Independent Business/Shop Local Notable Title List Now Available

The American Booksellers Association has created a list of 28 notable titles on the importance of building and strengthening vibrant local economies.

Ranging from informative accounts about the true cost of chain mega-retailers to exposes about the fast food industry and the politics of globalization, all of the titles chosen were highlighted by independent booksellers as especially timely and significant.

"By collaborating with independent booksellers to compile this list of titles on independent businesses and sustainable local economies, we've produced both a useful bibliography for booksellers' own reading and a topical marketing tool to help them establish 'local first' sections and title displays in their stores," said ABA COO Oren Teicher.

The title list is available to ABA members in a PDF format, suitable for black-and-white or color reproduction. It presents 11 titles with jacket images, full bibliographic information, and booksellers quotes. The list also highlights 16 additional titles with full bibliographic information. Space has been provided at the top of the list for bookstore branding.

The list will be available at ABA "Shop Local" educational seminars at the regional association fall trade shows, and it will be included in the October Book Sense Red Box.

Since the late 1990s, the number of independent business alliances (IBAs) and local first organizations (LFOs) has grown steadily. Today, there are IBAs and LFOs in 26 states -- some affiliated with the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) or the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) and others unaffiliated.

In many communities, booksellers have been among the local leaders in establishing IBAs and LFOs -- having understood that these organizations play a significant role in preserving the unique aspects of their communities and strengthening their businesses.

"As more booksellers take the lead in working with other independent retailers to strengthen their local economies, we hope that this list will help them leverage the formidable power of ideas and books," noted Teicher.

Additional information about IBAs and LFOs, recent economic studies, and more is available on ABA's trade website, BookWeb.org.