11 Ways to Get Involved with ABA

ABA works with booksellers throughout the year to make sure our programs, resources, education, and advocacy are as relevant and valuable as possible. There are many ways for ABA member bookstore owners and booksellers to get involved with ABA and we welcome everyone’s engagement.

These opportunities range from long-term commitments like the Board of Directors to specialized task forces that meet only once. 

Here are 11 ways you can get involved with ABA:

ABA Board of Directors
ABA is governed by a volunteer board that is elected by the membership. The Board sets ends policies for the association, monitors the performance of the CEO, and futurecasts for industry trends to inform the membership and ABA’s work.

ABA announces Board openings and elections in BTW, but nominations are accepted year-round. 

ABA Booksellers Advisory Council
ABA Booksellers Advisory Council (BAC) members provide feedback about ABA programs and services as they are being developed; offer suggestions to help ABA improve programs and services to better serve the bookselling communities; bring concerns of booksellers and bookstore owners to the ABA staff and Board; and generally assist ABA.

BAC members serve for two-years. Openings are announced in BTW, and bookstore owners and booksellers can nominate themselves or other booksellers and bookstore owners.

ABA Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council
The ABA Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council (DEIC) serves as a critical sounding board and advisory council for ABA’s work, providing feedback, reviewing ABA programs and initiatives, identifying and responding to threats and opportunities, and bringing concerns of booksellers and bookstore owners to ABA.

DEIC members usually serve for two or three years. Openings are announced in BTW and bookstore owners and booksellers can nominate themselves or other booksellers and bookstore owners.

ABA Children's Group Advisory Council
ABA's Children’s Group Advisory Council provides feedback about children’s bookselling programs and education as it is being developed, assists in supporting the integration of children’s bookselling into general bookstore education, advises on how to continue supporting children’s booksellers, and suggests improvements for education offerings at in-person and virtual events.

The Children's Council members serve for two years. ABA is always taking nominations for council positions. Booksellers and bookstore owners can send their nominations to Gen de Botton.

ABA Indies Introduce Panels
The Indies Introduce panels select the titles that are included on the Winter/Spring and Summer/Fall Indies Introduce lists. They also conduct the author interviews for the selected titles. There are two Indies Introduce panels — one for adult titles and one for children’s.

ABA Audit Committee
The ABA Audit Review Committee assists the ABA Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities for the association's financial reporting process, system of internal controls, annual audit process, and process for monitoring compliance with financial, tax, and accounting laws and regulations.

ABA Governance Committee
The ABA Board Nominating Committee supports the ABA Board of Directors pipeline by identifying and reviewing potential nominees for board service.

ABA Board Nominating Committee
The ABA Governance Review Committee conducts an annual compliance review of the ABA, Board, and officers in accordance with the ABA Bylaws and Governance Policies. They serve an important oversight function for the association, supervising the resolution of any issues where the Board or ABA staff have a conflict of interest and providing oversight if there is a question whether the board is carrying out its fiduciary responsibility.

ABA Education Task Force
The Education Task Force reviews a preliminary list of education topics for the upcoming Winter Institute and works with the Education team to ensure that the educational programming reflects the needs of booksellers.

Each member of the Task Force is only expected to serve for one meeting.

American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE) Task Force
The Advocacy Task Force helps us gain insight into the top priorities and problems facing booksellers and bookstores in order to best advocate for legislative and regulatory change at the local, state, and national level.

Each member of the Task Force is only expected to serve for one meeting.

IndieCommerce Advisory Council (IAC)
The IndieCommerce Advisory Group (IAC) is a group of IndieCommerce users who meet quarterly to discuss how the IndieCommerce platform is addressing their needs. The IndieCommerce development team also looks to the IAC as a sounding board for brainstorming ideas and potential new features to enhance the platform. IAC members continue their discussions between meetings in a group email thread where they share encountered issues, potential solutions, and ideas for platform improvement. 

If you’re interested in getting involved or finding out more, please reach out to info@bookweb.org or watch for opportunities in Bookselling This Week and at Fall Regional Shows.