Dear Booksellers,

Most of ABA will be off on Monday for Labor Day so there won’t be an update to kick off next week. Taking a day off feels like a luxury during these times, but with mental health a growing concern during the pandemic, taking care of ourselves and taking care of each other needs to be a priority. The CDC and Mental Health America both have good resources and information to offer support, and, of course, a day off is always good. Even if it seems like you can’t spare the time, remember the parable of the two woodcutters competing to see who can cut the most wood: The one who stops to sharpen their axe wins. We’ll be back with axes sharpened on Tuesday to finish the final stretch leading up to Q4 with our new education series and part two of our BTW Q4 prep series.

Next Week’s Events

  • Coffee Break: Tuesday, September 8, at 3:00 p.m. ET
    Join us for an opportunity to share support, ask questions, and trade best practices. All booksellers are welcome. Email [email protected] for Zoom login details. 

  • Technology Meetup: Eventbrite Updates: Thursday, September 10, at 1:00 p.m. ET
    During this session, Eventbrite Client Success Manager Jorge Portillo and Technical Customer Success Manager II Donna Kumar will provide updates on recent changes to Eventbrite and new useful integrations that are available. Register here for the session.

Advocacy

  • CDC Temporarily Halts Residential Evictions
    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an order halting residential evictions for non-payment through December 31, 2020. Evictions for reasons other than non-payment will still be allowed.

    • Under the order, renters must sign a declaration stating they don’t make more than $99,000 a year ($198,000 for filing jointly) and have no other housing option.

    • The order does not waive payment obligations or prohibit fees, penalties, or interest for failure to pay. It also does not include funding for rent relief. (The CDC does not have this authority.)

  • Get SBA Loan Relief
    The Small Business Administration (SBA) will pay six months of principal, interest, and any associated fees that you owe on SBA loans disbursed prior to September 27, 2020. 7(a), 504, and Microloans qualify for this relief (not Paycheck Protection Program or Economic Injury Disaster loans). Learn more about additional loan options here.

  • Reminder: An EIDL Grant Will Not Be Forgiven if You Also Received PPP
    If you received an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) grant of $1,000 per employee (up to 10 employees) and a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, the EIDL grant amount will be subtracted from your PPP forgiveness. See ABA’s breakdown of PPP and EIDL and the SBA’s FAQ for more information.

  • Congress Is Back Next Week: Contact Your Lawmakers About COVID Relief
    With Congress back in session next week, now is the time to urge your lawmakers to work together to save America’s small businesses. Tell Congress to fund the USPS, make changes to PPP, and implement a refundable tax credit for PPE and testing, among other top priorities.

IndieCommerce Credit Card Processor Deadline October 22

  • The deadline to move to your own ecommerce credit card processor (if you’ve been using ABA’s credit card processor and your IndieCommerce site is still on the shared ABA credit card account) is October 22 to avoid disruption of your ecommerce. You can find answers to some of your questions here and instructions here. You can also email [email protected] with any questions or if you need recommendations for a credit card processor. We are happy to guide you through this process.  

Education

This week launched ABA’s new Q4 prep webinar series:

  • Top 10 Things to Know About: Buying Monthly (see a recap in this week’s BTW):

  • Top 10 Things to Know About Managing Cash Flow (September 10 at 3:00 p.m. ET) Sign up for the webinar here.

  • Top 10 Things to Know About: Improving Operational Workflow (September 17 at 3:00 p.m. ET)

  • Top 10 Things to Know About: Leveraging Customer and Sales Data (October 1 at 3:00 p.m. ET)

  • Top 10 Things to Know About: Leveraging ABA’s Fall Marketing Campaign (October 8 at 3:00 p.m. ET)

  • Top 10 Things to Know About: Creating Safe and Profitable Virtual Events (October 15 at 3:00 p.m. ET)

  • Top 10 Things to Know About: Keeping Calm and Carrying On (in a World of Face Masks, Hand Sanitizer, Race Relations, and Election Tensions) (October 22 at 3:00 p.m. ET)

Each webinar will be followed by a recap in BTW, a summary on BookWeb, and the recording on the Education Resources page.

Happy Labor Day. Take good care.

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

Allison Hill (she/her/hers)
Chief Executive Officer

American Booksellers Association
333 Westchester Ave., Suite S202 
White Plains, NY 10604 | 800-637-0037 
[email protected] • www.BookWeb.org

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