About ABA

Two Booksellers Forums and additional ABA programming will be held on Friday, March 14, in conjunction with the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA) Spring Show in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and with the Mountains and Plains Booksellers Association (MBPA) Spring Trade Show in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

There are still rooms available for BEA at the Hotel California -- the Radisson Wilshire Plaza, where ABA bookstore members can book an exclusive deal of $111 a night from May 25 to June 7. However, the rooms are going fast, and booksellers are encouraged to book quickly (see end of story for details). The Radisson Wilshire Plaza is a comfortable, recently renovated business-style hotel located fewer than 15 minutes from the Los Angeles Convention Center.

By ABA President Ann Christophersen

The weather outside was lovely (Santa Monica at 70 degrees and sunny trumps Chicago at five degrees and dropping), but what was going on inside was lovelier still. Since what was going on inside was meeting after meeting after meeting, I need you to suspend disbelief just for a moment and give me a chance to explain.

On Saturday, March 8, approximately 25 people braved a snowstorm and bitter cold temperatures to attend an ABA Booksellers Forum, held in conjunction with the Upper Midwest Booksellers Association (UMBA) Spring Meeting, in Minneapolis. The UMBA Spring Meeting ran from March 8 - March 9 and was held at UMBA's offices.

ABA President Ann Christophersen this week writes a special open letter of appreciation and gratitude to Carl Lennertz, who is moving to HarperCollins as vice president, marketing for the HarperCollins imprint.

Dear Carl,

ABA member booksellers planning to attend BookExpo America (BEA), May 28 - June 1, in Los Angeles, can still take advantage of an exclusive, money-saving hotel deal put together by ABA and BEA.

On Thursday, March 27, the American Booksellers Association will hold its second Booksellers Forum in the Great Lakes Region this spring. The forum and other ABA programming will be held in conjunction with the Great Lakes Booksellers Association (GLBA) Spring Meeting at the Transitions Learning Center in Chicago. In early February, approximately 30 booksellers attended an ABA Booksellers Forum at Weber's Inn in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The American Booksellers Association has announced the finalists for the 2003 Book Sense Book of the Year Awards. The finalists in six categories -- Adult Fiction, Adult Nonfiction, Children's Literature, Children's Illustrated, Rediscovery, and Paperback -- are all Book Sense 76 titles nominated by ABA bookseller members as their handselling favorites. The awards will be announced at the Celebration of Bookselling, on Friday, May 30, during this year's BookExpo America, at the Los Angeles Convention Center in California.

At a time when more retail space is devoted to selling books than ever before and an increasing number of consumers are turning to Internet retailers, sustaining and growing a profitable bookstore business requires that each person in a management role fully understand the fundamentals of running a business.

Three More Forums Scheduled for March

The American Booksellers Association will be holding a Booksellers Forum in conjunction with the Upper Midwest Booksellers Association (UMBA) Spring Meeting, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Saturday, March 8. The UMBA Spring Meeting runs from March 8 - 9.

On Thursday, February 20, approximately 25 booksellers attended an ABA Booksellers Forum, held in conjunction with the New England Booksellers Association (NEBA), at the Westford Regency Inn & Conference Center in Westford, Massachusetts. According to a number of attendees, the ABACUS sneak preview and ABA's investigation into developing an electronic gift card program were the hot topics of the day's numerous discussions.

Once again, booksellers at BookExpo America will have the opportunity to attend a special day of educational programming designed specifically for them. Organized and sponsored by American Booksellers Association, the full day of bookseller education panels and seminars is set for Thursday, May 29, from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Last year, when ABA's day-long bookseller education programming debuted at BEA in New York City, the panels and seminars were extremely well received.

In an effort to provide members with updates on association business, as well as to answer questions and gather bookseller input to shape future programs and initiatives, the American Booksellers Association has been holding a series of Booksellers Forums this spring in conjunction with regional booksellers association meetings throughout the country.

Change is in the wind!

The American Booksellers Association is delighted to announce the promotions of Mark Nichols as Director of Book Sense Marketing; Dan Cullen as the Editor-in-Chief of the Book Sense 76 lists; Jill Perlstein as Director of Marketing; and Meg Zelickson Smith as Deputy Director of Book Sense Marketing. These changes came about as a result of the impending departure of Carl Lennertz, who is moving to HarperCollins as Vice President, Marketing for the HarperCollins imprint.

When making travel plans for this year's BookExpo America in Los Angeles, booksellers are encouraged to keep in mind that on Thursday, May 29, from 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., ABA will once again be sponsoring a full day of bookseller educational programming.

The special educational programming, taking place the day before the BEA trade show floor opens, will include in-depth sessions on: