Stay up to date with the world of independent bookselling.
Wednesday, March 2, 2022  
 
SPECIAL NOTE: There will be no issue Wednesday, March 9. See you at Snow Days!
 
Children’s Institute registration opens TOMORROW!
 

We are thrilled to announce that registration for the 10th annual Children’s Institute will open tomorrow, March 3, at 1:00 pm ET. Have your BookWeb login credentials on hand — you’ll need them to register!

What you need to know: 

  • It will be held **in-person** at the Arizona Biltmore, A Waldorf Astoria Resort in Phoenix, Arizona, June 20–22, 2022
  • The event fee is $169
  • The ABA hotel block will open later this month; rooms will cost $145+

The 10th annual industry event is filled with special programming and education for children’s focused and general bookstores, as well as keynotes, an author reception, and a special celebration for Juneteenth. We can’t wait to see you there!
Snow Days

It’s almost time! Snow Days will start next week on Tuesday, March 8! Start planning your schedule, and take a look at this article highlighting one of the many sessions we’re looking forward to — Report From the Field: Black Female Entrepreneurship: Bookselling and Literacy as Resistance.

Part of the Snow Days programming, Creating a Strategic Plan for Your Store, is the first of three sessions on this topic. Attend the first session at Snow Days, then sign up for the next two. Please note: We encourage booksellers to attend all three sessions. However, if you are not attending Snow Days, you are still welcome to attend the subsequent strategic planning sessions. The sessions in this series can be experienced individually.

Register for the supplemental Strategic Planning sessions: 

And, some final Snow Days nuts and bolts:  

  • If you registered, you’ll receive an email this week with your unique access link and some information about navigating the Hopin platform and Kumospace.
  • Rep Picks packets and education session handouts can be found in the program.

Attend Rep Picks or an author reception in Kumospace to be entered to win a FREE trip to Children’s Institute!
Action Items

UPDATED: The deadline for membership renewals has been extended to Friday, March 4. Membership benefits can be reviewed on BookWeb. Booksellers of stores who have not renewed will lose access to members-only resources on March 15.

Questions about dues renewal can be emailed to the Membership Team.

Check out these free expression resources for booksellers. Resources include school and library book ban resources, an asset to educate customers about book bans, sample freedom of expression and privacy statements for stores, and tips on preparing for controversial author events. Contact the American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE) at [email protected] with any questions. You can also call the hotline: (800) 209-1538.
Save the Date

Save the date for these upcoming events:
What to Know

Massachusetts announced a new $75 million small business relief program with grants of up to $75,000. Under the program, the state will administer two grant programs: one aimed at businesses that previously did not qualify for aid and one directed towards businesses that reach underserved markets, are minority-, women-, or veteran-owned businesses, or are owned by individuals who identify as disabled or as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Both grants will be focused on small businesses that employ between two and 50 people. The application period is currently open through April 4, 2022. Learn more and apply here.

Check out these resources associated with our series “Three DEIA Workshops — Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone: Knowing Better Means Doing Better,” which was held two weeks ago. They include resources from Hollaback! for dealing with harassment on the street, online, and in the workplace. Hollaback! is also offering free training sessions.

Here are the 25 Indie Next List and 6 Now in Paperback picks on the April 2022 Indie Next List flier. Top pick? Sea of Tranquility: A Novel by Emily St. John Mandel. And, to mark the start of a new month, March Indie Next List and March/April Kids’ Next List social media assets are live on BookWeb.

Independent booksellers across the country have chosen V.E. Schwab’s Gallant (Greenwillow Books) as their top pick for the March/April Kids’ Indie Next List. Here, Schwab discusses her process with Bookselling This Week.

Silje Ulstein is the author of Reptile Memoirs, a Winter/Spring 2022 Indies Introduce adult selection, and April 2022 Indie Next List pick. Here, BJ Hegedus of Postalworks Silverlake and Ulstein discuss crafting the novel.

Ann Fraistat is the author of What We Harvest, a Winter/Spring 2022 Indies Introduce young adult selection, and March/April 2022 Kids’ Next List pick. Laura G­­raveline of Brazos Bookstore and Fraistat discuss writing the novel.

 

Here is the Indie Sci-fi/Fantasy Bestseller List, based on sales at independent bookstores nationwide for the eight-week period ending February 27, 2022.
 
Quick Links
Indie Next ListIndie Bestseller Lists
Follow ABA
ABA TwitterABA FacebookABA Instagram
Follow IndieBound
IndieBound TwitterIndieBound Facebook
General inquiries and membership: [email protected]
IndieCommerce: [email protected]
Bookselling This Week (BTW) is a Publication of the American Booksellers Association.
Subscribe to Bookselling This Week. E-mail [email protected] to update your e-mail address. Unsubscribe from BTW.