Monday, November 4, 2024  
A Letter from ABA Board President Tegan Tigani

Dear Fellow Booksellers,

As many of us head into the busiest season at our stores, my to-do lists seem to constantly refresh themselves with new tasks. Bookselling brings new challenges every day, but even as I worry that I can’t fit everything I ordered for the holidays on our shelves, I hear about stores and booksellers that have catastrophic losses from the recent hurricanes. My heart goes out to all who have been impacted. 

Flexibility and forethought are crucial elements to resilience of stores and their individual booksellers. In our ABA Ends Policies, we want bookstores to have “resources to be successful, including: skills, technology, community, and support of their right to freedom of expression.” Our stores need to be sustainable and resilient. 

On the final day at PNBA, we faced financial realities together, buoyed by the inspiration of an engaging show. This year’s ABA fall show education, “Prioritizing Cash Flow: 10 Areas to Review for Improved Cash Flow and Profitability,” focused on financial resilience; a recording is available on BookWeb. ABA also has on-demand education sessions like last year’s Fall Regional Show session, “This Is a Fire Drill,” to help booksellers and bookstore owners prepare for — and weather — all kinds of storms.

How do you keep rolling with the waves that life sends your way? How do you deal with burnout? Bookseller to bookseller connections, in person and online, make us stronger together. You can connect with other booksellers in virtual communities supported by ABA staff (check the Calendar for programming). Binc, in addition to needed financial assistance, also provides free mental health wellness support. In keeping with our ends — that “Booksellers will have access to resources to support their work and welfare” — the Board approves ABA’s donations to Binc in our annual budget review. 

Hope and appreciation, like the James Patterson bonuses and the bookstore profiles in USA Today, can bolster our spirits. I’m excited to be degrees of separation closer to Trevor Noah, our Indies First Ambassador; he will be an inspiring champion of our stores. The value of independent bookstores is one of the reasons we keep doing what we do, season after season. I would like to acknowledge what you do for each other and for your communities. Thank you for persevering. 

May this holiday season be a sustaining one!

In gratitude,

Tegan Tigani
Children’s Book Buyer at Queen Anne Book Company, Seattle, WA
ABA Board President
Updates
ABA Thanks Danny Caine for Board Service

Danny Caine, formerly of Raven Book Store, has accepted a position at Institute for Local Self-Reliance and is stepping down from the ABA Board.

We would like to thank him for all his hard work on the ABA Board and wish him the best in his new position!

Upon his departure, Caine sold Raven Book Store to several of the Raven’s co-owner employees.
Board Election: Save the Date
It's almost time for the next Board election!

Here are some important dates to keep in mind:
  • Board candidates will be announced on January 22, 2025.
  • The Board election voting period will be March 13–April 23, 2025.
  • Election results will be announced on April 30, 2025. 
Yellow text on a blue background that says "Board minutes"
Board Minutes

The minutes from the June 2024 Board Meeting are now available.
Carver Method, the ABA Governance Model
How Does the Board Govern ABA?

Check out this infographic that illustrates ABA's Governance model, the Carver Method.
Here’s What You’ve Missed if You Haven’t Been Reading BTW:
Children’s Institute 2025 will take place June 12–14, in Portland, OR.
Apply for a Children's Institute 2025 Scholarship!

We are now accepting scholarship applications for Children’s Institute 2025 in Portland, OR!

Applications are due by Wednesday, November 20.
Apply Now
ABA Education
Now Available: Prioritizing Cash Flow Recording

A recording of ABA's 2024 regional education session, “Prioritizing Cash Flow: 10 Areas to Review for Improved Cash Flow and Profitability,” is now available on BookWeb!
Watch Now
Get Out the Vote
Get Out The Vote

Election Day is almost here! 

Use our Get Out The Vote assets to encourage your community to exercise their right to vote this year. And don’t forget to use VOTE411.org/ABA to check your voter registration, find your polling place, and see what’s on your November 5 ballot! 
Download Assets
ABACUS, A Financial Benchmarking Report
Learn to Read Your ABACUS Results

Join ABA Chief Financial Officer (and former bookseller) PK Sindwani for an ABACUS Workshop to learn how to use the data in your store's individualized ABACUS report.

The ABACUS Workshop will be hosted on multiple days. Choose the date that works best for you:
 
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