Education Resources

104 results. Results may be paginated. Select one or more topics and filter by tag, format, or conference to focus results. Some resources are visible only to logged-in, ABA bookseller members. Visit the Education Hub for additional resources.

Lightning Talk - Buying/Sourcing Toys with Bregette Poore (Child's Play Toys & Books)

Lightning Talk - Buying/Sourcing Toys with Bregette Poore (Child's Play Toys & Books) (March 14, 2024)
Content related to the education session Lightning Talk - Buying/Sourcing Toys with Bregette Poore (Child's Play Toys & Books), Lightning Talks.
Watch video from this event.
Topic:
  • Buying and Selling
Tags:
  • Children's Bookselling

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, Bregette Poore (Child's Play Toys & Books) discussed Buying/Sourcing Toys.

Seasonal Buying: Calibrate for Success

Seasonal Buying: Calibrate for Success (February 13, 2024)
Content related to the education session Seasonal Buying: Calibrate for Success, Winter Institute 2024.
Topic:
  • Buying and Selling
Tags:
  • 101

 

A well-planned seasonal inventory can result in big profits, while missing the mark can be a costly mistake. Buyers from a large urban store, a medium-sized store in a college town, and a bookmobile will discuss how they plan their seasonal inventory while keeping in mind store budgets, physical space, and more.
 
Speakers
Elese Stutts, Flyleaf Books - Chapel Hill, NC
Kim Brock, Joseph-Beth Booksellers - Cincinnati, OH
Zsamé Morgan, Babycake's Book Stack - Saint Paul, MN
Emily Schroen, Main Street Books - Saint Charles, MO
 
Files & Links

Strategies for Direct Ordering

Strategies for Direct Ordering (February 12, 2024)
Content related to the education session Strategies for Direct Ordering, Winter Institute 2024.
Topic:
  • Buying and Selling
Tags:
  • 101
 
In an industry with such slim margins, direct ordering can make all the difference to your bookstore’s bottom line. In this session, Ted Hill of Pubnet/Pubeasy, Deidre Dumpson of Edelweiss, and a bookseller panelist will guide you through the key elements of creating a direct ordering strategy, and show you how to use Edelweiss to order frontlist and Pubnet/Pubeasy to order backlist directly from publishers and distributors. If you’re a new bookstore who has primarily sourced your inventory from wholesalers and are now looking to diversify your ordering, this session is for you! You’ll leave this session with the ability to: understand the importance of balanced ordering from both wholesalers and publishers; create a customized ordering strategy; leverage the technology of Edelweiss, Pubnet, and Pubeasy to streamline direct ordering; and build lasting publisher relationships.
 
Speakers
Jill Hendrix, Fiction Addiction - Greenville, SC
Ted Hill, Pubeasy & Pubnet - Brooklyn, NY
Alison Langlois, Edelweiss by Above the Treeline - Ann Arbor, MI
 
Files & Links

Lightning Talk - Zsamé Morgan (Babycake's Book Stack) on Mobile Bookstores

Lightning Talk - Zsamé Morgan (Babycake's Book Stack) on Mobile Bookstores (August 10, 2023)
Content related to the education session Lightning Talk - Zsamé Morgan (Babycake's Book Stack) on Mobile Bookstores, Lightning Talks.
Watch video from this event.
Topic:
  • Buying and Selling
Tags:
  • Events

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 August 10, 2023, Zsamé Morgan (Babycake's Book Stack) discussed Weekly Events Inventory Curation in Niche Model Bookstores.

 

Lightning Talk - Dick Hermans of Oblong Books (Millerton & Rhinebeck, NY) on Music Retailing

Lightning Talk - Dick Hermans of Oblong Books (Millerton & Rhinebeck, NY) on Music Retailing (August 10, 2023)
Content related to the education session Lightning Talk - Dick Hermans of Oblong Books (Millerton & Rhinebeck, NY) on Music Retailing, Lightning Talks.
Watch video from this event.
Topic:
  • Buying and Selling
Tags:
  • 101

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 August 10, 2023, Dick Hermans of Oblong Books (Millerton & Rhinebeck, NY) discussed Music Retailing.

 

Summer/Fall 2023 Adult Indies Introduce Presentation

Summer/Fall 2023 Adult Indies Introduce Presentation (July 6, 2023)
Content related to the education session Summer/Fall 2023 Adult Indies Introduce Presentation, Indies Introduce.
Watch video from this event.
Topic:
  • Buying and Selling
Tags:
  • Handselling

Indies Introduce is about what independent booksellers do best: discovering exciting debut authors and sharing them with readers across the country. Hear from the booksellers who curated the Summer/Fall 2023 adult list, and the authors whose books were chosen!

Not Just for Kids: Book Fairs for Adults

Not Just for Kids: Book Fairs for Adults (June 7, 2023)
Content related to the education session Not Just for Kids: Book Fairs for Adults, Children's Institute 2023.
Watch video from this event.
Topic:
  • Buying and Selling
Tags:
  • 101
Flip your children's book fair on its head and turn it into a book fair for grown-ups. This session will delve into how to curate and purchase your book selection based on your customer demographic and site location, merchandizing an offsite location, nonbook items to carry, and any special permits needed to serve food and drinks at an offsite location. 
 
Speakers:
Nicole Menzel, Bound to Happen Books - Stevens Point, WI
Claire Bone, Wild Sisters Book Company - Sacramento, CA
Kassie King, The Novel Neighbor - Webster Groves, MO
 
Not Just for Kids: Book Fairs for Adults (June 7, 2023)
Content related to the education session Not Just for Kids: Book Fairs for Adults, Children's Institute 2023.
Topic:
  • Buying and Selling
Tags:
  • 101
Flip your children's book fair on its head and turn it into a book fair for grown-ups. This session will delve into how to curate and purchase your book selection based on your customer demographic and site location, merchandizing an offsite location, nonbook items to carry, and any special permits needed to serve food and drinks at an offsite location. 
 
Speakers:
Nicole Menzel, Bound to Happen Books - Stevens Point, WI
Claire Bone, Wild Sisters Book Company - Sacramento, CA
Kassie King, The Novel Neighbor - Webster Groves, MO
 

Children's Concierge & Subscription Services

Children's Concierge & Subscription Services (June 7, 2023)
Content related to the education session Children's Concierge & Subscription Services, Children's Institute 2023.
Topic:
  • Buying and Selling
Tags:
  • Children's Bookselling
What is a concierge program, and how does it differ from a subscription box? In this panel, booksellers with experience running concierge programs and subscription boxes will answer these questions, give examples of different types of services, and show you how to create an inclusive, one-of-a-kind boutique experience for customers, no matter the size of your store. 
 
Speakers:
Lauren Savage, The Reading Bug - San Carlos, CA
Avery Shelburne, Fabled Bookshop and Cafe - Waco, TX
Jaya Anderson, Red Balloon Bookshop - Saint Paul, MN
Beth Shapiro, Skylark Bookshop - Columbia, MO
 
Children's Concierge & Subscription Services (June 7, 2023)
Content related to the education session Children's Concierge & Subscription Services, Children's Institute 2023.
Watch video from this event.
Topic:
  • Buying and Selling
Tags:
  • Children's Bookselling
What is a concierge program, and how does it differ from a subscription box? In this panel, booksellers with experience running concierge programs and subscription boxes will answer these questions, give examples of different types of services, and show you how to create an inclusive, one-of-a-kind boutique experience for customers, no matter the size of your store. 
 
Speakers:
Lauren Savage, The Reading Bug - San Carlos, CA
Avery Shelburne, Fabled Bookshop and Cafe - Waco, TX
Jaya Anderson, Red Balloon Bookshop - Saint Paul, MN
Beth Shapiro, Skylark Bookshop - Columbia, MO
 

About ABA

The American Booksellers Association, a national not-for-profit trade organization, works with booksellers and industry partners to ensure the success and profitability of independently owned book retailers, and to assist in expanding the community of the book.

Independent bookstores act as community anchors; they serve a unique role in promoting the open exchange of ideas, enriching the cultural life of communities, and creating economically vibrant neighborhoods.

Contact

PRESS INQUIRIES: [email protected]

INDIECOMMERCE: [email protected]

ALL OTHER INQUIRIES: [email protected]

 

 

Copyright 2024 American Booksellers Association. BookWeb is a registered trademark of ABA.
Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, Accessibility Statement