Signup Underway for Kids’ Indie Next List eNewsletter Pilot Program

As announced at last week’s ABC Children’s Institute, this June the American Booksellers Association and Shelf Awareness will launch a pilot e-newsletter program for the quarterly Kids’ Indie Next List. Enrollment in the pilot program, which starts with this summer’s list, is now open to all ABA member stores.

As with the adult Indie Next List program, the kids’ e-newsletter will be store-branded. Each store will retain all of their customer e-mail addresses; the book “buy” button will link back to the store website; and all e-mail replies will go to the store e-mail address. However, because each quarterly Kids’ List presents an average of 50 titles and covers a three-month publication window, the mailing to consumers will be divided into two e-newsletters that will be sent about six weeks apart each season (June 8 and July 20 for the summer list; September 14 and October 19 for the fall list). Titles featured on each of the season’s two kids’ lists will be based on publication dates, and the print Kids’ Indie Next List’s top 10 titles will be divided into a top five on each list with additional titles organized, as usual, by age groups.

To sign up for the monthly Indie Next List e-newsletter program, stores should complete the form available here and follow the directions to upload materials. Stores have the option of sending the kids’ e-newsletter to customers as soon as boarding permits, which will be based on the number of stores signing up. Pilot program participants will be required to mount an Indie Next List display each month and to agree to request recipients’ permission for ABA to survey them about the newsletter.

Questions about the Kids’ Indie Next List pilot program should be sent to ABA Senior Program Officer Joy Dallanegra-Sanger.