About Bookselling

On Thursday, May 12, at BookExpo America, HarperCollins Publishers announced a “New Bookstore Development Program” for independent booksellers in the U.S. who are opening new stores or expanding to additional locations.

In his bimonthly letter, ABA’s CEO discusses the recently concluded Spring Booksellers Forums and next month’s BEA; the chance for booksellers to effect change through participation in the New Localism movement; and the opportunities presented by the new Indie Next List “Years of Discovery” Campaign.

Edelweiss/Treeline Education Coordinator Joe Foster explains how indie booksellers can discover upcoming titles with a lot of potential by looking at the review and shelf activity in Edelweiss among ABA members.

Cambridge, Massachusetts, bookstore owner David Sandberg met protestors at an April 19 author appearance with sympathy and respect and a statement that explained why it was important for the event to go on as planned.

ABA President Betsy Burton, of The King’s English Bookshop, reports on recent meetings between ABA leadership and the CEOs, COOs, and other major figures at NYC publishing houses.

Edelweiss/Treeline Education and Outreach Coordinator Joe Foster shares a quick tip that illustrates what separates a good book buyer from a great one.

ABA is encouraging booksellers and others in the book industry to share their thoughts on what can be done to increase diversity in both the books available for sale at ABA member stores and within the community of booksellers itself.

Panelists at the Winter Institute 11 education session “Creating a Bookstore Café” shared tips and best practices for start-up, staffing, and overall management of a café.

Erica Luttrell, the general manager at Chevalier’s Books in Los Angeles, shares her thoughts on diversity and expresses the hope that we will come to a point where “diversity as a word might just lose all meaning, as it simply will be.”

Jenny Cayabyab Cohen, a third generation Filipino-American and the co-owner of Waucoma Bookstore, shares her thoughts on diversity in the book industry and celebrating our differences.

This April, Mary Rork-Watson, whose background lies in office administration, literature studies, and art, will open Plot Twist Bookstore, the very first bookstore for Ankeny, Iowa.

At the Winter Institute 11 education session “Event Management for the Very Small Store,” owners and event coordinators from self-defined very small stores took home actionable tips on managing time, resources, publicity, and budgets for in-store and off-site events.

ABFE Director Chris Finan looks at the implications for the freedom to write, publish, and sell books, when authors and publishers respond to controversies over their works by pulling them from the marketplace.

Dayton Literary Peace Prize accepting entries; Villarosa Media to publish first book; Bookstore café specialist joins Paz & Associates; Survey by children’s publisher correlates lack of diverse books to lack of diverse staff; Ella Boureau named Lambda Literary’s awards administrator; 2016 PEN Literary Awards shortlists announced

Dr. John Sherlock, director of the Master of Science in Human Resources Program at Western Carolina University, led a discussion at Winter Institute 11 focusing on HR essentials for small businesses.