Top News
Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook CEOs are scheduled to testify to Congress on Wednesday, July 29, at 12:00 p.m. ET. The House subcommittee will stream the hearing on its YouTube channel. Be forewarned: Amazon is expected to promote itself as a friend of small business; this is a good opportunity to make some noise on social media. Actions
Contact Your Lawmakers
As Congress begins negotiating another COVID-19 relief package, contact your lawmakers today about the needs of independent bookstores. Contact Your E-commerce Credit Card Processor
E-commerce sales are anticipated to reach an all-time high this 4th quarter and holiday season. Credit card processors sometimes shut down service in response to unexpected or unusual sales spikes out of concern for fraud. We’ve heard from more than one store that has had this happen in recent months. To ensure that your online credit card processing is uninterrupted, communicate with your e-commerce credit card processor early and often about your expected increase in sales. Brown Paper Tickets
ABA is looking into the concerns of members who are owed money by Brown Paper Tickets (BPT) and have been unable to reach the company. Unfortunately these complaints are not unique. Stores currently using BPT should take note. Stores owed money should contact their state attorney general and let ABA membership know, as we are working on other potential resources for members. Events
Technology Meetup
On July 30 at 1:00 p.m. ET, learn about the virtual meeting platform Zoom. Last month, Wiley offered to send copies of their book Zoom for Dummies to independent booksellers free of charge upon request. Now, Wiley has gone a step further to work with ABA and Zoom for Dummies author Phil Simon to set up this Technology Meetup, during which Phil will provide his expert advice on Zoom, including best practices, tips, and answers to some commonly asked questions. Registration is required. IndieCommerce & IndieLiteCoffee Break
The Tuesday, July 28, Coffee Break has been reprogrammed to focus on IndieCommerce and IndieLite. The coffee break will be held from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. ABA IndieCommerce Director Phil Davies and Senior Manager Geetha Nathan will be available to discuss the IndieCommerce/IndieLite services and answer questions. Booksellers using either of the services -- and booksellers interested in either service -- are encouraged to come prepared with questions. Those interested in attending who do not already have the Coffee Break meeting credentials should email [email protected] for that information. Evening Coffee Break
The next evening Coffee Break will take place Thursday, July 30, at 6:00 p.m. ET. Meeting credentials are the same as the weekly 3:00 p.m. ET break, and all are welcome to attend. If you do not have the login credentials, please email [email protected]. BIPOC Meeting Space
The next meeting space for BIPOC -- Black, Indigenous, or People of Color -- booksellers and bookstore owners to gather for connection, support, community, resources, and networking will be held on August 6 at 6:00 p.m. ET. This will be a non-hosted opportunity; there will not be a facilitator and ABA staff will not be in attendance other than to let people into the room. Booksellers and store owners interested in attending should email [email protected] for the Zoom information. Please note: This session has a session-specific password; so please email for details. (Meeting logistics are based on a survey of those who previously expressed interest in attending the July BIPOC session. The results indicated a majority preference for this date/time and the inclusion of ABA Board BIPOC bookstore owners/booksellers who would like to attend. Opinions on whether there should be a facilitator were split evenly, so the August session will not have a facilitator but the September session will. We will continue to solicit feedback to inform plans moving forward.) ABA is here for all of you. Please reach out if there is anything we can help with. Members can contact me directly or email the Membership, Advocacy, or IndieCommerce teams. Best,
Allison |
