Sign up now to receive a free Banned Books Week kit! Banned Books Week kits are sent annually to participating stores and include materials to decorate your store and educate customers about the freedom to read. 

This year, Banned Books Week will be held September 22 – September 28. Kits will be included in the July Box mailing. If your store does not receive a July Box, the kit will be shipped separately.

Supplies are limited and will be fulfilled on a first-come, first-served basis. If your bookstore has multiple branches, we ask that each branch fill out their own form. Online-only and international bookstores are not eligible to receive kits. 

The deadline to complete this form is Sunday, March 31.

NOTE: ALL bookstores that want to receive a Banned Books Week kit MUST complete this form. Bookstores that signed up for a kit last year will NOT automatically receive a 2024 kit.

Our annual Publisher Survey is your chance to get your complaints (or praise) in front of publishers! 

Although ABA meets with publishers throughout the year to advocate on behalf of bookstores, once a year we have our official, annual meetings with publishers and their teams, including key decision-makers.

In the past, these survey results have informed ABA's successful lobbying for increased discounts, better school business terms, participation in Batch, and more! Your input matters!

Please submit your feedback by 11:59 pm ET on Sunday, April 7.

• Thursday, March 14 at 3:00 pm ET: Bookseller Lightning Talks
• Friday, March 15 at 8:00 pm ET: Disability Community Affinity Group
• Tuesday, March 19 at 3:00 pm ET: ShopTalk
• Wednesday, March 20 at 3:00 pm ET: Book Biz Book Club: I Don’t Just Work Here
• Thursday, March 28 at 3:00 pm ET: Safeguarding Your Shelves: Business Insurance Basics for Book Retailers
• Sunday, March 31: Independent Bookstore Day 2024 Participation Form Closes
  

Ramadan has begun! This year Ramadan falls from March 10 to April 9. 

During Ramadan, here are a few things you can do to support Muslim customers:

• Many Muslims will be fasting during the day, so be mindful when hosting events that involve food. Try hosting these events after sundown so they can partake.
• Similarly, if you are hosting children’s events, be aware that you may have older kids who are fasting for the first time.

To support your Muslim staff members:

• Be understanding if they have lower energy levels during the day.
• Provide a dedicated space where they can pray during the day.
• If possible, discuss flexing their work hours during Ramadan to accommodate their needs.

SAVE THE DATE! Wednesday, March 20, is our #SBADumpAmazon Day of Action. The National Small Business Administration is letting Amazon use National Small Business Week to whitewash its reputation and hide the actual harm it does to small businesses. Will you join us in our social media campaign to demand they drop Amazon as a sponsor of National Small Business Week? Check out our Advocacy page to sign up!

Now is the time to sign up to receive the 2024 Banned Books Week Kit, which will arrive in early July. Banned Books Week is September 22–28 this year, and our kit helps you stand up to censorship in style.

In addition to preparing the kits, American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE) has been tracking state legislation and talking to organizers in Alabama, Texas, and Florida. A clone of the Texas READER Act that had been introduced in Georgia, SB 394, died after failing to pass in time for the House to take it up this session. We continue to monitor similar bills in New Hampshire and South Carolina and will update you the moment your action is needed.