About ABA

All ABA Regular Bookstore members should be on the lookout for an electronic ballot for the 2013 election of American Booksellers Association officers and directors to arrive via an e-mail from CEO Oren Teicher this Friday, March 29.

ABA CEO Oren Teicher writes about the Spring Forums and BEA, where booksellers will find some great enhancements and new benefits to the ABA members’ lounge. Teicher also encourages members to take part in a new round of multi-publisher promotions.

ABA has submitted public comments to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers to oppose the selling of closed generic TLDs, which would allow companies to secure exclusive rights to domains such as .read or .author.

ABA is inviting booksellers to a Spring Forum at Politics and Prose Bookstore in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, March 19. The event, presented in conjunction with the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association, is free and open to all booksellers.

The American Booksellers Association’s Board of Directors met from February 20 - 22, 2013, in Kansas City, Missouri, just prior to the eighth annual Winter Institute. Among other things, the Board approved candidates for the 2013 elections, discussed plans for upcoming educational events, and received reports on an array of association projects.

ABA is encouraging members to hold off making any decision on filing the swipe fee settlement notice in the federal antitrust lawsuit over rapidly rising Visa and MasterCard credit card swipe fees until the association issues a recommendation.

ABA is inviting booksellers to a Spring Booksellers Forum in Atlanta, Georgia, next week in conjunction with the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance and the Great American Bargain Book Show Springtime event at the AmericasMart.

The names of three director candidates approved by the ABA Board will appear on the ballot to be sent to main store members at the end of March. Under ABA’s Bylaws, bookstore members may submit petitions to have additional director candidates placed on the ballot.

At this past weekend’s eighth annual Winter Institute in Kansas City, ABA announced that Winter Institute 9 would be heading to Seattle, Washington.

The American Booksellers Association’s Board of Directors, which met this week in Kansas City just prior to the Winter Institute, has named three director candidates to stand for election to the Board.

ABA bookstore members should expect to receive a settlement notice soon as part of the proposed class-action settlement of a federal antitrust lawsuit over rapidly rising Visa and MasterCard credit card swipe fees. ABA is currently working with a coalition of trade associations and companies to gather information as to the best course of action for members.

ABA President Becky Anderson’s bimonthly letter to members looks at some of the highlights of this weekend’s Winter Institute and notes that some of booksellers’ best ideas will also be featured in an education session at the association’s upcoming Spring Forums.

Starting on Thursday, February 21, independent booksellers across the country can pre-register to participate in Find Waldo Local 2013, a month-long community-wide scavenger hunt in July 2013 that celebrates the uniqueness, fun, and strength of local businesses.

The national landscape regarding equitable sales tax collection has shifted dramatically, according to figures tabulated by ABA.

Following publication of last week’s list of 2012 ABA member store openings, three more stores were added, bringing the total to 43.  Also added to ABA’s membership over the past year were 11 bookstores opening for business in 2011 that joined the association in 2012.