Dear Booksellers,

I know stores are struggling and concerned about the days ahead. ABA is working on several initiatives to support members during this crisis. Here are some steps you can take to immediately help your business: 

• Call your landlord and ask for rent relief. Please reach out to Dan Cullen at ABA with any questions on how to do this. 
• Promote your e-commerce site. Offer free or inexpensive shipping, home delivery, or curb-side pickup to encourage shopping on your site.
• If you don’t have an e-commerce site, sign up for ABA’s IndieLite e-commerce platform for free through May 31 and be up and running within a few days. Alternatively, bookstores can sign up as an affiliate and sell through Bookshop.
• Call your publishing sales reps and ask for help! — extended dating, a billing grace period, the removal of a return cap. We can’t stress this enough. Publishers may be able to help on a case-by-case basis. Go to ABA's Coronavirus Resources for Booksellers page and scroll down for more information.
• Lobby your local government officials for loans, grants, and other support for small businesses; as a guide, see how San Francisco and New York City are offering support. Check your local city or town websites for information.
• Visit BookWeb’s Coronavirus Resources for Booksellers page for the most current updates on publisher support, financial assistance opportunities, best business practices in a downturn, industry events, and more.
• Visit BookWeb’s Bookseller-to-Bookseller Forum about the outbreak to share questions, concerns, ideas, and support.
• Notify ABA if your store is closed, whether voluntarily or due to a government requirement or “suggestion,” so we have critical info for our lobbying and advocacy efforts.
• Contact ABA for assistance.

ABA’s initiatives during the outbreak:

• Advocating for bookseller support from publishers and vendors.
• Exploring funding support for both bookstores and booksellers who are furloughed or laid off.
• Lobbying key federal elected officials on the needs of small business as they draft legislation to address the COVID-19 outbreak.
• Publishing a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal (compliments of Harper) promoting shopping local with indie bookstores.
• Offering free setup of IndieLite e-commerce sites, now through May 31.
• Sharing best practices with booksellers during the crisis.

ABA is here to support you; please reach out if there is anything we can do to help. We are an incredibly creative, resilient, supportive industry. We'll get through this, together.

Best,
Allison