ABA Unveils a Packed Agenda for BookExpo

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BookExpo 2018, which will take place from Wednesday, May 30, to Friday, June 1, at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City, will feature a variety of programming for independent booksellers.

Booksellers are once again invited to relax, refresh, and meet with friends in the American Booksellers Association Member Lounge and Galley Room, located in Booth 721 on the trade show floor. The members-only lounge will be the site of author signings following the BookExpo adult and children’s author breakfasts, as well as the place to meet with ABA staff, including the IndieCommerce team, and select affinity partners.

The Lounge will be open to booksellers with ABA member badges at the following times:

  • Wednesday, May 30, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
  • Thursday, May 31, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (closed from 2:15 to 4:15 p.m. for the ABA Annual Membership Meeting and Town Hall)
  • Friday, June 1, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

ABA programming at BookExpo will feature a return of perennial favorites, including Meet the Editor (held at publishers’ offices throughout New York City), Publicists Speed Dating, the Celebration of Bookselling and Author Awards Lunch (followed by a signing in the ABA Member Lounge), and the ABC/CBC Silent Art Auction to Benefit ABFE and Every Child a Reader, featuring the Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards.

As part of a reimagining of BookExpo to deliver new value to attendees, the BookExpo team has worked with ABA to create additional programming to provide booksellers with more opportunities to meet with editors and publicists, including:

  • In-Booth Editors’ Hours, which will allow booksellers to discover new titles to recommend to readers and opportunities to grow revenue. The Editors’ Hours will take place on the trade show floor on Wednesday, May 30, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.; Thursday, May 31, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.; and Friday, June 1, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
  • Publicist Meet-Ups, during which booksellers have the chance to plan engaging author events to drive new traffic to stores and spur book sales. The meet-ups will take place on the trade show floor on Friday, June 1, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Watch for more details in the coming weeks about these events and more.

In addition, ABA and BookExpo will offer a number of education sessions on topics such as hiring for diversity, e-commerce marketing, data-driven bookselling, Edelweiss+ inventory management, and roundtables for booksellers to discuss point-of-sale systems, as well as a session for authors on working successfully with independent bookstores.

Other programming will feature booksellers showcasing the latest crop of Indies Introduce authors, the ABC/CBC Speed Dating Lunch with Children’s Authors, and a presentation on BookScan from NPD Book. See the overview of ABA and BookExpo programming highlights on BookWeb. For complete show information, visit the BookExpo website.

Registration for BookExpo 2018 is open now. To receive a free badge to the show, booksellers at ABA member stores will need to provide an ABA member ID number during the registration process. Booksellers who don’t know their ABA member ID number should send a request with their name, title, and store name to [email protected] or call (800) 637-0037, ext. 7536.

Thanks to a significant financial commitment from Reed Exhibitions, ABA member booksellers can reserve rooms at the 2018 Hotel ABA — The New Yorker, a Wyndham Hotel — at a rate of $200 per night, including all taxes and fees (a $33 per night added value). The ABA member hotel rate is available for the nights of Sunday, May 27, through Sunday, June 3, 2018; however, the room block is limited and reservations will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

The New Yorker Hotel is located at 481 Eighth Avenue in New York City, between 34th and 35th Streets. To access Hotel ABA reservation information, booksellers will need a BookWeb username and password (e-mail [email protected] for login details). The deadline to get this rate is May 14 or when the block sells out, whichever comes first.

As additional BookExpo programming takes shape, watch Bookselling This Week for details. General questions about registration should be addressed to the BookExpo customer service team at [email protected].

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