Dear Booksellers, So much has happened the last few days but we’re all business as we kick off the week: IndieCommerce Credit Card Processor Migration: 33 More Days to the October 22 Deadline Avoid additional IndieCommerce fees and an ecommerce disruption! 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. Stores that have not switched over by that time will begin paying the additional 4.5% service fee again to cover ABA’s additional costs, on top of the new 1% commission. You can find answers to some of your questions here and instructions for setting up your own account 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.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Representation Update ABA continues to prioritize diversity, equity, inclusion, and representation. Here are a few of the things we’ve been working on: Added a “Preferred Name/Chosen Name” field to the IndieCommerce checkout process to ensure that customers can be addressed as they wish, and so stores can respect this component of an individual’s identity and signal their support and commitment to diversity and inclusivity. Revised the Independent Bookstore Day logo to be more inclusive of skin tones for 2020 after receiving bookseller feedback addressing the whiteness of the original image; working to revise the logo entirely for 2021. Assisted with an investigation of a hate mail incident involving a member bookstore. Responded to a publisher using the term “illegal alien” in a book review. (The publisher subsequently took responsibility and issued a revised email correcting the language and explaining why the previous language was objectionable.) Added a way for IndieCommerce stores to opt out of selling certain titles from the IndieCommerce database as well as publicly explain why they are not selling those titles. Responded to a case of cultural appropriation in book cover art. (The publisher subsequently took responsibility and changed the artwork for the upcoming paperback cover.) Waived ABA membership fees for new BIPOC bookstore members. Revised the membership application to include demographic data so we can better represent and support our members. Conducted (and continue to conduct) outreach to Black-owned bookstores to share resources and offer support. Continued to prioritize representation in all ABA educational programming. With support from ABA’s members, board, and nominating committee, appointed two Black booksellers to the ABA Board of Directors. (We are excited to have Melanie Knight of Books Inc. and Jake Cumsky-Whitlock of Solid State Books on the board!)
ABA is grateful to members who brought some of these issues and ideas to our attention, the publishers who demonstrated their shared commitment to change, and the booksellers who serve on the ABA Committee on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for their ongoing assistance with these efforts. Advocacy Call for Amazon Op-Ed Placement The Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) is looking for booksellers in Georgia, Rhode Island, and New York to work with them on placing op-eds in local publications. The op-ed seeks to congratulate members of the House Antitrust Subcommittee on their important work on the upcoming Subcommittee report about Big Tech, and explain how Amazon’s monopoly power has made it hard for bookstores to compete on a fair playing field. Contact [email protected] for more info.
New IndieCommerce Features We announced Friday that stores that use local store inventory (LSI) on their site (where your on-hand titles are visible to customers) will now be able to see their inventory as well as Ingram’s inventory when processing orders. Starting later this week, stores will also be able to see their Bookazine inventory on hand. (Stores that only use one wholesaler or the other may want to make sure they have an account with both. It’s important to have accounts with more than one wholesaler going into Q4 in case of disruption in the supply chain. To set up a Bookazine account, email Josh Harwood. To set up an Ingram account, go to Ingramcontent.com and click on the “Get Started” link in the middle of the page.)
This Week’s Events Regional Association Fall Shows Join SIBA and NAIBA, NEIBA, and GLIBA and MIBA for their fall regional shows this week! Coffee Break: Tuesday, September 22, at 3:00 p.m. ET & Thursday, September 24, at 6:00 p.m. ET Join us for an opportunity to share support, ask questions, and trade best practices. All booksellers are welcome. If you’ve never attended this event before, it’s a great way to hear what’s working well at other stores and crowdsource solutions to any challenges you’re facing at your store. Email [email protected] for Zoom login details.
ABA is here for all of you. Please reach out if there is anything we can help with. Members can email the Membership, Advocacy, or IndieCommerce teams. Best, Allison |