About ABA

Through a new ABA affiliate partnership, Bancard Systems is offering ABA members exclusive, low rates on credit card processing and free side-by-side rate comparisons.

Bookstores that have not renewed their dues in ABA for the year February 1, 2014, to January 31, 2015, will lose all of their membership benefits on March 31.

Up to three booksellers per ABA member store can now book their reservations for ABA’s 2014 Celebration of Bookselling and Author Awards Lunch, to be held on Thursday, May 29, at BEA.

Today, ABA announced its educational programming and special events for BookExpo America 2014 via a dedicated mini-site on BookWeb.org. This year’s ABA programming will take place over all four days of the show, from Wednesday, May 28, to Saturday, May 31, at the Javits Convention Center.

The American Booksellers Association has formed a new affiliate partnership with Bancard Systems, a credit card processing company that is offering exclusive, low rates for ABA member bookstores and free side-by-side rate comparisons. 

ABA will be hosting four Spring Forum programs for booksellers and prospective booksellers in the Great Lakes, Midwest, and Southern regions between Monday, March 10, and Friday, March 14.

In an effort to optimize the Kobo experience for ABA bookstore members, Kobo’s Nicole Elliott will be working at the association’s offices for several days each month and will be available to member bookstores and ABA’s Kobo team.

In his March letter, ABA President Steve Bercu reflects on the post-holiday survey of indie businesses conducted by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, George Packer’s piece in The New Yorker about Amazon's effect on the book industry, and more.

A new video posted to BookWeb.org affords viewers a peek at highlights of the January 2014 Winter Institute. A number of handouts and PowerPoint presentations from Wi9 education sessions are now available to ABA members on BookWeb’s Education Curriculum page.

Since BTW arrived in inboxes last Thursday, the list of new stores opening in 2013 and new owners taking over existing businesses has been updated with two additional stores in each category.

Following last week’s announcement of Indies First Storytime Day, booksellers have begun inviting their favorite local authors to host an in-store storytime on the day of the event, May 17, 2014, to foster a celebration of the love of reading within their communities.

Petitions to have the names of additional candidates added to the ballot for the ABA’s 2014–15 Board of Directors elections must be received by next Monday, March 3.

Bookseller Gary Robson of Red Lodge Books & Tea, working in collaboration with ABA, has created two boards on Pinterest where booksellers can share ideas about displays and discover innovative ways to showcase books and sidelines in their stores.

ABA has invited booksellers and prospective booksellers in the Great Lakes and Midwest regions to its spring Booksellers Forums in Cleveland, Minneapolis, and Iowa City. Each will feature an open forum discussion and the education session “Conversations That Work.”

ABA welcomed 45 indie bookstores that opened for business in 2013 in 20 states. Among them were six branches of existing businesses. And in another sign of the vitality of independent bookselling, last year 13 established ABA member stores were bought by new owners.