Redesigned BookWeb Offers New Features and Easy Navigation

On Thursday morning, April 25, the American Booksellers Association launched its redesigned trade website, BookWeb.org. The site’s brand-new look and user-friendly navigation functions make it easier than ever to access the important information and tools critical to the world of indie bookselling.

With clean, uncluttered page layouts and upgrades to improve ease-of-use, the new BookWeb is the result of months of work on the part of ABA staff and lots of great input from members of the Booksellers Advisory Council and the ABA Board. The new BookWeb houses all of the same great information, but with added features and a merging of all of ABA’s programs and resources under one roof.

IndieCommerce pages and updates (formerly at IndieCommerce.com), breaking news from Bookselling This Week (formerly at news.bookweb.org), and events and registrations are now all housed on the same site, along with mainstays including membership, advocacy, and ABA governance information.

A clearer, more intuitive navigation bar features three new headings that provide fast access to critical tools for the bookselling world:

• The Professional Bookselling section provides resources needed to maintain the high standards of the best independent bookselling. It includes ABA’s Curriculum Guide, which lists current and previous education sessions and links to accompanying downloadable handout materials in various formats, as well as articles on best practices from Bookselling This Week and the ABA Education Archive.
   
• The Events page presents a thorough listing of all ABA events, including details and dates, from the Winter Institute to BookExpo America to the Spring Forums and beyond.
   
• In Designs and Downloads, ABA’s materials resource center, are all files, designs, handouts, and images offered to members for store marketing DIY; IndieBound-specific marketing DIY; ABA Education handouts and summaries; IndieCommerce promotions, web copy, and contracts; Kobo marketing, promotion, and contracts; and Membership applications. 

The new ABA homepage offers handy features, including ABA To Do’s at a Glance for important deadlines; fresh Tips From the Field, highlighting great ideas and stories from booksellers; a reminder of upcoming ABA events; and region-specific updates about the sales tax issue. Attractive rotating banners at the top of the homepage link to timely information on four different programs or benefits: the ABC Children’s Group at ABA, Marketing and the DIY, Advocacy, and eBooks and eReaders.

In addition, IndieBound now has its own sidebar for easy access to the most up-to-date Indie Next List and Bestseller Lists, as well as the ever-expanding Bookseller DIY. Quick links at the bottom of the page take you to any of the regional association websites, as well as a one-click jump to get onto the Bookseller Forums and connect with others in the industry.

Check out the new site and stay tuned for profiles of the site’s new features and sections in upcoming editions of BTW. Booksellers needing log-in information to explore the members-only sections of the site should contact ABA Member Relationship Manager Nathan Halter.

Booksellers with questions and comments about the new BookWeb.org are encouraged to contact ABA Membership and Marketing Officer Meg Smith.