IPG Donates $25,000 to Bookseller Relief Fund

Since its inception, the Bookseller Relief Fund (BRF) has had the support of booksellers, publishers, distributors, regional associations, and others in the book industry. Last week, the fund was bolstered even further, when Independent Publishers Group President Mark Suchomel presented a check for $25,000 to the BRF. At its recent meeting in Chicago, ABA's Board of Directors accepted the check, which matches ABA's relief fund seed money and a recent contribution from the Southeast Booksellers Association. IPG is hoping that the donation will inspire others in the publishing community to support the fund.

"As a vendor, we feel we have a close connection to these booksellers and a responsibility to help them in their time of need," said Suchomel. "It is time for people throughout the industry to aid their friends and colleagues who are facing the dire circumstances of recent disasters."

Shortly after its inception, the BRF received a contribution of $10,000 from Holtzbrinck Publishers, and more recently it was the beneficiary of contributions from industry organizations as diverse as Canada's Abebooks.com and the Swiss Authors Guild.

Abebooks.com recently contributed one dollar (Canadian) for every bookseller in North America who sells through its website -- for a total of $9,045. "A number of our Gulf Coast booksellers were affected, and they have been in our thoughts ever since," said Hannes Blum, CEO of Abebooks.com. "We hope this donation goes some way to helping them recover from these tragic events. We appreciate ABA's work in coordinating this fundraising campaign."

The Swiss Authors Guild recently donated $1,000 to the Fund.

The regional booksellers associations have supported the BRF in many ways -- through direct contributions from their own funds, by encouraging donations at their recent trade shows, and by matching individual bookseller contributions. This past week, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA) donated $2,500 to the Fund. "The Bookseller Relief Fund is a positive response to the tragedy and devastation felt by our fellow booksellers," said PNBA President Pat Rutledge of A Book for All Seasons in Leavenworth, Washington. "PNBA is donating $2,500 in an outreach to these booksellers whose lives have been affected by the recent natural disasters. Our sympathies go out to them. It is an honor to join booksellers across the U.S. who are banding together in support of our own."

On Saturday, October 1, many ABA member booksellers earmarked a percentage of their sales as a donation to the fund. Although the event was created by ABA as a special one-day effort, some booksellers were continuing their fundraising throughout the week to raise as much money as possible. (For a related article about the October 1 effort, click here.)

To learn more about the BRF, go to www.bookweb.org/read/8092.