Winter Institute Attendees: Sign Up Now for Special Events and Programs
- By Liz Button
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Booksellers can visit BookWeb.org now to register for a range of special events and programming taking place at the American Booksellers Association’s 15th annual Winter Institute in Baltimore. Special event registration opened at 1:00 pm ET on Tuesday, October 29.
Registration is open now for:
- Antitrust Symposium in Washington, D.C. (Tuesday, January 21, 7:45 am to 4:00 pm, $25): Be part of a special symposium on growing monopoly power in the retailing and tech sector, with a focus on the extraordinary market dominance of Amazon. Up until December 13, this event is only open to registered Winter Institute booksellers. After December 13, if space allows, registration will open to booksellers who are not attending Winter Institute. Register for the symposium here.
- Tours of Penguin Random House’s Westminster Warehouse (Tuesday, January 21, 8:00 am to 2:00 pm or 12:00 pm to 4:30 pm): Take a half-day tour of Penguin Random House’s Westminster warehouse; round-trip transportation will be provided.
- Paz & Associates Workshop: Introduction to Retail Bookselling (Tuesday, January 21, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, $129): This is a one-day crash course on the essentials of opening a new bookstore or buying an existing one. Attendance at Winter Institute is optional but admission is guaranteed; a separate registration fee applies.
- IndieCommerce Institute (Tuesday, January 21, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, $59): Separate interactive, classroom-style workshops will be offered for users of ABA e-commerce platforms IndieCommerce and IndieLite. Each seminar will include step-by-step instructions for the topics covered, and participants will be assigned their own test site to use and follow along with. (Wi15 registration not required to attend.)
- Publishers by Appointment (Tuesday, January 21, 9:30 am to 4:15 pm): This new programming initiative will allow booksellers to sign up for 15-minute slots to meet with participating publishers of their choice.
- Baltimore-Area Bookstore Tour for International Guests (Tuesday, January 21, 10:00 am to 3:25 pm, $30): This tour for international guests offers a chance to experience U.S. independent bookstores in and around the city of Baltimore. (Bookstore tours for U.S. booksellers are scheduled for Friday, January 24.)
- Used Books Seminar (Tuesday, January 21, 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm): Discuss the art of selling used and rare books with fellow booksellers. Topics will include merchandising policies, inventory acquisition, events, displays, remainders, online sales, store layout, and more.
- Advanced: A Workplace Divided: Understanding the Climate for LGBTQ+ Workers Nationwide (Wednesday, January 22, 10:40 am to 11:40 am): An educator from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation will present data on how to make your business a more inclusive place and provide an environment for reflection and discussion on how to make positive changes in your workplace culture.
- Advanced: Work-Life Balance for Managers and Owners (Friday, January 24, 9:30 am to 10:30 am): In 2019, the World Health Organization included burnout in the eleventh revision of the International Classification of Diseases. A professional in the field will lead a session to help all attendees identify workplace stressors in their environments and consider possible solutions.
- Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You (Friday, January 24, 1:45 pm to 3:00 pm): Join bestselling and award-winning authors Dr. Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds in conversation on the history of racist ideas in America and how to better navigate these complex realities. Reynolds and Kendi’s Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, March 2020) delivers a timely YA reimagining of Kendi’s National Book Award-winning Stamped From the Beginning.
- Bookselling Bootcamp (Friday, January 24, 1:45 pm to 5:00 pm): This in-depth, interactive seminar for frontline booksellers will cover blurb writing, personal finance, hand-selling strategies, and career management.
- Employee Manual Workshop (Friday, January 24, 1:45 pm to 5:00 pm): This workshop will cover a number of sections critical to an employee manual, including workplace culture, general employment information, benefits, code of conduct, disciplinary procedures, and more.
- Bookstore Tours (Friday, January 24, 2:00 pm to 4:45 pm, $30): Visit Baltimore-area indie bookstores Atomic Books and Red Emma’s Bookstore as well as Black Classic Press.
Winter institute will take place January 21–24, 2020, at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland. Questions about Winter Institute can be directed to [email protected].
Stores that are unable to register for special events due to the California wildfires should contact [email protected] by Friday, November 15.