Sign Up for April 11 Marketing Meetup and IngramSpark Meetup Series

The American Booksellers Association will present several new marketing meetups for independent booksellers in the coming weeks: on April 11, guest speakers will provide insight on the topic of influencer marketing, and an upcoming Marketing Meetup series will focus on IngramSpark, with three installments over the next three months.

All booksellers are invited to participate in these bookseller-led educational conversations, which are conducted through Zoom.us and held at 11:00 a.m. EST on two Thursdays a month. Booksellers who would like to participate should e-mail [email protected] for an invitation and instructions.

On Thursday, April 11, from 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. EDT, the American Booksellers Association will present a Marketing Meetup that will focus on influencer marketing, a combination of marketing tools that takes the idea of a celebrity (influencer) endorsement and places it into a present-day content-driven marketing campaign that relies heavily on the collaborations between the brand (you) and the influencer (celebrity). In the book world, an influencer could be an author, book reviewer, local blogger, or even a book-loving teen at the local high school.

Guest speakers for the April 11 marketing meetup will be Liza Bernard of Norwich Bookstore in Norwich, Vermont; Lauren Messamore of Watermark Books & Cafe in Wichita, Kansas; and Andrea Thatcher of Smith Publicity in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

ABA will also kick off a series of three Marketing Meetups about IngramSpark taking place between the months of April and June, each led by Josh Floyd, manager of business development for IngramSpark, along with six guest booksellers (two per session). The series will cover the various ways IngramSpark can be utilized as a tool and marketed by stores. 

IngramSpark provides publishers with access to Ingram’s global distribution network for print and e-book content. Topics to be covered over the three meetups include hosting successful and profitable local author education, marketing, and event programs; hosting community writing contests and creating original content; and offering printing and publishing services to the local community.

Watch Bookselling This Week for more news about upcoming Marketing Meetups.