Lounge to Feature Book Sense Authors, ABA Member Services & More

The ABA/Book Sense Lounge, Room 151 at the Washington Convention Center, will be the place for American Booksellers Association members attending this month's BookExpo America to learn about ABA products and services, as well as to meet with colleagues and check e-mail (courtesy of Booklog). Continuing the success of past years, the Lounge will also feature Book Sense Autographing sessions with some of independent booksellers' favorite authors. Last year's very popular Hyperion Caf will return to the Lounge on Saturday, with three authors and complimentary lunch. And, new this year, is a Sunday morning event, The Unbridled Hour. (See autographing schedule below.)

The Lounge, which is exclusively for ABA members, will open at 9:00 a.m. each morning, from Thursday, May 18, to Sunday, May 21. On Thursday and Saturday, the Lounge will be open until 6:00 p.m. On Friday, it will close at 3:00 p.m. for ABA's Town Hall and Annual Membership Meeting, and on Sunday, the last day of the show, it will close at 4:00 p.m.

Among the resources available to members who stop by the Lounge will be live demonstrations of the Above the Treeline, the Book Sense Gift Card Program, BookSense.com, BookWeb.org, and more. There will also be information areas devoted to the Book Sense Bestseller List and reporting via Nielsen BookScan, ABA membership, and ABA's business management services, including PartnerShip and Bank of America Merchant Services, which will waive the $75 application fee for booksellers who sign up for its credit card processing program during the week of the show through the end of May.

Booksellers who have questions about the ABACUS Survey, or need help filling out the form, can make appointments in advance to meet with ABA Director of Special Projects David Walker ([email protected]) in the Lounge.

The Republic of Tea, purveyor of over 150 ready-to-drink and loose teas and herbs, will be in the Lounge once again this year, offering complimentary tea. A representative will also be available to answer booksellers' questions about its products, which are a favorite at many independent bookstores.

Information will also be available from Book Sense marketing partner Levenger, a catalog and Internet company that provides high-quality tools for reading and writing. On display will be the gifts from Levenger to be presented to the Book Sense Book of the Year winners at this year's Celebration of Bookselling.

And booksellers who would like to speak at ABA's Town Hall meeting on Friday will find a sign-up sheet prominently displayed in the ABA/Book Sense Lounge, beginning Thursday, May 18. Sign up is on a first-come, first-served basis, though the ABA Board will do its best to make sure all members with questions or issues have the opportunity to speak. Booksellers will be called upon in the order in which they signed up.

Book Sense Autographing

On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, these authors, whose works have appeared on the Book Sense Picks lists, will be in the Lounge to meet with booksellers and to sign their books (look for updates to this schedule in the Lounge):