The petition process (where you can write in a candidate to stand for election) for the 2023 ABA Board of Directors and Officers Candidates Election is still open. 

Booksellers who wish to petition to be put on the ballot should ask their supporters to email [email protected] with their endorsement of the petitioner; the supporters will then be asked to send their original signature to ABA by mail. All original signatures should be postmarked by this Sunday, February 12.

Submit your membership renewals by March 1. Renew now to avoid a lapse in membership! Membership benefits can be reviewed on BookWeb. Questions about dues renewal can be emailed to the Membership Team.

Join other bookstore managers and owners to discuss selected management books, share best practices in staff management, solicit advice on staff development, and grow their skills as leaders in their stores. The Management Book Club meets on the third Wednesday of every month at 3:00 pm ET. The February selection is: I Love It Here by Clint Pulver (9781989603376)

Registration for the Management Book Club is only required once per year. Those who register will have access to upcoming sessions through the rest of 2023.

You’ve been all in for your business since day one. You’re always learning, always hustling, always striving for more. And with help from FedEx, you can go all out to drive your small business further with a chance to win one of ten $30K grants from the FedEx Small Business Grant Contest. Entering is easy. To get started, have your FedEx number handy. The deadline to enter is February 21. 

Here’s another way you can be a winner. Join the FedEx Advantage® discounts program. It’s free to join, and you’ll save up to 50% on FedEx® shipping.

The American Booksellers Association’s Advocacy division is now providing quarterly updates on its recent work, available on BookWeb. The first update covers Advocacy's work from September 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022. Advocacy will update its work quarterly as part of its transparency commitment.

The recording of last week’s Employee Retention Credit (ERC) session is now available. Your store may be eligible for ERC money, despite what you may have read or been told previously! If you want to hear more and ask questions, register for the next live ERC 30-minute Zoom webinar on Thursday, March 2, 2023, at 5:00 pm ET. You can also email [email protected] or [email protected] directly today.

We’re continuing our celebration of Black History Month! To amplify the message and celebrate Black voices, here is a curated book list entitled You So Black — A Celebration Of Black Stories 2023 from ABC Council’s Kathy Burnette of Brain Lair Books in South Bend, Indiana.

The American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) invites booksellers to amplify the “Shop Black-Owned” message this month (and all year long!). AMIBA has compiled articles and resources to leverage the movement including:

• Help Your Community Find Black-Owned Businesses
• How Organizations Can Celebrate Shop Black-Owned Month

Here is a preview of the titles on the March/April 2023 Kids’ Indie Next List flier, arriving at stores in the upcoming Kids’ Box mailing. Top pick? The Moth Keeper by K. O’Neill.

Join us in welcoming ABA’s newest team members! Here are a few new folks you might not know who will be making their debut at Winter Institute.

Nazlı Koca is the author of the novel The Applicant, a Winter/Spring 2023 Adult selection. Here, Koca and Emerson Perper of Curious Iguana in Frederick, MD, discuss The Applicant.

The Kids’ Right to Read Project — a coalition of groups led by the National Coalition Against Censorship, which includes the American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE) — reaches out to school districts to stop them from removing books from schools and libraries. Booksellers can view the most recent letters ABFE has signed onto on BookWeb.

Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Federal Trade Commission may be preparing to file an antitrust suit against Amazon in the coming months that "could challenge an array of the tech giant’s business practices as anticompetitive, according to people familiar with the matter." In 2021, ABA shared it's legally grounded white paper detailing Amazon's anticompetitive practices with Lina Khan after she became the FTC Chair.

The Basic Bookselling course from the Professional Booksellers School (PBS) is designed to educate first year booksellers and new store owners on the best practices to improve the customer experience and engagement; honing handselling and book review skills; understanding a bookstore’s mission and finances; and crucial insider knowledge of the industry. Classes are on Mondays (7:00 pm ET / 6:00 pm CT / 4:00 pm PT) from March 13 through May 15, 2023. Class size is limited. The fee is $125. 

The best way to find out more about their courses and to be the first to know when registrations are opening is to become a member of PBS for free!