ABA Announces Bookseller Forums Spring 2019 Schedule

All indie booksellers — ABA members and non-members alike — are invited to take part in the American Booksellers Association’s 2019 Spring Forums, held in conjunction with the regional bookseller associations. Each year, the forums provide an opportunity to share ideas, discuss industry issues, and receive updates on association projects.

At each of the 2019 forums, the American Booksellers Association will present “ABACUS and Pre-Orders: Two Programs You Can’t Do Without,” an update on two initiatives critical to the success of any independent bookstore: an active pre-orders campaign and participation in the annual ABACUS financial survey. This new educational session will focus on best practices for increasing pre-orders — including the latest on accurately reporting and tracking — based on in-store experiences and feedback from the Pre-Order Booksellers Task Force. 

The session will also provide an overview of ABACUS data, including data specific to each region, the earlier ABACUS delivery schedule, and how submitting stores can successfully use their ABACUS reports to make sound financial decisions.

The annual spring forum discussions are a critically important way for ABA to gather feedback from members, and booksellers are encouraged to come prepared to discuss their concerns. Those who would like to attend the “ABACUS and Pre-Orders: Two Programs You Can’t Do Without” education session and meet with other booksellers in their region can follow future issues of Bookselling This Week for more details.

The spring forum dates and locations below are subject to change.  

• Tuesday, March 19: Embassy Suites by Hilton in Atlanta, Georgia, with the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA) 
• Saturday, March 23: Pasadena Hilton in Pasadena, California, with the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association (SCIBA)
• Sunday, March 24: The Presidio in San Francisco, California, with the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association (NCIBA)
• Friday, March 29: The Faust Hotel in New Braunfels, Texas, with the Mountains and Plains Independent Booksellers Association (MPIBA)
• Monday, April 1: Kennedy School in Portland, Oregon, with the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA)
• Thursday, April 4: First Parish in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with the New England Independent Booksellers Association (NEIBA)
• Wednesday, April 10 (additional forum for MPIBA): Origin Hotel Red Rocks in Golden, Colorado, with the Mountains and Plains Independent Booksellers Association (MPIBA)
• Monday, April 15: Open Book, Minneapolis, Minnesota, with the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association (MIBA)
• Tuesday, April 16: The Irvington Lodge in Indianapolis, Indiana, with the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association (GLIBA)
• Thursday, April 25: Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland, with the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA)