On Demand Education Sessions

The rights of readers and the importance of representation in books is critical to the work of independent bookstores. The wave of book bans threaten these rights and these values as an orchestrated movement attempting to silence historically marginalized voices and experiences. As authors, publishers, and booksellers are under constant attack from random and targeted book bans, ABA has assembled a diverse group to discuss the effects of these bans.
Heather Hall from Green Feather Book Company; Maia Kobabe, author of Gender Queer ; Laura DeLaney from Rediscovered Books; and Kendrick Washington, Policy Advocacy Director of the Seattle ACLU, will share their experiences as well as their insight and wisdom on how to deal with an increasingly pervasive occurrence. The discussion will be moderated by Ray Daniels, Chief Communications Officer of ABA. Gather here to understand first hand what is at stake when book bans happen in your community and how you can respond or even prevent them.

The ABA Community Forum is a reimagined Town Hall with the same opportunities for members to be heard and more opportunity for constructive discussions about our industry. The full ABA Board will respond to questions and comments from all booksellers; booksellers who would like to send questions in advance can email [email protected]

A school partnership is an important asset to any bookstore. It strengthens the community, introduces books to younger readers, generates future customers, and supports a bookstore’s bottom line. This session is a bookstore-presented panel on how to best establish school connections from square one. Booksellers will learn first steps to take to begin a healthy partnership, key roles in school administration to get to know, how to work with teachers, and what events and means of support a bookstore can provide to create trust and put the store front of mind when opportunities arise. Presented by the ABC Children’s Group for all booksellers.

For people in historically marginalized communities, having a space to exist, work, play, and connect can be a powerful thing. There are many ways to honor your community by creating space, and this panel will feature four booksellers who have done just that. You will leave this session with great hope for the future and promise of bookselling and with new ideas for creating space for the communities to which you belong.

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? Have you used the publisher return percent number when you create your criteria for returns? So much to discuss! Note: This conversation will focus on workflow and operations and will not include a discussion on inventory management. (All)

Employers use diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives to create a more equitable, inclusive, and dynamic workforce. Designing and developing a DEI program involves four main phases:
1) Data collection and analysis to determine the need for change;
2) Strategy design to match business objectives;
3) Implementation;
4) Evaluation and continuing audit of the plan.
This session will be lead by Jason Thompson, author of Diversity and Inclusion Matters: Tactics and Tools to Inspire Equity and Game-Changing Performance (Wiley). Booksellers will leave this session with practical implementation ideas to begin a DEI program for their store.

The Indies Introduce program is about what independent booksellers do best: discovering exciting debut authors and sharing the best with readers across the country. Enjoy lunch while learning about the title selection process from the bookseller panelists who curated the Winter/Spring 2023 Indies Introduce list. Many of the Winter/Spring 2023 Indies Introduce debut authors will be present to read a short passage and answer a question posed by one of the bookseller panelists. Authors will be available to sign copies of their debut books following the presentation.

It is vital for a business to have visual content that is brand-focused, eye-catching, and easy to read. Luckily, with an array of low-cost and accessible web tools now available, it has never been easier. This panel features graphic design experts from a variety of backgrounds who will show examples of their work and discuss the graphic design tools they use to enhance their store’s promotional content, branding, signage, social media, events, and more. No matter your level of skill or comfort with graphic design, you will be able to apply something you learn here to your business. (All)

Build a culture of great service and treat your customers and colleagues like royalty! Join Elnian Gilbert, an educator with ZingTrain, as she teaches the recipe for providing service in a way that will make your store stand out! You will learn easy-to-implement (and teach) skills. When you leave this session you will understand what a culture of service looks like, how to deliver it consistently, and how to measure results.

Join Michelle MiJung Kim, award-winning author of The Wake Up: Closing the Gap Between Good Intentions and Real Change, and Hannah Oliver Depp of Loyalty Bookstores for a thought-provoking conversation about how each of us can — and must — be a part of creating a more equitable world. Drawing upon her lived experiences as a queer immigrant woman of color and her work across various industries, Michelle MiJung Kim will share how to move beyond performative allyship to building real solidarity toward social change. Known for her compassionate criticality, Kim’s session is one you won’t want to miss.

Independent bookstores’ online sales have increased over 600% since 2019. We’ve made incredible progress, but it’s clear we need to do more to lock in our gains and keep growing. The indie channel sells only about 2% of the books bought online versus roughly 10% of physical retail. Our goal is to increase indie channel e-commerce sales by 5x so that local, independent bookstores capture our share of online sales.
Presented by Andy Hunter, founder and CEO of Bookshop.org, and Phil Davies, ABA’s Director of Ecommerce/IndieCommerce, this session will discuss strategies to increase consumer awareness of the importance of supporting local businesses when shopping online. We will review how to increase online sales for all stores — no matter what platform you use — by looking at digital marketing, audience growth, conversion rates, and other best practices for e-commerce.
We’ll also examine how online consumer behavior has dramatically changed in the post-COVID world, including trends we are seeing on IndieCommerce sites and how stores are adapting. Together, we can leverage our combined market power to capture our fair share of online book sales, safeguard our future, and be a model for how local businesses can hold their own against giant monopolist e-retailers.

In this interactive workshop, booksellers will have the opportunity to practice service leadership skills. Service leaders turn the traditional “power leadership” model upside down by focusing on empowering instead of commanding. Managers who practice service leadership have found that this method supports potential, creativity, and purpose in their employees. If this approach is different from what you practice and you want to learn more, come join the conversation! And if you are already practicing servant leadership, you will enjoy the opportunity to refresh your skills. (Managers)

Join four new genre authors as they come together in conversation to discuss how they use and subvert different genre tropes to reimagine worlds past, present, and future.
Moderator: Calvin Crosby, Owner, The King’s English Bookshop (Salt Lake City, UT)
Panelists: Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah Chain Gang All Stars, Pantheon; Chloe Gong, Immortal Longings, Gallery/Saga Press; Taj McCoy,Zora Books Her Happily Ever After, MIRA; Andrew Joseph White,The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, Peachtree

Bookstores are places that go beyond merchandising — they transport readers to other worlds. The physical environment of your store should do the same and evoke the transportive experience of reading. Curate delight through all five senses! Partner with local candlemakers to create scent marketing for your store; bring in signature sweets; learn how to use cinematic color palettes that capture the mood of your store; create playlists that set the vibe and show off your booksellers’ personalities; even unique textiles tell a story. Find the magic ingredients that can be used to curate the unique experience of being in YOUR store. In this workshop, you will reimagine your store as a garden of earthly delights, and come up with a plan to curate delight in your store.

There are many factors that go into publisher decisions for author visits and tours, and bookseller event grids help them make those choices. In this session, publishers will provide sample event grids, explain how they use them to determine author tours, and share info on what has changed in their approach to events since 2020. Booksellers will learn:
- The number one thing publishers are looking for in potential events
- How to make your event proposal stand out
- How to make your grids more specific
- Important ways to follow up after you submit the grid
- The ways in which publishers determine virtual vs in-person vs hybrid events

This Winter Institute keynote conversation between Cory Doctorow (co-author of Chokepoint Capitalism) and Stacy Mitchell (Director of the Institute for Local Self Reliance) will explore the threats posed by corporate consolidation, and far-reaching strategies for fighting back. Corporate monopolies are as powerful as ever, making it harder and harder for American small businesses to thrive. The explosive growth of monopolizers like Amazon has implications beyond booksellers, too, impacting creative workers, privacy advocates, the environment, and American labor. But with a new antitrust movement already claiming important victories, incremental progress is being made. Bookstores now have an opportunity for bold action to tell our story and resist corporate consolidation. In this discussion between three leading anti-monopoly thinkers, learn about the risks posed by capitalist chokepoints, and gain strategies for how to fight back.

Whether you have owned a store for many years and are considering exiting a much-loved business, are planning for your store’s long-term future, or are a bookseller exploring options for keeping a business viable for many years to come, this is the session for you. This seminar will cover store valuation, alternate models for succession, how to raise capital, the importance of an emergency plan, and more!

Our New Member Series:Store Ownership 101 provides 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.

A full transcription is available for this session. Please note that it is machine-generated and not reviewed for accuracy.

• The new Acquisition data
• The new Behavior data
• The new Audience data
• Overview of New Conversion and E-commerce data
• What to do with custom reports and dashboards in Universal Google Analytics   

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. 

• Universal vs. GA4: Why is Google making this change and an overview of what is changing
• Set up tips: Confirming GA4 is working
• Getting Started Checklist
• Overview of changes to Conversion and E-commerce tracking

Decoding the P&L for Booksellers, Managers, and Owners was presented at the Fall 2022 Regional Shows.

A bookstore’s profit and loss statement (P&L) is a critical tool for evaluating a store’s overall performance. Join ABA staff on a walk-through of a bookstore P&L statement as we lay a groundwork for understanding bookstore financials, decode individual line items to identify opportunities for improved profitability, discuss how to use ABA’s ABACUS Report, and consider ways to share financials with staff in a meaningful and cooperative manner.

During this session booksellers will hear from Taylor Soignoli of Bonfire, on their online platform where anyone can design and sell custom products, the services they offer around helping create unique designs and some best practices and examples of well-run campaigns.

A full transcription and closed captioning are available for this session. Please note that both are machine-generated and are not reviewed for accuracy.

Our New Member Series:Store Ownership 101 provides 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.

A full transcription is available for this session. Please note that it is machine-generated and not reviewed for accuracy.

It's not too late to participate in this year's free ABACUS financial survey and receive all the ABACUS reports and tools. If you are having trouble trying to figure out where to access information or finding the time to report, on Monday, August 8, at 3:30 p.m. (Eastern) you can join ABA CFO (and former bookseller) PK Sindwani for a special ABACUS webinar to help you jump start your submission by providing line-by-line instructions on filling out the ABACUS questionnaire and answer any questions that may be slowing you down so you can submit before the deadline on August 10.
Bring your final (year-end) P&L, Balance sheet or tax return along with your year-end z report to the session.

A full transcription and closed captioning are available for this session. Please note that both are machine-generated and are not reviewed for accuracy.

Get a jump start on your holiday marketing plans by joining us for this open conversation on what's worked in the past, ideas you want to try this year, and how you'll be preparing.

A full transcription and closed captioning are available for this session. Please note that both are machine-generated and are not reviewed for accuracy.

In this robust conversation with bookstores and audio publishers, attendees will get updates about audiobook sales and consumer behavior and tips for interesting customers in the format. Learn from bookstores about how audiobook sales have benefited their stores and what suggestions they have for making the most of offering the format. 

A full transcription and closed captioning are available for this session. Please note that both are machine-generated and are not reviewed for accuracy.

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. 

This ShopTalk will feature a presentation from GTM Payroll & HR; a comprehensive solution for all of your HR needs. GTM HR (formerly PINNACLE HR), is a human resources services provider. ABA bookstore members will have access to a certified human resources professional who will provide assistance with development or updates to employee handbooks, wage benchmarking data, HR forms, training programs, and advice and opinions on various HR-related problems. ABA bookstore members will receive a discounted hourly rate for most HR services. There is no monthly rate and no startup fee. Some services are available on a fixed fee basis; the GTM HR consultant will provide time estimates and quotes upon request.

A full transcription and closed captioning are available for this session. Please note that both are machine-generated and are not reviewed for accuracy.

Closing keynote address by Charlie Jane Anders. 

Book fairs come in all shapes and sizes. If well planned, they can be a profitable undertaking for a bookstore. In this session, booksellers with profitable book fair models will discuss different store models and how bookstores with established relationships with local school districts can analyze and optimize profitability.

BookTok is here to stay. In this session, booksellers will learn how bookstores, authors, and publishers use BookTok to assess sales, trends, and engage with a virtual community of readers.

In this session, bookstores with experience with the media will share how to to make your store media ready, including creating an About Us section that will attract press, how to build a media kit, which components are key, and how to select the assets to share to highlight your bookstore’s individuality in the press.

Over the last two years, the IndieCommerce team has observed and analyzed consumer e-commerce buying habits as all consumers were forced to adapt to online shopping throughout the public health crisis. In this feature talk, Phillip Davies, ABA’s Director of E-Commerce, will give attendees an e-commerce market overview and share assessments on consumer buying habits. Afterward, booksellers will meet in Buzz Groups to discuss how they can optimize what they’ve learned to continue to drive online sales.

Community partnerships are an untapped source of income for many stores. They can have a profound impact on a store’s bottom line as well as the soul of the store and its community. A panel of booksellers who work closely with community partners will share how to make initial contact, what format a partnership can take, and how to manage expectations without taking on too much. Attendees will have an opportunity for open discussion and to ask each other questions on community partnerships.

Join Native authors Cynthia Leitich Smith, Traci Sorell, and Danielle Greendeer in a conversation about how reader awareness and shifts in publishing have affected the way they create new stories with native characters at the center, and share stories of the past.

Dr Faith Harper, licensed professional counselor and author of Unf*ck Your Brain and the YA adaptation Befriend Your Brain , will lead booksellers on a session on mental health and self-care in a "post" pandemic world.

Understanding financial benchmarks within your children’s bookstore or children’s departments can help you maximize space, optimize non-book gifts and sidelines, improve profitability, and more. This session is for children’s-only bookstores or general bookstores with a children’s department. Attendees will also learn more about ABACUS — how to participate, how to use this important tool for your business, and why it’s so important for children’s bookstores to be counted in this data.

In this session, IndieCommerce team members will discuss upcoming features and updates for websites on the current IndieCommerce 1.0 and IndieLite platforms to prepare for the 2022 Holiday shopping season. The team will also review the transition to the new IndieCommerce 2.0 platform, the timeline, and how stores can best prepare for the transition. An additional session that will discuss just IndieCommerce 2.0 is scheduled for Wednesday, June 22.