A Final Letter From Outgoing ABA President Steve Bercu

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Dear Fellow Booksellers,

It is with great regret that I have discovered that this is 2015 and therefore my term as ABA president will end at BookExpo America. I only discovered this by reading BTW and noticing that new officers have been elected. So I would like to congratulate our incoming president, Betsy Burton, and vice president, Robert Sindelar. I know they will do a great job and that we will be in good hands going forward.

My time as president has been a wonderful experience. It has coincided with our continued resurgence as a channel and has seen the implementation of many of the things we have talked about for years. We have been able to see the results of rapid replenishment as it spreads to more and more of our publishing partners. We are seeing simplified co-op also spreading among our publishing partners. We are benefiting from extended dating and special offers that complement Small Business Saturday, Indies First, and other seasonal selling periods. We are witnessing net increases in the number of indie stores, locations, and new ownerships for existing stores that were just not happening five or more years ago. And sales are increasing in our stores and, of course, as a share of our publishing partners’ business. All of that is great news, and news that I am happy to have been a part of in some way. I will miss the role I have been able to play, but I hope to be able to continue to contribute, if I can.

One of the things that I have been privileged to do these past two years is work with the ABA staff. Please believe me when I tell you that there is no trade association with staff as competent and dedicated as ours. We are indeed very lucky to have them. Everything you receive at any level from ABA is due to their hard work. Be sure to thank them yourself when you see them at BEA (which itself is another example of what I am talking about).

Speaking of BEA — it will begin very soon, so there is a lot for everyone who is attending to get ready.

Tickets are on sale now for the ABFE Art Auction to Benefit Free Speech in Children’s Books, which will feature works from more than 112 artists and illustrators, including special pieces created in tribute to bestselling author Judy Blume, this year’s honoree. The auction will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday evening, May 26, in the Manhattan Ballroom of the Grand Hyatt New York (Hotel ABA), located at 42nd Street and Grand Central Terminal.

Meet the Editor: Sign-up has been extended to Friday, May 15, so take advantage of this unique opportunity to meet with editors in their offices in New York City. Publishers taking part include Bloomsbury, Disney Publishing Worldwide, Grove/Atlantic, Hachette, HarperCollins, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Macmillan, Melville House, New Directions, Penguin Random House, Perseus Books Group/PGW, Scholastic, Seven Stories, Simon & Schuster, Sourcebooks, The New Press, W.W. Norton, and Workman/Algonquin.  Meet the Editor visits will take place at various publishers’ offices from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 27.

Town Hall/Annual Membership Meeting: All members are encouraged to attend the Annual Membership Meeting on Thursday, May 28, from 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m., in Room 1E15/16 of the Javits Convention Center in New York City. The meeting agenda will include the formal announcement of ABA’s election results, reports from the president and CEO, a membership and financial update, and the opportunity for members to bring old and/or new business to the attention of the Board of Directors. ABA’s Consolidated Financial Statements (2014 and 2013) and Form 990 are now available to members in the Governance section of BookWeb. (A BookWeb username and password are required.)

The Annual Meeting will be preceded by the Town Hall, from 3:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m., also in Javits’ Room 1E15/16. The Town Hall provides booksellers with the opportunity to express their opinions and concerns and to share ideas with ABA Board members and staff in a less formal setting.

To provide an opportunity for as many members as possible to speak during the Town Hall, a sign-up sheet will be prominently displayed starting Wednesday morning, May 27, in the ABA Member Lounge. Booksellers will be called upon to speak at the Town Hall in the order in which they sign up.

This year's ABA Member Lounge, Meeting Room 214 at the front of the “200” aisle on the trade show floor, will offer exclusive author meet-and-greets and signed galleys, a presentation of the newest crop of Indies Introduce authors, information on ABA programs and services from affiliated business partners, as well as a place to relax, have a snack, and meet with fellow booksellers. Booksellers can also sign up now to meet one-on-one with an IndieCommerce staff member in the lounge, as well as to meet with ABA Senior Policy Analyst David Grogan to talk about advocacy issues, including minimum wage, access to capital, e-fairness, health care, or other public policy issues impacting your business.

I want to thank you all for the opportunity to serve on our Board and as your president. It has been a pleasure as well as an honor.

Steve Bercu
President, American Booksellers Association
BookPeople
Austin, Texas