Spring Forums Coming Up in SCIBA, NCIBA, and PNBA Regions

Over the next several days, the American Booksellers Association is hosting Spring Forums in three locations around the country: this Friday, March 16, in North Hollywood, California; on Sunday, March 18, in San Francisco, California; and on Monday, March 19, in Seattle, Washington.

All independent booksellers — ABA members and non-members alike — are invited to attend the forums, which are being held in conjunction with the regional bookseller associations.

Each program will feature an open forum discussion of industry issues plus the new education session “A Year of Bookstore Profitability.” The session will present a year-long calendar of effective steps that bookstores can implement — as well as key cost-saving programs — to boost sales and improve the bottom line. This session is applicable to all bookstore employees, and booksellers will be invited to join the conversation and share the initiatives they use to improve profitability each quarter.

As part of the open forum segment of the program, booksellers will have the opportunity to discuss any of their concerns related to ABA, the book industry in general, and other issues. The spring forum discussions are a critically important vehicle for ABA to gather feedback from members, and all are encouraged to come prepared to discuss their concerns.

Try Out an ABA Membership

Non-member booksellers attending one of the forums are invited to sign up to test drive an ABA membership for free through August 31. This offer applies to stores that have not been ABA members in the past two years.

To take advantage of the offer, booksellers will need to attend one of the Spring Forums to receive the promotion code. Between March 15 and May 15, booksellers can enter the code in the new member application on BookWeb.org to sign up for the free trial. Following the trial period, stores will have the option to convert their membership to regular status until the end of the dues year (January 31, 2019) for a prorated portion of the new member rate of $199.

Need a Store Website?

Stores that sign up for an IndieLite website between March 15 and April 30 will receive the first three months of their subscription for free (a $150 value). To participate, stores must be a current ABA member. For more information, e-mail [email protected] or call (800) 637-0037 (option 2).

Upcoming Spring Forums

The March 16 Spring Forum in West Hollywood will be held in conjunction with the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association. ABA CEO Oren Teicher and Senior Program Officer Joy Dallanegra-Sanger will host the open forum discussion and present the education session “A Year of Bookstore Profitability.”

The program, which includes lunch, will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at The Garland, located at 4222 Vineland Avenue in North Hollywood.

Booksellers planning to attend are asked to RSVP to SCIBA Member Relationship Manager Daniel O’Brien.

The March 18 Spring Forum in San Francisco will be held in conjunction with the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association. Join ABA CEO Oren Teicher, Senior Program Officer Joy Dallanegra-Sanger, and ABA Board Member Pete Mulvihill for the open forum (8:15 to 9:15 a.m.), lunch, and the ABA education session (1:00 to 2:15 p.m.).

The program will take place at the Pacific Room at the Tides Thoreau Center Presidio, located at 1012 Torney Avenue in San Francisco.

Booksellers planning to attend are asked to RSVP to NCIBA Member Relationship Manager Daniel O’Brien.

NCIBA programming details and registration are available here.

The March 19 Spring Forum in Seattle will be held in conjunction with the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association. Join ABA CEO Oren Teicher, Senior Program Officer Joy Dallanegra-Sanger, and ABA Board President Robert Sindelar for the open forum discussion, lunch, and ABA education session.

The program will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Elliott Bay Book Company, located at 1521 10th Avenue in Seattle. PNBA will hold an author reception from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Queer/Bar, 1518 11th Avenue in Seattle.

Booksellers planning to attend are asked to RSVP to PNBA Member Relationship Manager Daniel O’Brien.