On Demand Education Sessions

 

This idea exchange acknowledges that books are a luxury and children who don’t have access to books won’t have access unless a concerted effort is made by a bookstore. We will assess the role of a community bookstore, critique school events, and connect ways in which bookstores can integrate financially accessible or no-cost ways to deliver books to children — strengthening community bonds and infusing all young people with a lifelong love of reading while remaining fiscally conscious of the business.

 

Files & Links

Speakers

 

Bookstores have obvious indicators of success. The business is in the black, new customers walk through the doors, regular customers return, and events are well attended. In this session, booksellers examine what other measurements of success exist outside systemic measurements. What are benchmarks of success that are not part of a traditional capitalist understanding of measuring success?

 

Files & Links

Speakers

ABA's Lightning Talk series features booksellers presenting 5-10 minute talks on tech tools, organizational strategies, communication methods, or innovations they’ve made in their stores. On March 14, 2024, Angie Zhao of bbgb books (Richmond, VA) discussed School Author Events.

 

Files & Links

Slide Deck

 

The world of work has changed. New worker expectations, growing labor movements, pandemic trauma, increased need for de-escalation skills, and pandemic-induced skill gaps are creating new challenges and opportunities for managers and frontline employees. In this session, hear from an expert on current labor trends to consider when hiring, developing, and supporting staff.

 

Speakers

Nicolas Williams, University of Cincinnati - Cincinnati, OH

 

Files & Links

Slide Deck

 

Although you may be creating events that look successful, your return on investment might not be. Come to this session to learn what information you should be tracking, how to track it, and how to analyze this data so you can evaluate whether or not an event is worth your staff’s time.

 

Speakers

Cindy Dach, Changing Hands Bookstore - Tempe, AZ

 

Files & Links

Slide Deck

 

Keeping a bookstore running can feel like having too many tabs open in your brain at once. Luckily, there are project management tools and strategies that can help with that. In this presentation, booksellers who have cracked the code on project management will share the tools and strategies that have helped them set goals and timelines and stay organized with their short- and long-term projects. You’ll leave this session with a better understanding of effective project management, which tool or approach is right for you, and what your next steps are for getting started!

 

Speakers

Kirsten Hess, The End & Let's Play Books Bookstore(s) - Emmaus, PA

Angela Schwesnedl, Moon Palace Books - Minneapolis, MN

Rachel Watkins, Avid Bookshop - Athens, GA

Cori Theroux, The Green Dragon Bookstore - Fort Dodge, IA

 

Files & Links

Slide Deck

Project Management Reading List

 

Description

Contemporary fiction increasingly invites the reader to see race, gender, and sexuality not as binary identities, but as a vibrant spectrum of diversity. This year's new fiction is opening up space for new ideas about how we might expand our understanding of identity and what myriad of relational dynamics are possible beyond the normative concepts of race, gender, and sexuality. In this keynote panel, four authors share their thoughts and experiences writing for a world that has moved beyond the traditional binary definitions of identity and belonging.

 

Speakers

Miranda July, author of All Fours (On sale May 14, 2024 from Riverhead Books/Penguin Random House)

Danzy Senna, author of Colored Television (On sale September 3, 2024 from Riverhead Books/Penguin Random House)

LaDarrion Williams, author of Blood at the Root (On sale May 7, 2024 from Labyrinth Road/Penguin Random House)

Maysoon Zayid, author of Shiny Misfits: A Graphic Novel (On sale April 16, 2024 from Graphix/Scholastic)

Anton Bogomazov, Politics and Prose Bookstore - Washington, DC

 

Files & Links

Live Captioning

Description

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 2024 Indies Introduce list. Many of the Winter/Spring 2024 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.

 

Files & Links

Live Captioning

Winter/Spring 2024 Indies Introduce Flier (PDF)

 

Description

Developed for author guests in the early stages of their writing careers, this panel features booksellers who have formulated best practices for creating events that benefit both stores and authors. This session will cover a number of issues, from author publicity to dealing with pre-event nerves.

 

Speakers

Paul Hanson, Village Books - Bellingham, WA

Linda Kass, Gramercy Books - Bexley, OH

Errol Anderson, Charis Books and More - Decatur, GA

Bunnie Hilliard, Brave + Kind Bookshop - Decatur, GA

Javier Ramirez, Exile in Bookville - Chicago, IL

 

Files & Links

Slide Deck

Education for Authors

 

 

Description

According to the United States Federation of Worker Cooperatives (USFWC), “Worker cooperatives are values-driven businesses that put worker and community benefit at the core of their purpose. Worker members…participate in the profits, oversight, and often management of the enterprise using democratic practices.” If you are interested in opening a worker-owned co-op bookstore or transitioning to one, this conversation is for you. In this session, a representative from USFWC will talk about the benefits of a worker-owned model as well as the drawbacks. They will review legalities of incorporation, decision making, financial operations, and more. Leave this session with the knowledge you need to evaluate if this shift is the right fit for you.

 

Speakers

Cullen Nawalkowsky, Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse - Baltimore, MD

Talia Whyte, Rozzie Bound Books - Boston, MA

Ellen Vera, Co-op Cincy - Cincinnati, OH

 

Files & Links

Slide Deck

 

Description

Most of us know how to help when we see someone in cardiac arrest — we start CPR, or at the very least, call 9-1-1. But too few of us might know how to respond when we see a customer having a panic attack, or if we are concerned that a co-worker shows signs of alcoholism. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a training program that takes the fear and hesitation out of starting conversations about mental health and substance use problems. It helps to improve understanding and provides an action plan that teaches people to safely and responsibly identify and address a potential mental illness or substance use disorder. Rich Palmer, a certified MHFA instructor will provide an introduction to basic MHFA skills on how to navigate hard conversations, tackle stigma in the workplace, and address what resilience truly means – with strategies to alleviate burnout.

 

Speakers

Rich Palmer, Mental Health America of Northern KY and Southwest OH - Blue Ash, OH

 

Files & Links

Slide Deck

MHFA Resources Handout

 

This panel session, led by Andy Hunter of Bookshop.org, will feature a panel of booksellers discussing how they use digital platforms to sell books, build an online audience, and drive in-person and online sales. The panel will discuss selling with e-commerce, highlighting events and community through social media, reviewing and acting on website traffic to increase the visibility of your store with search engine optimization (SEO), and engaging customers through Edelweiss to create email marketing.

 

Speakers

Veronica Liu, Word Up Community Bookshop/Librería Comunitaria - New York, NY

Amanda Lepper, Dog-Eared Books - Ames, IA

Evisa Gallman, Uncle Bobbie's Coffee and Books - Philadelphia, PA

Andy Hunter, Bookshop.org - Brooklyn, NY

 

Files & Links

Slide Deck

 

Description

Michele Norris is one of America’s most trusted voices in journalism, earning numerous honors over a long career, including Peabody, Emmy, Dupont, and Goldsmith awards.  As founding director of The Race Card Project, a Peabody Award–winning narrative archive where people around the world share their reflections on identity—in just six words, she ignited the conversation with the seemingly simple prompt: Race. Your Thoughts. Six Words. Please Send. The responses she received have been challenging and complicated, intimate and candid, revealing fear, pain, triumph, and humor. Her transformative new book, OUR HIDDEN CONVERSATIONS (Simon & Schuster) and her work with The Race Card Project reminds us that even during times of great division, honesty, grace, and a willing ear can provide a bridge toward understanding and maybe even empathy.

 

Speakers

Michele Norris, author of Our Hidden Conversations: What Americans Really Think about Race and Identity (available now from Simon & Schuster)

 

Files & Links

Live Captioning

Slide Deck

YouTube Video

 

Description

In this interactive session, as a follow-up to his morning keynote, James Rhee will lead a discussion on measurements and operational processes enhancing balance, agility, and goodwill as it relates to the business of life and the life of business.

 

Speakers

James Rhee, author of red helicopter—a parable for our times : lead change with kindness (plus a little math) (On sale April 9, 2024 from HarperOne/HarperCollins)

 

Files & Links

Slide Deck

 

Used books can meet a variety of needs for you and your customers. They offer customers a deeper selection with more accessible pricing, they reduce your cost of goods, and they reduce your carbon footprint. This panel will feature experienced booksellers from used bookstores who understand the process of curating used books and will walk you through best practices for buying, pricing, managing, and marketing used books. Specifically, this panel is designed for booksellers from used bookstores or for stores that curate a used section.

 

Speakers

Danielle King, Left Bank Books - St. Louis, MO

Pete Mulvihill, Green Apple Books - San Francisco, CA

Amy Hall, Hudson Valley Books for Humanity - Ossining, NY

 

Files & Links

Slide Deck