On Demand Education Sessions

• Katrina Brooks, Black Pearl Books in Austin, TX
• Marianne Reiner, Run for Cover Bookstore in San Diego, CA
• Melanie Moore, Cincy Book Bus in Cincinnati, OH
• Lady Smith, The Snail on the Wall in Huntsville, AL
• Tameca Blossom-Lyons, Brown Babies Books in Evanston, IL
• Victoria Scott-Miller, Liberation Station in Durham, NC
• Lucy Kull, Redux Society in Kansas City, MO

This session follows the format of an Open Forum: the opinions expressed are those of the individual participants, not of the ABA. Information discussed is reflective of the time of the recording. Please see the most recent ShopTalk and/or the daily email update for the most current information.

This session follows the format of an Open Forum: the opinions expressed are those of the individual participants, not of the ABA. Information discussed is reflective of the time of the recording. Please see the most recent ShopTalk and/or the daily email update for the most current information.

Whether your store is new or long established, it can be profitable to consider how your store could be structured differently than your current business model. Join a conversation with booksellers who will provide information on starting a new nonprofit bookstore or transitioning an existing bookstore to a nonprofit.

This conversation is moderated by Veronica Liu, Founder Collective Member & General Coordinator, Word Up Community Bookshop/Librería Comunitaria (New York, NY). Presenters include: Jamie Rogers Southern, Executive Director, Bookmarks (Winston-Salem, NC); Jeff Martin, Founder, Magic City Books and Booksmart Tulsa (Tulsa, OK); Jeff Deutsch, Director, Seminary Co-op Bookstores (Chicago, IL); Praveen Madan, CEO, Kepler's Books and Magazines (Menlo Park, CA)

The American Booksellers Association invites bookstore members of the ABC Group to this open conversation for booksellers and bookstore owners to share best practices, talk about their business, & crowdsource ideas & solutions to problems. All attendees should come prepared to engage in conversation during each session.

Our New Member Series: Intro to ABA Benefits includes a tutorial on navigating Bookweb.org to ensure a better understanding of where to find the information most vital for members. The presentation looks at education resources, networking and community, business affinity partnerships, indie marketing, advocacy, and much more. The second half of the session will offer booksellers an open forum during which they can ask questions and talk with ABA staff.

The opinions expressed are those of the individual participants, not of the ABA. Information discussed is reflective of the time of the recording. Please see the most recent coffee break and/or the daily email update for the most current information.

ABA recently partnered with Gravity Payments to offer credit card processing services to bookstore members. Gravity Payments, which came recommended by several booksellers, is led by CEO Dan Price, who launched the company because he saw independent businesses being overcharged and underserved by their credit card processors.

Gravity Payments offers special rates and terms for ABA members. 

During this session, representatives from Gravity Payments will discuss their service, provide a short presentation, and be available for questions from members.

Watch this short video to learn more about Dan Price and Gravity Payments.

This session follows the format of an Open Forum: the opinions expressed are those of the individual participants, not of the ABA. Information discussed is reflective of the time of the recording. Please see the most recent ShopTalk and/or the daily email update for the most current information.

This Marketing Meetup focuses on Independent Bookstore Day (IBD) and will include an overview of the annual event, why it’s important, and how some bookstores are celebrating and promoting it this year.

Guest speakers for this session are:

• Samantha Schoech, IBD Program Director 
• Danielle Mullen, Semicolon Bookstore, Chicago, Illinois
• Erin Ball, Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park, Washington
• Britt Hopkins, Second Star to the Right Children’s Books, Denver, Colorado
• Robin Wood, Books & Books at The Studios of Key West, Key West, Florida
• Hannah Reidell, Raven Book Store, Lawrence, Kansas, and MIBA
• Courtney Karecki, ABA IndieCommerce Specialist

This session follows the format of an Open Forum: the opinions expressed are those of the individual participants, not of the ABA. Information discussed is reflective of the time of the recording. Please see the most recent coffee break and/or the daily email update for the most current information.

This session follows the format of an Open Forum: the opinions expressed are those of the individual participants, not of the ABA. Information discussed is reflective of the time of the recording. Please see the most recent coffee break and/or the daily email update for the most current information.

• Serena Longo, Harvard Bookstore (Cambridge, MA)
• Teresa Lynch, The Ripped Bodice (Culver City, CA)
• Lety Stanton-Verduzco, Brain Lair Books (South Bend, IN)
• Misian Taylor, Room of One’s Own (Madison, WI)

This session follows the format of an Open Forum: the opinions expressed are those of the individual participants, not of the ABA. Information discussed is reflective of the time of the recording. Please see the most recent coffee break and/or the daily email update for the most current information.

This session follows the format of an Open Forum: the opinions expressed are those of the individual participants, not of the ABA. Information discussed is reflective of the time of the recording. Please see the most recent coffee break and/or the daily email update for the most current information.

Join a conversation with your bookselling colleagues to discuss the returns process and how best to navigate the what, when, and how of returns. Are you pulling by section or publisher, and why? Are you pulling quarterly, monthly, daily, and why? How do you manage staff scheduling and minimize your freight costs? Note: This conversation will focus on workflow and operations and will not include a discussion on inventory management.

Join the conversation with:

• Rebecca Fitting, Greenlight Bookstore (Brooklyn, NY)
• Brad Johnson, East Bay Booksellers (Oakland, CA)
• Alyson Turner, Source Booksellers (Detroit, MI)
• Consuelo Wilder, BookPeople (Austin, TX)

This session includes a demonstration of customizing a marketing asset by ABA Graphic and Web Designer Melissa Napolitano, and some best practices and tips from fellow booksellers; Erin Matthews of Books With A Past in Glenwood & Savage, Maryland, Tonisha Kimble of Wonders of the World Book and Toy Store (online), Jackie Kenny of Paulina Springs in Sisters, Oregon.

This session follows the format of an Open Forum: the opinions expressed are those of the individual participants, not of the ABA. Information discussed is reflective of the time of the recording. Please see the most recent coffee break and/or the daily email update for the most current information.

Designed for booksellers with some understanding of bookkeeping, this session will take a deeper dive into a store’s individual financial statements, focusing on how to read and apply the information in balance sheets, income statements, cash flow statements, and the ABACUS report, in order to make sound financial decisions. This session will be recorded.

Download the handouts here. Note: You need to be signed in with a bookseller account to access the handouts.

The session is on Marketing Poetry Books and will focus on marketing poetry books and feature booksellers who have experience with the poetry genre, including hand-selling to new and experienced poetry readers and launching poetry-based events and programs in their stores. The session will feature guest speakers; Yanna Demkiewicz of Milkweed Editions  in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Danny Caine of Raven Bookstore in Lawrence, Kansas, Angela Maria Spring of Duende District Bookstore, Washington, D.C., and Albuquerque, New Mexico, Anna Claire Weber of White Whale Books in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Nia McAllister of the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) Bookstore in San Francisco, California.

This session follows the format of an Open Forum: the opinions expressed are those of the individual participants, not of the ABA. Information discussed is reflective of the time of the recording. Please see the most recent coffee break and/or the daily email update for the most current information.

For members working at stores operating with three or fewer employees. Come together for connection, support, community, and resources, and to discuss the unique issues you experience when faced with many tasks and few hands.

This session follows the format of an Open Forum: the opinions expressed are those of the individual participants, not of the ABA. Information discussed is reflective of the time of the recording. Please see the most recent coffee break and/or the daily email update for the most current information.

This session follows the format of an Open Forum: the opinions expressed are those of the individual participants, not of the ABA. Information discussed is reflective of the time of the recording. Please see the most recent coffee break and/or the daily email update for the most current information.

This session follows the format of an Open Forum: the opinions expressed are those of the individual participants, not of the ABA. Information discussed is reflective of the time of the recording. Please see the most recent coffee break and/or the daily email update for the most current information.

The romance genre has been a longtime reader favorite and can often turn a romance reader into a repeat customer for bookstores that invest in curating a romance selection for their stores. This session will celebrate LGBTQ+ romance with some of today’s essential young adult and adult LGBTQ+ authors, who will discuss the importance and value of creating stories about love, talk about the importance of representation, and look at how everyone can work to expand readership of these titles outside of the LGBTQ+ community to drive sales.
Panelists: Mariana Calderon, Second Star to the Right Children’s Books (Denver, CO); Jenny Cohen, Waucoma Bookstore (Hood River, OR); Rebecca Speas, One More Page Books (Arlington, VA); Amanda Toronto, WORD Bookstores (Brooklyn, NY); Dahlia Adler, author of Cool for the Summer (Wednesday Books); Alyssa Cole, award-winning and bestselling author of How to Find a Princess (Avon); David Levithan, VP, Editorial Director, Scholastic Press and author of bestselling queer YA novels; Casey McQuiston, author of the bestseller Red, White, & Royal Blue and the upcoming One Last Stop (St. Martin’s Griffin); Paul Rudnick, award-winning play and screenwriter and author of Playing the Palace (Berkley); Phil Stamper, author of The Gravity of Us and As Far as You’ll Take Me (Bloomsbury); Aiden Thomas, Indies Introduce and bestselling author of Cemetery Boys (Swoon Reads);

Independent bookstores have seen massive online sales growth since March 2020. How are stores managing order fulfillment, customer support, shipping, returns, and all the other complexities of running a busy ecommerce website — while running a bookstore?

This session will explore how bookstores are successfully fulfilling their online sales. The panel will consist of booksellers from small and large stores who are managing high-volume online sales on a variety of ecommerce-enabled platforms. Topics will include what they learned over the past year as well as shortcuts and tips that are making their lives easier. The panel will be moderated by Senior Manager of IndieCommerce Geetha Nathan. There will also be time allotted for Q&A. If you are struggling with managing your store's online orders or looking for tips to make things easier, this session is definitely for you.
Panelists: Geetha Nathan, ABA (White Plains, NY); Jamie Thomas, Women & Children First (Chicago, IL); Luis Correa, Avid Bookshop (Athens, GA); Lexi Beach, Astoria Bookshop (Astoria, NY); Warren Lee, 44th and 3rd Bookseller (Norcross, GA); Cheryl Lee, 44th and 3rd Bookseller (Norcross, GA)

This session follows the format of an Open Forum: the opinions expressed are those of the individual participants, not of the ABA. Information discussed is reflective of the time of the recording. Please see the most recent coffee break and/or the daily email update for the most current information.

This session will feature an overview of Constant Contact led by Matthew Montoya, Channel Marketing and Enablement Manager. Topics discussed will include how to create a template, contacts, manage reporting, and ways to grow your contact list.

Book fairs can be a profitable undertaking for a bookstore, but for those who have yet to launch a fair or who are new to them, the task can be overwhelming. As a continuation of the ABC Group’s virtual education session “Building School Partnerships: Your Librarian, Your Friend,” this session will feature booksellers with established relationships with their local school districts who will share how to build a realistic timeline for a book fair, manage bookstore and school expectations based on a school’s needs, and create a checklist to ensure the fair goes off without a hitch, whether it’s in-person or online.

This session follows the format of an Open Forum: the opinions expressed are those of the individual participants, not of the ABA. Information discussed is reflective of the time of the recording. Please see the most recent coffee break and/or the daily email update for the most current information.

This session will provide new and prospective bookstore owners with an opportunity to ask questions of seasoned bookstore owners/staff. 

The opinions expressed are those of the individual participants, not of the ABA. Information discussed is reflective of the time of the recording. Please see the most recent coffee break and/or the daily email update for the most current information.

This session will include a live demonstration from Shaina Mahler and Justin Gold of Above the Treeline. There will be case studies and best practices from booksellers as well as plenty of time for questions. The session will feature these bookseller panelists: Jenny Cohen of Waucoma Bookstore in Hood River, Oregon Jamie Rogers Southern of Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina Tom Batterson of New Story Community Books in Marshall, Michigan Lauren Messamore of Watermark Books & Café in Wichita, Kansas

This session follows the format of an Open Forum: the opinions expressed are those of the individual participants, not of the ABA. Information discussed is reflective of the time of the recording. Please see the most recent coffee break and/or the daily email update for the most current information.

This session follows the format of an Open Forum: the opinions expressed are those of the individual participants, not of the ABA. Information discussed is reflective of the time of the recording. Please see the most recent coffee break and/or the daily email update for the most current information.

Book fairs can be a profitable undertaking for a bookstore, but for those who have yet to launch a fair or who are new to them, the task can be overwhelming. As a continuation of the ABC Group’s virtual education session “Building School Partnerships: Your Librarian, Your Friend,” this session will feature booksellers with established relationships with their local school districts who will share how to build a realistic timeline for a book fair, manage bookstore and school expectations based on a school’s needs, and create a checklist to ensure the fair goes off without a hitch, whether it’s in-person or online.

This session follows the format of an Open Forum: the opinions expressed are those of the individual participants, not of the ABA. Information discussed is reflective of the time of the recording. Please see the most recent coffee break and/or the daily email update for the most current information.