Education

Booksellers are invited to join staff from ABA’s membership department at the fall trade shows to talk about the programs and resources the association provides to strengthen independent booksellers’ businesses.

Attendees heard from fellow booksellers about when they start planning for the holiday season, how they decide on which books and gifts to promote, and more.

The countdown to Winter Institute registration is underway, and booksellers and publishers planning to attend should mark their calendars with these important dates.

For booksellers who attended the event and for those who did not, here are links to all of the articles that BTW has published on Children’s Institute education sessions, plus a link to session videos.

Booksellers discussed strategies for planning and marketing such events as Independent Bookstore Day, Find Waldo Local, and Here’s Harry. 

“Like most of us in bookselling,” says Ariana Paliobagis of Country Bookshelf, “we come to this business not from a business background, but from a love of books and a love of community, so there’s a lot about running a business that we can still learn.”

During the session, booksellers heard from colleagues who are using various SMS services to communicate and engage with customers.

Bookstore panelists spoke about how to identify small costs that add up, where to look for savings, small actions booksellers can take to impact overall savings and sales, and more.

Attendees learned about the logistics of hosting an in-store event; crowd management in a small space; inventory management in a small stockroom; and keeping it fresh with inventive displays.