About ABA

At BookExpo America 2003, Recorded Books, LLC, a premier producer of audiobooks, will launch the Book Sense Audio Series, a joint effort between the American Booksellers Association and Recorded Books. The series of unabridged audiobooks bearing the licensed Book Sense name will be available exclusively to ABA member stores. Ordering information for the initial 10 titles, a combination of contemporary and classic literature, will be included in the May white box mailing to stores with Book Sense. Samples and ordering information will be presented at BEA.

For the past several years, David Walker has worked with ABA in different capacities to help resolve issues regarding trade practices of concern to independent booksellers. Walker recently spoke to BTW about the types of issues he's worked to resolve and the need for booksellers to keep ABA informed of the problems they are encountering.

The American Booksellers Association is inviting publishers to participate in the BookSense.com Co-op Reimbursement Program. The new program helps publishers promote their books through both the Web sites and bricks-and-mortar locations of participating stores. ABA has been testing the program with the help of four publishers -- AOL/Time Warner, Harcourt, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster -- and 30 bookstores.

On Saturday, May 31, at BookExpo America (BEA) in Los Angeles, ABA will be offering a full plate of Specialty Bookseller-to-Bookseller Roundtables, giving specialty booksellers an excellent opportunity to get together with their colleagues and chat about their specific niche market. ABA will conduct 12 different specialty roundtables designed for booksellers who are predominantly engaged in selling books in specialty areas; roundtable sessions are not intended for general stores with specialty sections.

Ballots for the ABA Board of Directors and for the 2003 Book Sense Book of the Year Awards must be posted by April 30 and received by May 7. Both ballots were mailed to ABA bookstore members at the end of March, and a downloadable ballot for the Book of the Year Awards is available online at BookWeb.org.

The ballot for the ABA Board of Directors must be returned in the special postage-paid envelope addressed to KPMG. Ballots sent directly to ABA will not be counted.

Booksellers are invited to attend an ABA Booksellers Forum to be held in Storrs, Connecticut, at the UConn Co-op, on Thursday, May 1, from 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. The forum will follow a meeting of the New England Children's Booksellers Association and a reception for booksellers.

As a result of a change in underwriter, LIBRIS insurance policyholders are receiving a "Notice of Nonrenewal of Insurance" from Fireman's Fund Insurance regarding their business owners package and workers' compensation coverage. "There is no reason for concern," said Michael Hoynes, ABA marketing officer.

On Tuesday, April 8, ABA held a Booksellers Forum, in conjunction with programming of the Mid-South Independent Booksellers Association (MSIBA), in Katy, Texas. ABA and MSIBA members met with MSIBA president and ABA Booksellers Advisory Council member Tamra Dore of Katy Budget Books and ABA COO Oren Teicher.

ABA members visiting BookWeb.org will note new and updated information on the Book Sense program. Among the most notable changes are:

Independent bookstores participating in the Book Sense marketing program reported that total 2002 book sales were slightly ahead of the results for 2001, reflecting the mixed experiences of the entire book industry during 2002.

May 7 is the deadline for ABA bookstore members to cast their ballots for the 2003 Book Sense Book of the Year Awards and for the ABA Board of Directors elections. Both ballots were mailed to bookstore members at the end of March.

The ballot for the ABA Board of Directors must be returned in the special postage-paid envelope addressed to KPMG, and must be postmarked by April 30. Ballots sent directly to ABA will not be counted.

The American Booksellers Association will be holding a Booksellers Forum in conjunction with the New England Booksellers Association (NEBA) on Thursday, May 1, at the UConn Co-op in Storrs, Connecticut.

Even an April snowstorm failed to chill the enthusiasm of independent booksellers at the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA) Spring Retreat, held on April 6 - 7 at the Sheraton Society Hill Hotel in Philadelphia, where the focus was on sharing successful ideas and energizing store operations.

The Southeast Booksellers Association (SEBA) held its Spring Seminar and Book Awards on April 4 - 5 at the Park Road Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina. The weekend's programming included an ABACUS "Sneak Preview" and an ABA/SEBA Booksellers Forum. Representing ABA at the meeting were ABA COO Oren Teicher and BookSense.com Director Len Vlahos.

As part of its extensive educational programming at BookExpo America (BEA), ABA is sponsoring a three-day booksellers school, facilitated by Donna Paz and Mark Kaufman of Paz & Associates. The school program is designed to enhance the skills of anyone thinking about opening or buying a bookstore, as well as those of booksellers who are new to the business or who are new to, or aspiring to, management and leadership roles, and industry professionals who want a better understanding of book retailing.