ABA, Ingram Announce Strategic Partnership

Ingram Book Group and Ingram Publisher Services to Underwrite Bookseller Education

Tarrytown, NY - May 6, 2008 The American Booksellers Association announced the formation of a new strategic partnership with Ingram Book Company and Ingram Publisher Services to underwrite bookseller education for the next three years. The new partnership will begin with ABA's Day of Education being held in Hollywood, California on May 29, in conjunction with BookExpo America.

"We're thrilled to enter into this arrangement with Ingram," said ABA president Russ Lawrence, co-owner of Chapter One Bookstore in Hamilton, Montana. "Ingram continues to demonstrate their understanding that the entire industry benefits from well-educated independent booksellers. With Ingram's help, ABA will continue to focus on providing our members with the tools and information they need to succeed."

The ABA presents education to booksellers at various events throughout the year, including ABA's Winter Institute, BookExpo America, regional bookseller association trade shows, and ABA's series of spring bookseller forums. Presentations cover a wide diversity of topics--from seminars on increasing margin, to panel discussions on green retailing, to environmental scanning sessions on Radio Frequency ID tags (RFID), and more.

"We're proud to be associated with ABA's education program," said Skip Prichard, President and CEO of Ingram Book Group. "We've made an enormous commitment to independent bookstores by building one of the largest field sales forces in the industry. We believe that the partnership we're announcing today enhances those efforts."

"We present education to about 1,000 booksellers each year, " note Avin Mark Domnitz, ABA's Chief Executive Officer. "This strategic partnership will help us extend that reach, and importantly, keep education free to ABA members. This relationship is a boon to both ABA and Ingram."

In addition to in-person learning opportunities, ABA provides a wealth of education content on its website, www.BookWeb.org. The materials include PDF handouts, in-depth articles, white papers, excel worksheets for budgeting and monitoring, training videos, and more.

The next major education event being offered by ABA is its annual "Day of Education," being held in Hollywood, California on May 29, in conjunction with BookExpo America. The full schedule of events can be viewed at: http://www.bookweb.org/events/bea/program.html

About American Booksellers Association

Founded in 1900, the American Booksellers Association is a not-for-profit trade organization devoted to meeting the needs of its core members -- independently owned bookstores with storefront locations -- through education, information dissemination, business products and services, and advocacy. ABA exists to protect and promote the interests of independent retail book businesses, as well as to protect the First Amendment rights of every American. The association actively supports free speech, literacy, and programs that support local and independent retail shops. A board of nine booksellers, representing thousands of members, governs the Association. ABA is headquartered in Tarrytown, New York.

About Ingram Book Group

Ingram Book Group is an Ingram Content company. Together with Lightning Source Inc. and Ingram Digital, the Ingram Content companies provide a broad range of physical and digital services to the book industry. The Book Group is a leading wholesaler of trade books, spoken audio, and magazines. Ingram provides immediate access to the largest selection of books and book-related products in the industry. Ingram Book's operating units include Ingram Book Company, Ingram Periodicals Inc., Ingram International Inc., Ingram Library Services Inc., Spring Arbor Distributors Inc., Ingram Publisher Services Inc., Tennessee Book Company LLC, and Coutts Information Services. For more information, visit the website www.igrambook.com

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American Booksellers Association
Meg Smith
email: [email protected]
phone: (914) 591-2665 x 6641