Dear Booksellers, Deadlines: Winter Institute attendees: Fill out the post-event survey by 11:59 p.m. ET today! Indie Next List survey for all booksellers: Help ABA understand how your store uses the Indie Next List — fill out the survey by 11:59 p.m. ET today. Paycheck Protection Program 14-day window for small businesses with fewer than 20 employees ends March 9 at 5:00 p.m. ET: Eligible bookstores with fewer than 20 employees are encouraged to take advantage of the exclusive opportunity to apply for first and second draw Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans through March 9. There have been many favorable changes to PPP over the past few months so that business expenses paid for with PPP funds are now tax deductible, and borrowers are no longer penalized for receiving an Economic Injury Disaster Loan grant. Bookstores are eligible for a second draw PPP loan if they 1) employ 300 or fewer employees, 2) have fully exhausted their first PPP loan, and 3) demonstrate at least a 25 percent reduction in gross receipts in any quarter in 2020 compared to the same quarter in 2019. Bookstores can find a participating PPP lender through the SBA Lender Match tool. IndieCommerce Institute: This year’s event, to be held March 17 and March 18, will focus on helping stores manage website content, look at how to optimize their online shopping cart for higher conversion rates, and review all the new tools and features added to the IndieCommerce platform. See the full list of topics to be covered and sign up for the IndieCommerce seminar (just five spots left!) or the IndieLite seminar now. Registration closes March 10 and there is no cost to attend. Dues Renewal Season: Membership ended on January 31, so complete the dues renewal form now so you don’t miss out on ABA benefits. The deadline to renew is March 5.
Upcoming Events: Coffee Break
Tuesday, March 2, 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 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, crowdsource solutions to any challenges you’re facing at your store, and ask questions. Watch your email for an invitation and login details. Marketing Meetup: Marketing Poetry Books
Thursday, March 4, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. ET
April is National Poetry Month, so what better time to talk about the potential for poetry books in your store? This Marketing Meetup will focus on marketing poetry books and will feature booksellers who have experience with the poetry genre, including hand-selling to new and experienced poetry readers and launching poetry-based events and programs in their stores. Use the sign-up form at the bottom of the Meetups page to join the mailing list for Marketing Meetups; you’ll be sent the meeting link ahead of the event. Financial Series Part 3: Managerial Accounting
Thursday, March 4, 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET
Designed for booksellers with some understanding of bookkeeping, this session will take a deeper dive into a store’s individual financial statements, focusing on how to read and apply the information in balance sheets, income statements, cash flow statements, and the ABACUS report, in order to make sound financial decisions. This session will be recorded. Register here. POS Users Groups
Wednesday, March 24, 1:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. ET
Booksellers are invited to join representatives from several POS vendors for an informal conversation, whether they are looking to speak with their store’s vendor or talk with other vendors to learn more about their services. Vendors will share details on POS upgrades, tools that improve efficiency for order processing and keeping online stock up-to-date, tips for integrating with IndieCommerce, and tips for managing pre-orders. A general open conversation will also allow vendors to respond to bookseller questions and concerns. The POS Users Groups will occur in Hopin, the platform ABA used for the 2021 Virtual Winter Institute. Booksellers will be able to move from group to group or stay with one vendor for the entirety of the session. Look for registration information in Bookselling This Week and future updates. 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 |
