About ABA

On March 20, at Transitions Learning Center -- the event space for Transitions Bookplace -- in Chicago, 37 booksellers attended an ABA Booksellers Forum from noon – 2:00 p.m. and, later, 27 attended a financial seminar presented by ABA CEO Avin Mark Domnitz, from 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Regarding the forum, ABA’s Domnitz said that booksellers attending were "deeply engaged … It was one of the best discussions of strategic planning we have had at any of the forums."

There will be a number of ABA Booksellers Forums in the upcoming weeks. The forums are open meetings where ABA members can meet and talk with representatives of the ABA Board and association senior staff to discuss pertinent ABA- or industry-related issues.

At press time, forums were scheduled for:

Bookselling This Week has added two enhancements designed to improve the functionality of the BTW Web site.

Now, at the end of every BTW story, readers will be able to select a "printer-friendly" version of the article, or to quickly e-mail the story to a colleague. Both options have been added to help booksellers more easily distribute BTW, both within the bookstore and to others in the industry.

The Idea Exchange on ABA’s Web site, www.BookWeb.org, provides forums for booksellers to exchange ideas with colleagues and to express opinions to, and ask questions of, ABA staff and Board members. This area is only accessible to ABA bookstore members who have registered a login name and password. To register for the online forums and for access to all restricted areas of BookWeb.org, booksellers may simply click here for an online registration form.

In conjunction with ABA’s 2002 Spring Bookseller Forums scheduled in March and April, Avin Mark Domnitz, ABA CEO, will be leading four special financial sessions for booksellers. The sessions, "Basic Bookstore Finances," will discuss operating within a system of financial controls to help predict performance and measure outcomes against those predictions, and cash flow control. Attendees will receive a computer disk with worksheets, which will help them integrate the session’s ideas into their everyday business.

Booksellers are reminded that by now they should have received by mail from ABA ballots for both the 2002 ABA Officers/Board of Directors and the Book Sense Book of the Year Awards.

Appearing on the ballot for members’ ratification is the slate of officers elected by the ABA Board at its January meeting. The Board chose:

ABA Bookseller members can still RSVP for the Open House at ABA headquarters in Tarrytown, New York, which will be held on May 1, 2002, from 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. The event is a special way to welcome booksellers to BookExpo America and the ABA Annual Convention, as the show returns to New York for the first time since 1991.

ABA bookstore members in the Great Lakes, Mountains and Plains, and Pacific Northwest regions will have the opportunity to talk with representatives of the ABA Board and senior staff at Booksellers Forums held in conjunction with regional booksellers association meetings in March. Booksellers are encouraged to come to ask questions, express opinions, and hear from their colleagues. This year, members have the chance to offer input into ABA’s new strategic plan, as priorities and new directions for the Association are developed.

It’s not too late for booksellers members to RSVP for the Open House at ABA headquarters in Tarrytown, New York, which will be held on May 1, 2002, from 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. The event is a special way to welcome booksellers to BookExpo America and the ABA Annual Convention, as the show returns to New York for the first time since 1991.

Buying computer hardware and software often can be a daunting task for any business, but now ABA is offering a new member-benefit to make the job easier and more convenient. ABA’s new group-buying program partner, CDW Computer Centers, Inc., is offering customized technology solutions for independent booksellers -- often at discounted prices.

Special ABA programming on Saturday, May 4, at the 2002 BookExpo America (BEA) in New York City will offer a wide range of networking opportunities with other booksellers, and a chance to learn the latest on ABA programs from association staff.

On Tuesday, February 12, approximately 20 booksellers attended a Booksellers Forum held at the Westford Regency, in Westford, Massachusetts, from 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. The Booksellers Forum followed a meeting of the New England Booksellers Association Advisory Council.

Fundamentals of Independent Bookselling -- Strategies for Understanding and Growing a Profitable Business
Wednesday, May 1 from 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.; Thursday, May 2 from 9:00 a.m. - Noon and 2:15 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.; and Friday, May 3 from 9:00 a.m. - Noon.

The ABA Bylaws provide a procedure for candidates for the Board of Directors to get on the ballot via petition, in keeping with the association's strategic plan that "the nomination and election process [be] open and fair." However, all petitions must be submitted by February 28, 2002.

For more information on the petition process, click here.

For more information on the work of the ABA Nominating Committee, click here.

Since launching online last month, Bookselling This Week is available free of charge. Our expanded, daily coverage of bookselling and the publishing industry is available with no password restrictions at the BTW home page (http://news.bookweb.org) -- and all bookstores are encouraged to sign up their staff (either work or home e-mail address) to receive their own copy of the weekly BTW e-mail edition, which is sent every Thursday.