strategies, communication methods, or innovations they’ve made in their stores. On August 10, 2023, Zsamé Morgan (Babycake's Book Stack) discussed Weekly Events Inventory Curation in Niche Model Bookstores.

 

SessionDatePT: 
Wednesday, August 30, 2023 - 12:00
SessionDateCT: 
Wednesday, August 30, 2023 - 12:00
SessionDateMT: 
Wednesday, August 30, 2023 - 12:00

Lightning Talk - Dick Hermans of Oblong Books (Millerton & Rhinebeck, NY) on Music Retailing

Thursday, August 10, 2023 3:00 PM EDT

ABA's Lightning Talk series features booksellers presenting 5-10 minute talks on tech tools, organizational strategies, communication methods, or innovations they’ve made in their stores. On August 10, 2023, Dick Hermans of Oblong Books (Millerton & Rhinebeck, NY) discussed Music Retailing.

 

SessionDatePT: 
Wednesday, August 30, 2023 - 12:00
SessionDateCT: 
Wednesday, August 30, 2023 - 12:00
SessionDateMT: 
Wednesday, August 30, 2023 - 12:00

Lightning Talk - Cynthia Compton of 4 Kids Books & Toys (Zionsville, IN) on Podium

Thursday, August 10, 2023 3:00 PM EDT

ABA's Lightning Talk series features booksellers presenting 5-10 minute talks on tech tools, organizational strategies, communication methods, or innovations they’ve made in their stores. On August 10, 2023, Cynthia Compton of 4 Kids Books & Toys (Zionsville, IN) discussed Podium.

 

SessionDatePT: 
Wednesday, August 30, 2023 - 11:45
SessionDateCT: 
Wednesday, August 30, 2023 - 11:45
SessionDateMT: 
Wednesday, August 30, 2023 - 11:45

Children's Concierge & Subscription Services

Wednesday, June 7, 2023 3:00 PM to 3:45 PM EDT
What is a concierge program, and how does it differ from a subscription box? In this panel, booksellers with experience running concierge programs and subscription boxes will answer these questions, give examples of different types of services, and show you how to create an inclusive, one-of-a-kind boutique experience for customers, no matter the size of your store. 
 
Speakers:
Lauren Savage, The Reading Bug - San Carlos, CA
Avery Shelburne, Fabled Bookshop and Cafe - Waco, TX
Jaya Anderson, Red Balloon Bookshop - Saint Paul, MN
Beth Shapiro, Skylark Bookshop - Columbia, MO
 
SessionDatePT: 
Wednesday, July 5, 2023 - 16:00
SessionDateCT: 
Wednesday, July 5, 2023 - 16:00
SessionDateMT: 
Wednesday, July 5, 2023 - 16:00

Not Just for Kids: Book Fairs for Adults

Wednesday, June 7, 2023 3:00 PM to 3:45 PM EDT
Flip your children's book fair on its head and turn it into a book fair for grown-ups. This session will delve into how to curate and purchase your book selection based on your customer demographic and site location, merchandizing an offsite location, nonbook items to carry, and any special permits needed to serve food and drinks at an offsite location. 
 
Speakers:
Nicole Menzel, Bound to Happen Books - Stevens Point, WI
Claire Bone, Wild Sisters Book Company - Sacramento, CA
Kassie King, The Novel Neighbor - Webster Groves, MO
 
SessionDatePT: 
Wednesday, July 5, 2023 - 15:30
SessionDateCT: 
Wednesday, July 5, 2023 - 15:30
SessionDateMT: 
Wednesday, July 5, 2023 - 15:30

Utilizing E-Commerce for Book Fairs and Community Fundraisers

Wednesday, June 7, 2023 11:00 AM to 11:45 AM EDT
Book fairs and fundraisers hosted on your store's website or on Bookshop.org are a great way to partner with your community. In this session, we’ll look at examples from stores utilizing ABA’s IndieCommerce platform and Bookshop.org and share how you can get started planning your own virtual book fairs and fundraisers almost right away.
 
Speakers:
Sarah High, Bookshop.org - Brooklyn, NY
Daron Mueller, American Booksellers Association - White Plains, NY
Phillip Davies, American Booksellers Association - White Plains, NY
 
SessionDatePT: 
Wednesday, July 5, 2023 - 15:00
SessionDateCT: 
Wednesday, July 5, 2023 - 15:00
SessionDateMT: 
Wednesday, July 5, 2023 - 15:00

A Child's Freedom to Read

Wednesday, June 7, 2023 11:00 AM to 11:45 AM EDT
Prolific and debut authors are landing on banned books lists across school districts and in statewide book bans. Bookstores may soon become the only place where children have freedom of choice when it comes to reading. A panel of children's librarians and booksellers will discuss the current state of banned books, how this affects the book industry, and what bookstores can do to support children's freedom to read, particularly in places where that access is being limited.
 
Speakers:
Laura DeLaney, Rediscovered Books - Boise, ID
Lance McGrath, The College of Idaho - CALDWELL, ID
Hannah Reimer, University School of Milwaukee - River Hills, WI
Jake Bowen, Oak Creek Public Library - Oak Creek, WI
 
SessionDatePT: 
Wednesday, July 5, 2023 - 14:45
SessionDateCT: 
Wednesday, July 5, 2023 - 14:45
SessionDateMT: 
Wednesday, July 5, 2023 - 14:45

Featured Talk with Jonathan Hamilt: Fighting for Queer Stories and Seeds of Change

Wednesday, June 7, 2023 10:00 AM to 10:45 AM EDT
In a world struggling with issues of acceptance and tolerance, Jonathan Hamilt, Executive Director of Drag Story Hour, shares the necessity of LGBTQAI+ family programming. He explores how the powerful art-form of drag teaches young humans about inclusivity, celebrating diversity, the vital freedom of self-expression, and the role bookstores play in building compassionate communities where there is room for everybody’s story on the shelf.
 
Speaker:
Jonathan Hamilt, Drag Story Hour - New York, NY
 
SessionDatePT: 
Wednesday, July 5, 2023 - 14:30
SessionDateCT: 
Wednesday, July 5, 2023 - 14:30
SessionDateMT: 
Wednesday, July 5, 2023 - 14:30

Best Practices for Pre-Order Campaigns

Wednesday, June 7, 2023 9:00 AM to 9:45 AM EDT
Pre-order campaigns get readers excited for the books YOU'RE excited about and if you’re just starting out, this session is for you. Booksellers will learn about the nuts and bolts of pre-order campaigns including best practices for marketing to customers, what a successful campaign can look like for your business, how pre-order sales can uplift underrepresented voices and genres, and also the importance of reporting pre-order sales.
 
Speakers:
Christine Bollow, Loyalty Bookstores - Silver Spring, MD
Jessica Palacios, Once Upon A Time Bookstore - Glendale, CA
Joy Preble, Brazos Bookstore - Houston, TX
Jess Stauffer, American Booksellers Association - White Plains, NY
 
SessionDatePT: 
Wednesday, July 5, 2023 - 14:15
SessionDateCT: 
Wednesday, July 5, 2023 - 14:15
SessionDateMT: 
Wednesday, July 5, 2023 - 14:15

Averting the Adult Gaze in YA Literature

Wednesday, June 7, 2023 9:00 AM to 9:45 AM EDT
These days, adults are devouring young adult literature, and more and more YA stories feature teens but in more adult situations. In this panel, booksellers come together to discuss the shift in YA, which genres and tropes actually interest young people, how to make connections with young people in the community in order to better curate your selection, and more strategies for de-centering the adult in "young adult." 
 
Speakers:
Nicole Brinkley, Oblong Books - Rhinebeck, NY
Cathy Berner, Blue Willow Bookshop - Houston, TX
Stephanie Appell, Freelance Book Reviewer - Grosse Pointe, MI
Eric Smith, PS Literary - Philadelphia, PA
 
SessionDatePT: 
Wednesday, July 5, 2023 - 14:00
SessionDateCT: 
Wednesday, July 5, 2023 - 14:00
SessionDateMT: 
Wednesday, July 5, 2023 - 14:00

Keynote with Nikki Grimes & Brian Pinkney: Tough Topics for Tender Readers

Wednesday, June 7, 2023 8:00 AM to 8:45 AM EDT
Nikki Grimes and Brian Pinkney know that not every child can take a walk in the woods to soothe the soul after experiencing a devastating loss, but all children can pick up a book that speaks directly to such hurt, or read a story that reminds them they are not alone—provided someone has crafted such a story especially for them. These award-winning creators share how they tackle tough topics for the youngest readers, and why it's so important to do so.
 
Speakers:
Nikki Grimes, Holiday House - New York, NY
Brian Pinkney, Holiday House - New York, NY
Kathy Burnette, Brain Lair Books - South Bend, IN
 
SessionDatePT: 
Wednesday, July 5, 2023 - 13:45
SessionDateCT: 
Wednesday, July 5, 2023 - 13:45
SessionDateMT: 
Wednesday, July 5, 2023 - 13:45

Managing Manga for Tweens & Teens

Wednesday, June 7, 2023 3:00 PM EDT

Purchasing manga for the bookstore can quickly take over a buyer's brain space, not to mention figuring out where to shelve it and how to display it. This bookseller-led panel will give attendees foundational plans for researching what's hot as well as best practices for marketing, shelving, and selling manga to the 12-and-up crowd.

 

Speakers

Cori Theroux, The Green Dragon Bookstore - Fort Dodge, IA

Danielle Pernell, King's Books - Tacoma, WA

 

SessionDatePT: 
Monday, July 3, 2023 - 18:45
SessionDateCT: 
Monday, July 3, 2023 - 18:45
SessionDateMT: 
Monday, July 3, 2023 - 18:45

Youth Book Clubs

Wednesday, June 7, 2023 11:00 AM EDT

A book club for young people engages them with reading and can make them feel like a part of your store's community. It's also a great way to do some covert market research! In this session, booksellers will share details of their middle-grade book clubs, illustrate how they create a positive community for middle-grade readers (including those who are English language learners or who have exceptionalities), and help you more effectively capture and grow this reading demographic.

 

Tanvi Rastogi, Dog-Eared Books - Ames, IA Hannah Oxley, Mystery to Me - Madison, WI Meghan Goel, BookPeople - Austin, TX sweet pea Flaherty, King's Books - Tacoma, WA
SessionDatePT: 
Monday, July 3, 2023 - 18:00
SessionDateCT: 
Monday, July 3, 2023 - 18:00
SessionDateMT: 
Monday, July 3, 2023 - 18:00

Featured Talk with Dr. Adia Harvey Wingfield: Gray Areas

Tuesday, June 6, 2023 4:00 PM to 4:45 PM EDT
Many industries now stress the importance of racial diversity, but the numbers do not show much progress. In the book industry specifically, Black workers are underrepresented as store owners, may be assigned to positions in the back rather than front of the store, and may observe that titles by Black authors receive less recognition, promotion, and visibility from booksellers. In this session, Adia Wingfield presents data from her forthcoming book Gray Areas to explain how and why these processes persist. Blending interview, survey, and statistical data, Wingfield shows how the everyday, taken-for-granted aspects of work can preclude booksellers from increasing racial diversity, and delivers evidence-based suggestions for how to change this outcome.
 
Speaker:
Dr. Adia Harvey Wingfield, Washington University in St. Louis - St. Louis, MO
 
SessionDatePT: 
Monday, July 3, 2023 - 16:30
SessionDateCT: 
Monday, July 3, 2023 - 16:30
SessionDateMT: 
Monday, July 3, 2023 - 16:30

Understanding Children’s Social-Emotional Development

Tuesday, June 6, 2023 2:00 PM to 2:45 PM EDT
Social-emotional development refers to a series of critical developmental processes encompassing a child’s ability to express and manage their emotions and form meaningful relationships with peers and adults. Children need support from the adults in their lives in order to facilitate healthy social-emotional development. With an understanding of social-emotional development, booksellers can better understand young customers and create a supportive and inclusive environment. In this session, Dr. Marietta Collins, a child psychologist and children’s author, will explain the stages of a child’s social and emotional development, how traumas and other adverse experiences can disrupt development, and how adults who work with children can help facilitate their growth even through brief supportive interactions.
 
Speaker:
Dr. Marietta Collins, American Psychological Association - Washington, DC
 
SessionDatePT: 
Monday, July 3, 2023 - 16:30
SessionDateCT: 
Monday, July 3, 2023 - 16:30
SessionDateMT: 
Monday, July 3, 2023 - 16:30

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About ABA

The American Booksellers Association, a national not-for-profit trade organization, works with booksellers and industry partners to ensure the success and profitability of independently owned book retailers, and to assist in expanding the community of the book.

Independent bookstores act as community anchors; they serve a unique role in promoting the open exchange of ideas, enriching the cultural life of communities, and creating economically vibrant neighborhoods.

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