About ABA

The American Booksellers Association is seeking member input for its BookExpo America "All-Day Education Program" session "The Bookstore as a Third Place: Making Your Store a Community Center Through Innovative Events." The event, which will be held from 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. and again at 3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m., on Thursday, June 2, will focus on creating events to position the bookstore as a center for community and political action.

Results of the 2005 ABA Board of Directors elections, which concluded on May 4, were recently certified by the association's election inspector, KPMG. Candidates chosen by ABA bookstore members to serve as directors, with terms ending in 2008, were Russ Lawrence of Chapter One Book Store in Hamilton, Montana; Michael Tucker of Books Inc.

Just Three Weeks & Counting

This week, BTW shines a spotlight on special events sponsored by ABA and Book Sense at this BookExpo America. BEA will be held from Thursday, June 2, to Sunday, June 5, at New York City's Jacob Javits Convention Center.

The Third Annual "What Are You Reading/Publishing?" Lunch

Next Wednesday, May 18, ABA CEO Avin Mark Domnitz will be presenting "Increasing Margin: An Advanced Course in Growing Your Bottom Line" at the offices of the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association (NCIBA) at The Presidio in San Francisco. The course, part of ABA's new education program developed for BookExpo America 2005, is free and open to all ABA and NCIBA bookstore members.

Booksellers are encouraged to take advantage of a new ABA offer. All Regular ABA Member Bookstores in good standing may now place up to four free 2-week Classified Ad insertions in Bookselling This Week each year. BTW Classifieds are the perfect place for booksellers to advertise stores and fixtures for sale, to place help wanted ads, and more.

On Tuesday, May 3, over 20 booksellers attended an ABA Booksellers Forum and Education Program, held in conjunction with the Great Lakes Booksellers Association (GLBA), at the new Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lyndhurst, Ohio (a suburb of Cleveland).

During the week of May 9, ABA will be sending all member booksellers registered for BookExpo America a special mailing about this year's convention and trade show. The envelope bearing the sticker, "Important BEA Info: Please direct to appropriate BEA attendee," includes a letter from ABA President Mitchell Kaplan of Books & Books in Coral Gables Florida; an ABA Program booklet; a shuttle bus schedule; invitations to ABA/Book Sense special events; and much more.

It's likely that Karin Anna of Looking Glass Bookstore in Portland, Oregon, speaks for many independent booksellers when she describes the final phase of the Campaign for Reader Privacy as "very important." With Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act set to expire at the end of the year and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales acknowledging at Congressional Judiciary hearings that 215 needs some "clarification," it certainly appea

As a helpful reminder, here is a "Three-Month Bookseller Action List," highlighting important dates and deadlines related to ABA and Book Sense activities and events, for the period May - July 2005. The list, which is included in the May Red Box mailing to stores with Book Sense, may also be downloaded in pdf format.

ABA will be holding its last Booksellers Forum and Education Program of the season at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lyndhurst, Ohio, on Tuesday, May 3. The event is in cooperation with the Great Lakes Booksellers Association (GLBA).