Ci2024 Registration opens tomorrow!
Stay up to date with the world of independent bookselling.
Wednesday, March 6, 2024
Congratulations to the Ci2024 Scholarship Winners
 

The American Booksellers Association is eager to announce the 30 winners of scholarships to Children's Institute 2024 (Ci2024) in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Scholarship recipients receive waived registration fees to in-person Children’s Institute, a comped hotel room during the Institute, and up to $600 reimbursement for travel to and from the Institute. 
 
View Winners
Nominations Open for Booksellers Advisory Council
 

Nominations are now open for the Booksellers Advisory Council (BAC)!

BAC members provide feedback about ABA programs and services as they are being developed; offer suggestions to help ABA improve programs and services to better serve the bookselling communities; bring concerns of booksellers and bookstore owners to the ABA staff and Board; and generally assist ABA.

Booksellers are invited to nominate themselves. 

Nominations are due by 11:59 pm ET on March 25.
 
Nominate Booksellers
 
Save the date for these upcoming events:
 
 
Visit Events Calendar
 
Welcome New ABA Staff

Join us in welcoming Preethi Kannath to the Education team as Lead Instructional Designer. Preethi has a background in corporate training, adult education, and publishing. She lives in an Atlanta suburb with her husband and daughter. She enjoys growing food, hoarding books, engaging in meaningful conversations, and would never say no to a plate of creamy fettuccine alfredo. 

“I want to use my skills to make impactful and engaging learning experiences for our members,” said Kannath. 
 
2024 Board Election Opens Tomorrow

Keep an eye on your inboxes!

The ballot for the 2024 Board election will be sent to ABA members via email tomorrow.

The deadline to vote will be on April 3 by 11:59 pm ET. 

The new Board of Directors will be announced in BTW on April 10. 
View Announcement
Words Unite: The Co-Op Built on Collaboration and Community

As we transition from Black History Month to Women’s History Month, we wanted to highlight one of the many bookstores that exist at the intersection of these identities. 

Words Unite Bookstore is a Black-owned, woman-owned, and veteran-owned co-op bookstore in Fort Cavazos, TX. We talked to owner, Ashley Marie Booker-Knight, to learn more about the store’s origin, operation, and mission.
Read Interview
One Week Left to Nominate a Bookseller for the James Patterson Bookstore Bonus

Up to 500 booksellers from ABA member stores across the country will receive $500 bonuses for a total donation of up to $250,000 from James Patterson in celebration of his new title, The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians!

The deadline to nominate a bookseller is Wednesday, March 13.
Nominate Booksellers
Have You Renewed Your Membership?

All ABA memberships run from February 1 through January 31. Member stores can opt to pay dues on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis, but all members need to complete the renewal process to update their store’s data. Please be aware that membership costs have increased by $10. 

Check out this infographic to make sure you have everything you need for renewal. You can review membership benefits on BookWeb.
Renew Now
Matchbook Marketing INL E-Newsletter

If you use Matchbook Marketing and have recently switched e-commerce platforms, please email Gwyn Ridenhour so she can check for broken links and make updates. 

Don’t know what Matchbook Marketing is? Through ABA’s partnership with Matchbook Marketing, you can send customers the Indie Next List e-newsletter, featuring your store’s logo, a special message from your store, and buy links that direct back to your website. For free! 
Learn More
Bookseller Lightning Talks

ABA's Bookseller Lightning Talks series features booksellers presenting 5–10 minute talks on tech tools, organizational strategies, communication methods, or innovations they’ve made in their stores.

Lightning Talks take place on the second Thursday of every month.

Our March talks will feature:

  • Angie Zhao (bbgb books) on School Author Events
  • Emily Autenrieth (A Seat at the Table Books) on Calculating Sales for Store Sustainability
  • Bregette Poore (Child's Play Toys & Books) on Buying/Sourcing Toys
Register Now
Indies Introduce Q&A with Loretta Lopez

Loretta Lopez is the author of City Girls, a Winter/Spring 2024 Indies Introduce Kids’ selection. Here, Lopez and Maryan Liban of Cover to Cover Books for Young Readers in Columbus, OH, discuss City Girls.
Read Interview
Indies Introduce Q&A with Damilare Kuku

Damilare Kuku is the author of Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad, a Winter/Spring 2024 Indies Introduce selection. Here, Kuku and Melissa Sagendorph of Harvard Book Store in Cambridge, MA, discuss Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad.
Read Interview
A Q&A With Tommy Orange, Author of March Indie Next List Top Pick “Wandering Stars”

Independent booksellers across the country have chosen Tommy Orange’s Wandering Stars as their top pick for the March 2024 Indie Next List. Here, Bookselling This Week and Orange talk about Wandering Stars.
Read Interview
March/April KNL Q&A with Michelle Knudsen and Kevin Hawkes

Independent booksellers across the country have chosen Michelle Knudsen and Kevin Hawkes’ Luigi, The Spider Who Wanted to Be a Kitten (Candlewick) as their top pick for the March/April 2024 Kids’ Indie Next List. Here, Bookselling This Week talks with Knudsen and Hawkes.
Read Interview
April Indie Next List Preview

Here are the 25 Indie Next List and 6 Now in Paperback picks on the April 2024 Indie Next List flier. Top pick? James by Percival Everett. And, to mark the start of a new month, March Indie Next List and March/April Kids’ Indie Next List social media assets are live on BookWeb.
See List
Binc Mental Health Wellness Program

The Book Industry Charitable Foundation (Binc) offers eligible booksellers access to professional therapy with a licensed therapist. They offer access to telehealth therapy or support in starting or continuing in-person therapy. You can learn more or fill out the online inquiry form on Binc’s website.
Learn More
RISE Booksellers Exchange Programme

Applications are now open for the RISE Booksellers Exchange Programme. This program grants applicants a 3-day stay in a foreign host bookshop, and is designed to promote connection and inclusivity. The deadline to submit applications is March 31. 
Learn More
Advocacy Updates
 

On the small business side: 

  • Mark your calendars for March 20! We are organizing a day of action to demand the Small Business Administration dump Amazon as a cosponsor of National Small Business Week. ABA and our small business allies have created assets for a social media blackout on March 20, tagging SBA and using the hashtag #SBADumpAmazon. Bookstore members should have received an email with information about this Day of Action on Tuesday, March 5.
  • New York State Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law NY A 6716, a bill that amends the banking law and the New York State Urban Development Corporation Act to establish a program to help small businesses located in highly distressed areas and minority and women-owned business enterprises garner access to capital. The State plans on creating a website that provides small businesses more information on the new program. The law should go into effect in early April.

Meanwhile, American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE) has been rallying booksellers and supporters against book ban bills in several state legislatures:

  • Utah HB 29 passed the state legislature last week, which would create a pathway to statewide bans if three school districts ban a book under certain conditions. The bill now goes to the Governor’s desk for a veto. ABFE wrote to the governor asking for a veto, provided pre-written messages and phone scripts for Utahns, and designed fliers that members and allies can use to get the word out. 
  • We are writing to the South Carolina House Committee on Education and Public Works explaining the many problems with two House bills, H 4701 and H 4654, which are versions of the Texas READER Act. These bills are unconstitutional for all the same reasons as the READER Act, not to mention being disastrous for small businesses. We are letting them know.
  • Back east, we are cautiously optimistic about the fate of New Hampshire SB 523, which we have been opposing for several weeks. Thank you to NH booksellers who wrote and called — your voices are making a difference!
  • Next on the docket is Georgia SB 394, another READER clone that passed out of committee in the Georgia Senate. 
 
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