Industry News

The closure of a book-and-music chain’s local branch store created the business opportunity of a lifetime for a couple in Norfolk, Nebraska. Chad and Bonnell Jochum plan to open Main Street Books, a general interest bookstore, on April 18. 

The ABC Children’s Group at ABA is encouraging booksellers at all ABA member stores to submit title recommendations for the 2016 ABC Best Books for Young Readers Catalog.

ABA member booksellers attending BEA 2016 still have a chance to request complimentary tickets to see a performance by Blue Man Group on Wednesday night, May 11, at Chicago’s Briar Street Theatre, courtesy of Hachette and Black Dog & Leventhal.

Alsace Walentine, former author events coordinator at Malaprop’s, provides an update on her plans to open a bookstore in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Shawn Morin named CEO and president of Ingram; HarperCollins Publishers creates HarperCollins France; Columbia University Press Sales Consortium adds Harvard University Press; Imprisoned Egyptian novelist wins 2016 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award; Winners of 2015 James Tiptree Jr. Award, 2016 Hans Christian Andersen Award announced; 2016 National Book Awards entry form open; 2016 Kirkus Prize judges named

Seven of the eight featured authors at this year’s BEA breakfasts will be autographing exclusively for indie booksellers in the ABA Member Lounge on the McCormick Place trade show floor.

Next Tuesday, April 12, is the last day for all main store members to vote in the 2016 ABA Board of Directors elections. Stores that need the ballot link should contact their ABA member relationship manager.

The April 6 edition of IndieCommunication features news of a guest speaker for the upcoming IndieCommerce Institute, a Google Analytics webinar, and an update on IndieCommerce Kobo pages and a new feature, Conditional Attributes.

ABA has its own group page on the business-oriented social networking tool LinkedIn. Booksellers, publishers, and others in the industry are invited to share photos, post helpful articles, and start conversations about the business of retail bookselling.

Volumes Bookcafé, a new general interest bookstore in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood, celebrated its grand opening on Saturday, April 2.

Bookselling This Week’s new series “What’s in a Name?” looks at the story behind the name of New Orleans’ Tubby & Coo’s Mid-City Book Shop.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has vetoed a bill that free speech groups feared would have a chilling effect on the selection of books taught in the state’s public schools. In March, ABFE joined a letter urging McAuliffe to veto House Bill 516.

Booksellers are encouraged to check out the recent additions to ABA’s YouTube channel, including Winter Institute 11’s discussions on the New Localism movement and two of the event’s three plenary presentations, as well as bookseller interviews of 10 of this season’s Indies Introduce authors.

To help small business owners navigate the loan process, the Small Business Majority is hosting the free webinar “Access to Capital 101: Funding Options to Start and Grow Your Business” on Wednesday, April 13.

Today, April 6, at midnight EDT, balloting for the 2016 Indies Choice and E.B. White Read-Aloud awards closes. Up to three booksellers per member location can still sign up for the Celebration of Bookselling and Author Awards Lunch at BEA.