A Preview of ABA Offerings at NAIBA, PNBA Fall Trade Shows

Registration is underway for the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association’s (NAIBA) and the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association’s (PNBA) fall regional trade shows, where the American Booksellers Association is offering education sessions, IndieCommerce one-on-ones, a chance to win a scholarship to Winter Institute, and more.

The NAIBA Fall Conference will be held from Friday, October 6, to Sunday, October 8, at the Crowne Plaza Cherry Hill in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, where booksellers will have the opportunity to meet ABA Board Members Jonathon Welch, Bradley Graham, and Christine Onorati, as well as ABA staff, including Senior Program Officer Joy Dallanegra-Sanger, Member Relationship Manager Liz Roberts, and IndieCommerce Manager Geetha Nathan.

The PNBA fall trade show will take place from Sunday, October 8, to Tuesday, October 10, at the Red Lion Hotel on the River in Portland, Oregon, where booksellers can meet ABA Board President and Third Place Books managing partner Robert Sindelar and ABA staff, including Senior Strategy Officer Dan Cullen, ABC Children’s Group Manager Gen de Botton, Member Relationship Manager Daniel O’Brien, and IndieCommerce Specialist Ryan Quinn.

At each of the eight fall trade shows, ABA is presenting an education session, “Maximizing Backlist: Proven Ways to Market, Promote, and Sell Backlist Titles,” which focuses on how backlist titles with proven track records can be as important as frontlist titles for store sales and bottom-line profits. During the session, booksellers will learn about some of the proven ways to market, promote, and sell backlist titles as well as discover advantageous backlist terms now being offered by some publishers.

“Maximizing Backlist,” to be led by Dallanegra-Sanger with Welch, Graham, and Onorati, will be offered to both ABA and non-ABA member booksellers at the NAIBA trade show on Saturday, October 7, from 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in Plaza 3.

At PNBA, “Maximizing Backlist,” to be led by Cullen and Sindelar, will be offered to booksellers on Sunday, October 8, from 2:30 to 3:45 p.m. in the Washington Room. 

At the NAIBA conference, booksellers can also attend the keynote session, “The Angles of Advocacy,” to be held on October 7 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in rooms Crystal 1 & 2, which will feature ABA Director of Public Policy & Advocacy David Grogan, along with Janice Kovach, mayor of Clinton, New Jersey, and Tom Lowenburg, co-owner of Octavia Books in New Orleans.

The NAIBA and PNBA trade shows will also give ABA member booksellers the opportunity to meet with IndieCommerce staff for one-on-one help sessions.

At NAIBA, current IndieCommerce and IndieLite users as well as non-IndieCommerce ABA members who would like to know more about either program can book an appointment with IndieCommerce Manager Geetha Nathan in room Crystal 1 on October 7, for any time between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. At PNBA, member booksellers can schedule an appointment with IndieCommerce Specialist Ryan Quinn on Sunday, October 8, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. in the Pendleton Room or on Monday, October 9, between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. in the Hayden Room. Stores that sign an IndieCommerce or IndieLite contract at either show will also be entered in a sweepstakes for a chance to win a free first year of service.

Additionally, for the first time this year, ABA will announce a scholarship winner for Winter Institute 2018 in Memphis at the end of each show, to be selected from the pool of business cards submitted by ABA member booksellers at the ABA show booth. Booksellers need not be present at the drawing to win.

At both shows, booksellers will also get the chance to check out the Winter/Spring 2018 Indies Introduce titles at the ABA booth.

Non-ABA members who attend either show may use the promo code REGF2017 to test-drive an ABA membership for free until January 31, 2018. This offer will only be available until November 1.

Booksellers can register for the NAIBA Fall Conference or the PNBA fall trade show now.