BookED

ABA's  Lightning Talk series features booksellers presenting 5-10 minute talks on tech tools, organizational strategies, communication methods, or innovations they've made in their stores. On August 8, 2024, Courtney Ulrich Smith of Underbrush Books (Rogers, AR) discussed Subscription Programs. Session Video & Resources   Additional bookstore education resources can be found at  www.bookweb.org ....

This session is exclusively designed for publishers and led by events managers from bookstores with longstanding histories of successful events. Booksellers will present how events (virtual, hybrid, and in-person) have evolved since the onset of COVID-19 in 2020 through today. They will investigate factors that impact the new needs of bookstores and customers as they pertain to events and school v...

The nature of authors' events continuously changes from one event to the next. However, COVID-19 has forced an evolution in events that can leave event coordinators wondering why they aren't meeting their event goals. This session will discuss updated strategies for forming mutually beneficial relationships with publishing partners, managing ticketing and turnout, and creating an ordering strategy...

Free Expression Friday is an interview series from ABA's  American Booksellers for Free Expression  celebrating the amazing work of booksellers, organizers, and book people in general fighting for the right to read. Utah has banned 13 books statewide, the first batch of what threaten to be many statewide bans under a law passed this year, HB 29. The law institutes a three-strikes system that means...

ABA's  Lightning Talk series features booksellers presenting 5-10 minute talks on tech tools, organizational strategies, communication methods, or innovations they've made in their stores. On August 8, 2024 Danielle King of Left Bank Books (St. Louis, MO) discussed Writing Compelling Shelf Talkers. Session Video & Resources   Additional bookstore education resources can be found at  www.bookweb.or...

In this spotlight on Black publishers Cheryl Willis Hudson (Just Us Books), Kwame M'Balia (Freedom Fire), and Bria Ragin (Delacorte Press) candidly discuss what inspired them to pursue careers as publishers of children's books and their journeys to success in the publishing industry. It is a frank conversation about the history and experiences of Black publishers and the responsibility of all book...

Virtual book fairs and teacher wishlist fulfillment are practical ways to support schools and students. Learn the fundamentals of planning, marketing, running, and fulfilling virtual book fairs and wishlists. Session Resources   Recorded June 11, 2024 at Children's Institute 2024 in New Orleans, LA Additional bookstore education resources can be found at  www.bookweb.org .     Theme song by  Const...

Free Expression Friday is an interview series from ABA's  American Booksellers for Free Expression  celebrating the amazing work of booksellers, organizers, and book people in general fighting for the right to read. With a background in social work, Tayler Simon is passionate about helping people. But when she saw anti-DEI and anti-CRT measures targeting higher ed spill over into book bans, she sa...

ABA's  Lightning Talk series features booksellers presenting 5-10 minute talks on tech tools, organizational strategies, communication methods, or innovations they've made in their stores. On August 8, 2024, Lyn Ciurro of Bound to Happen Books (Stevens Point, WI) discussed being a Blue Dot in a Red State. Session Video & Resources   Additional bookstore education resources can be found at  www.boo...

Edelweiss provides a suite of tools that will allow everyone in your team to contribute to sustaining your children's literature sections. In this session we will cover core, analytics, community, and 360 Edelweiss tools that you can leverage for discovery, building out, and boosting your store sections. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of Edelweiss tools for the purposes of knowle...

Can a bookstore be a Rube Goldberg machine? Realistically? Probably not, but here booksellers will apply the geometric law of syllogism ("If this, then that") to demonstrate how to automate processes or develop systems to follow a consistent pattern or trigger a chain reaction of "this, then that." Attendees will learn about low code/no code automation, and have the chance to examine and re-evalua...

Presented by ABA and the League of Women Voters (LWV), "Local Voter Engagement in 2024 and Beyond" was designed to help independent bookstores mobilize and empower voters in their communities. Recorded July 25, 2024. Session Video & Resources   Follow the American Booksellers for Free Expression on Instagram at  @ABFEFreeExpression  to keep up with ABFE's advocacy efforts and tune into their Free...

ABA's  Lightning Talk series features booksellers presenting 5-10 minute talks on tech tools, organizational strategies, communication methods, or innovations they've made in their stores. On April 11, 2024, Liz Whitelam of Whitelam Books (Reading, MA) discussed using Slack for staff communication. Session Resources   Additional bookstore education resources can be found at  www.bookweb.org .   Th...

With consideration to the thousands of children who have transitioned from learning to read to reading to learn during the pandemic, how have the events of the last four years impacted reading comprehension and the middle-grade readers' experience of reading? This session will investigate the rise of sales in graphic novels, manga, licensed character novels and stories, and comic books in relation...

ABA's  Indies Introduce  interview series spotlights debut authors handpicked by booksellers from around the country. In each episode, a bookseller from the Indies Introduce panel interviews an author featured in the program to celebrate the release of their book. In this episode, Preet Singh of Eagle Eye Book Shop (Decatur, GA) interviews Danica Nava, author of The Truth According to Ember , avai...

ABA's  Indies Introduce  interview series spotlights debut authors handpicked by booksellers from around the country. In each episode, a bookseller from the Indies Introduce panel interviews an author featured in the program to celebrate the release of their book. In this episode, Kromeklia Bryant of Solid State Books (Washington, DC) interviews g. haron davis, author of The Lonely Below , availab...

Whether it's to advocate for better public infrastructure, get out the vote for school board elections, stand up to book challenges, protect drag story times, or support a cause that aligns with your store's mission, bookstores have the ability to influence change that can help their business and their community. In this session, booksellers will share examples of the ways their bookstore has infl...

Free Expression Friday is an interview series from ABA's  American Booksellers for Free Expression  celebrating the amazing work of booksellers, organizers, and book people in general fighting for the right to read. Ariel Hakim became a stay at home mom after working at a public library, but she wasn't ready to leave banned books behind. Instead, she started Banned Books Box , a monthly subscripti...

CoverHound  is thrilled to present a special four-part webinar series for ABA members,  Insuring Success: Business Insurance for Bookstores . On July 25, at 3:00 pm ET, CoverHound presented part three of this series, Workers' Compensation: Navigating Claims, Compliance, and Coverage. In this webinar, as we explore the crucial topic of workers' compensation insurance. Discover the essential coverag...

Following the Children's Book Market Overview, booksellers can attend this idea exchange to investigate the data further, formulate opinions, and set goals for the final quarter of the year to prepare for a robust holiday season. Session Resources   Recorded June 11, 2024 at Children's Institute 2024 in New Orleans, LA Additional bookstore education resources can be found at  www.bookweb.org .    ...

The recent decline in middle grade readership has set off an alarm for independent children's booksellers. With children losing interest in reading between the ages of 8–12, in only a few short years, the number of adult readers will also be diminishing. In this session, booksellers and Brenna Connor from Circana will share the middle grade trends bookstores are seeing, ideas for addressing the is...

Brenna Connor, Books Insights Manager for Circana BookScan , will explain and identify the US children's book market key trends to watch, highest growth areas, and performance by genre, format, and age range. This can't-miss session is based on the latest Circana BookScan data and Brenna's industry expertise. Session Video & Resources Recorded June 11, 2024 at Children's Institute 2024 in New Orle...

ABA's  Lightning Talk series features booksellers presenting 5-10 minute talks on tech tools, organizational strategies, communication methods, or innovations they've made in their stores. On July 11, 2024, Philomena Polefrone of ABA's  American Booksellers for Free Expression discussed the forthcoming Right to Read Handbook .   Session Video and Resources   Follow the American Booksellers for Fre...

ABA's Lightning Talk series features booksellers presenting 5-10 minute talks on tech tools, organizational strategies, communication methods, or innovations they've made in their stores. On July 11, 2024, Aysia Brown of Protagonist Black (Pomona, CA) discussed Supporting Indie Authors through their Friends of the Shop local author program.   Session Resources   Additional bookstore education reso...

Adults don't always have the answers. And just like adults, kids have the urge and want to seek out answers to difficult questions and situations. In this session, booksellers will discuss how bookstores can display, discuss, and create an environment for young readers where they feel empowered to ask about and find the answers to their tough questions and difficult events happening in our world....