ABA Names Winter Institute Presenters

Next month's Fourth Annual Winter Institute (Wi4) will feature an impressive roster of veteran business professionals, who will offer booksellers at every level of experience invaluable insights on everything from book clubs, book fairs, and marketing graphic novels, to reimagining the bookstore, remainder buying, surviving tough times, and more.

"We're pleased to be able to offer ABA members a great lineup of educational programming, featuring many new sessions, presented by an outstanding group of booksellers, publishers, and other book industry leaders," said Chief Program Officer Len Vlahos. "Each of the featured speakers and panelists will share a lifetime of experience with booksellers attending this year's event."

The keynote event, a breakfast from 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. on Friday, January 30, will be a discussion about the state of the book industry featuring Morgan Entrekin, president and publisher, Grove/Atlantic; Nan Graham, vice president, editor-in-chief, Scribner; and Robert S. Miller, president and publisher, HarperStudio. The panel will be moderated by Roxanne J. Coady, founder, president, and CEO of R.J. Julia Booksellers, in Madison, Connecticut.

Saturday's luncheon will feature Robert Spector, international business speaker and bestselling author of The Nordstrom Way: The Inside Story of America's #1 Customer Service Company (Wiley) and an upcoming title on mom-and-pop stores to be published by Walker & Company. (See related story.)

Below is a look at the lineup of Wi4 speakers and panelists to date. (For the complete details about education session, special events, and more, visit the Winter Institute on BookWeb.org.)

The 8-1/2 Percent Solution: Mobilizing Your Store & Your Customers in the Fight for Sales Tax Equity

Presenter: ABA COO Oren Teicher.

Above the Treeline Electronic Catalog Solution: A Demonstration

Presenter: Above the Treeline Founder and CEO John Rubin.

ABA E-Commerce Demonstration

Presenter: ABA Chief Program Officer Len Vlahos.

ABA E-Commerce Users Group

Presenter: ABA Chief Program Officer Len Vlahos.

Book Club Brainstorming

Panelists: Jennifer Laughran of Books Inc. (San Francisco, CA) and Debra Linn of Books & Books (Coral Gables, FL). Moderator: ABA Education Coordinator Jamie Rogers.

Book Fairs: How & Why

Panelists: ABA Board Member Becky Anderson of Anderson's Bookshop (Naperville, IL), Mark LaFramboise of Politics & Prose Bookstore and Coffeehouse (Washington, DC), and a third panelist to be announced. Moderator: ABA Education Coordinator Lisa Winn.

Building Productive and Profitable Relationships With Your Local Libraries

Presenter: Association of Booksellers for Children Executive Director Kristen McLean. Panelists: Ellen Mager of Booktenders' Secret Garden Children's Bookstore and Gallery (Doylestown, PA), Vicky Uminowicz of Titcomb's Bookshop (East Sandwich, Massachusetts), and others to be announced.

Creative Graphic Novel Events and Marketing

Panelists: Jennifer Nielson of Sam Weller's Zion Bookstore (Salt Lake City, UT), Andrew Shaw of the Salt Lake City Library, and a third panelist to be announced. Moderator: ABA Education Coordinator Lisa Winn.

Frontline Bookselling: Year One

Panelists: Tom McCartan of Shaman Drum Bookshop (Ann Arbor, Michigan), Jenn Northington of The King's English Bookshop (Salt Lake City, UT), and Emily Pullen of Skylight Books (Los Angeles, CA). Moderator: Former ABA President Russ Lawrence of Chapter One Book Store (Hamilton, MT).

The Immutable Laws of Customer Service

Panelists: Andrea Avantaggio of Maria's Bookshop (Durango, CO), Kelly Justice of Fountain Bookstore (Richmond, VA), Mary Gay Shipley of That Bookstore in Blytheville (Blytheville, AR). Moderator: ABA Education Coordinator Jamie Rogers.

Increasing Margin

Presenter: ABA CEO Avin Mark Domnitz. Panelists: Casey Coonerty Protti of Bookshop Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA) and a second bookseller to be announced.

IBA Study: Spreading the Shop Local/Local First Message by Working Closely With Fellow Indie Businesses

Nancy Colalillo of Tome on the Range (Las Vegas, NM), Morley Horder of Eagle Harbor Book Company (Bainbridge Island, WA), Linda Barrett Knopp of Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe (Asheville, NC), and Lisa Sharp of Nightbird Books (Fayetteville, AR). Moderator: ABA COO Oren Teicher.

IndieBound Six Months Later: Presentation and Discussion

Presenters: ABA Chief Marketing Officer Meg Smith and IndieBound Outreach Liaison Paige Poe. Panelists to be announced.

IndieBound Users Group

Presenters: ABA Chief Marketing Officer Meg Smith and IndieBound Outreach Liaison Paige Poe.

Introduction to Buying

Presenter: Joe Foster of Maria's Bookshop (Durango, CO).

Large-Store Roundtable

Moderator: ABA Board Member Cathy Langer of Tattered Cover Bookstore (Denver, CO).

Making Free Speech Pay

Presenter: American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression President Chris Finan. Panelists: Liz Houghton Barden of Big Hat Books (Indianapolis, IN), Cathy Langer of Tattered Cover Book Store (Denver, Colorado); and Nancy Simpson of Book Vault (Oskaloosa, IA).

Reimagining Your Store: Presentation and Discussion

Panelists: Jonathon Welch of Talking Leaves (Buffalo, NY), Catherine Weller of Sam Weller's Zion Bookstore (Salt Lake City, UT), and Paul Yamazaki of City Lights Books (San Francisco, CA). Moderator: ABA Chief Program Officer Len Vlahos.

Remainder Buying

Panelists: ABA President Gayle Shanks of Changing Hands Bookstore (Tempe, AZ), Jay Peterson of Magers & Quinn Booksellers (Minneapolis, MN), and Kevin Ryan of Green Apple Books (San Francisco, CA). Moderator: ABA COO Oren Teicher.

Small & Mid-Size Store Roundtable

Moderator: ABA Board Member Dan Chartrand of Water Street Bookstore (Exeter, NH).

Store Merchandising Tours: Sam Weller's Zion Bookstore and The King's English Bookshop

Presenter: Calvin Crosby of Books Inc. (San Francisco, CA).

Surviving Tough Times

Presenter: ABA CEO Avin Mark Domnitz. Panelists: ABA Board Member Steve Bercu of BookPeople (Austin, TX), Carole Horne of Harvard Book Store (Cambridge, MA), and Alison Reid of Diesel, A Bookstore (Oakland, CA).

Surviving Tough Times: Best Practices From Booksellers

Presenter: ABA Chief Program Officer Len Vlahos.

Taking Your Co-op to the Next Level

Panelists: Ann Christopherson of Booklog and Women & Children First (Chicago, IL), Rene Martin of Quail Ridge Books & Music (Raleigh, NC), and Amy Sandberg of Co-Optimize. Moderator: ABA COO Oren Teicher.

Using Multimedia to Market Your Store

Panelists: Documentary film producer Alex Beckstead (Paperback Dreams) and booksellers to be announced. Moderator: ABA Chief Marketing Officer Meg Smith.