Advocacy

On Thursday, June 11, the European Commission (EC) opened a formal antitrust investigation into “certain business practices by Amazon in the distribution of e-books.” 

Post-BEA report points to rising attendance; Publishing industry survey reports $28 billion in revenue in 2014; We Need Diverse Books announces publishing internship grant winners; Additional winners announced at PEN Literary Awards Ceremony; Simon & Schuster to distribute Gallup Press; Bookmasters signs international sales and distribution agreements; Lerner partners with Quarto Library

The two auctions of children’s book art that were held in conjunction with BookExpo America raised almost $60,000 to defend the free speech rights of kids, the American Booksellers for Free Expression reported on Wednesday.

Last week, Left Bank Books co-owner Jarek Steele wrote a blog post highlighting the challenges small business owners face regarding minimum wage.

On June 8, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act, a bill that would both permanently prohibit states from taxing access to the Internet and prohibit taxes on bandwidth and e-mail, according to media reports. 

Amazon began collecting sales tax on purchases made by Ohio residents on Monday, June 1; however, the decision to collect is part of deal to build data centers in the state that includes millions in tax subsidies, as well as land and tax deals.

Though marketplace fairness legislation was not on Tuesday’s formal agenda for the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial, and Antitrust Law, members of Congress and key witnesses made clear that it remains the top issue for Congress to address on state taxation issues.

The U.S. Senate approved the USA FREEDOM Act (H.R. 2048) by a vote of 67–32 on Tuesday, June 2. The bill had already passed the U.S. House of Representatives by an overwhelming vote.

A Booktalking Kit, created by We Need Diverse Books and School Library Journal, was shipped to ABA member stores in the Summer Kids’ White Box mailing.

The American Booksellers for Free Expression’s online auction of more than 50 works of art created by children’s book illustrators is open on eBay through Monday, June 8.

The U.S. Senate is deadlocked over proposed changes in the USA PATRIOT Act. It must pass legislation extending several sections of the law before midnight on Sunday, May 31, or they will expire, forcing the government to shut down surveillance programs that it says it needs to protect the country from terrorism.

Hazel Roos, a prospective bookseller and provisional ABA member, is the owner of Paint Away, a pottery painting and glass fusing studio in Redmond, Washington. This op-ed on the minimum wage is adapted from an e-mail she recently sent to ABA.

Booksellers expressing concerns on a range of issues during the Small Business Majority’s first-ever Small Business Leadership Summit last week included incoming ABA President Betsy Burton of The King’s English Bookshop, Bradley Graham of Politics & Prose, Christin Evans of The Booksmith and Kepler’s Books, and Kris Kleindienst of Left Bank Books.

With a Senate vote on the FREEDOM Act expected soon, ABFE Director Chris Finan takes the opportunity to look back at how the fight for reader privacy began 17 years ago, when subpoenas for a customer’s records were issued to two Washington, D.C., bookstores.

Booksellers attending BEA are invited to schedule a time to talk to ABA Senior Public Policy Analyst David Grogan at the show about any advocacy issues of concern — whether it’s minimum wage, access to capital, e-fairness, healthcare, or other public policy issues impacting their business.