BookED

This session presents practical ways to prepare to fight book bans before they come to your area. Staff from the American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE), ABA's free expression initiative, will advise attendees on what they can do locally: how to engage with their community and local government, and what actions to take if attempted book bans do arrive. Presented by the ABA Children's Group...

Join this bookseller-led panel for a discussion on supporting trans and nonbinary staff and colleagues. With LGBTQIA2S+ (particularly trans) rights under constant siege, it is more important than ever to have procedures in place that protect our staff and colleagues. Panelists will discuss what active allyship means for all employees, and will review best practices for responding to anti-trans leg...

This panel session, led by Andy Hunter of Bookshop.org, will feature a panel of booksellers discussing how they use digital platforms to sell books, build an online audience, and drive in-person and online sales. The panel will discuss selling with e-commerce, highlighting events and community through social media, reviewing and acting on website traffic to increase the visibility of your store wi...

In-person book fairs are a fantastic way to build relationships with your local schools and can be a profitable undertaking for a bookstore. If you've never done one before, knowing how to start is the first step to success. This session is for bookstores that are new to book fairs and will feature booksellers with established relationships with their local school districts. They will present how...

The media landscape and consumer reading and listening habits have changed considerably in recent years. We have witnessed the growth of new and existing social media channels and many traditional media outlets have disappeared or reduced coverage and content. What are the most effective channels for bookstores to reach their customers, market to new customers, and engage with their community? Thi...

Using his seven years as the unlikely and heralded Chairman and CEO of Ashley Stewart, a business with deep roots in Black American communities, as the basis for his narrative, James Rhee weaves together a tapestry of ideas including humanism, neuroscience, race, economics, and capitalism to paint a picture of what is possible through the mutually reinforcing forces of kindness, math, and goodwill...

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 January 11, 2024, Kelsy April of Bank Square Books (Mystic, CT) discussed  hosting a "Mini Winnie" for your staff to bring Winter Institute back to your store . Additional bookstore education resources can be...

Join four new genre authors as they come together in conversation to discuss how they use and subvert different genre tropes to reimagine worlds past, present, and future. Moderator: Calvin Crosby, Owner, The King's English Bookshop (Salt Lake City, UT) Panelists: Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Chain Gang All Stars (Pantheon); Chloe Gong, Immortal Longings (Gallery/Saga Press); Taj McCoy, Zora Books He...

Employers use diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives to create a more equitable, inclusive, and dynamic workforce. Designing and developing a DEI program involves four main phases: 1) Data collection and analysis to determine the need for change; 2) Strategy design to match business objectives; 3) Implementation; 4) Evaluation and continuing audit of the plan. This session will be lead by Ja...

Build a culture of great service and treat your customers and colleagues like royalty! Join Elnian Gilbert, an educator with ZingTrain, as she teaches the recipe for providing service in a way that will make your store stand out! You will learn easy-to-implement (and teach) skills. When you leave this session you will understand what a culture of service looks like, how to deliver it consistently,...

Bookstores are places that go beyond merchandising — they transport readers to other worlds. The physical environment of your store should do the same and evoke the transportive experience of reading. Curate delight through all five senses! Partner with local candlemakers to create scent marketing for your store; bring in signature sweets; learn how to use cinematic color palettes that capture the...

Join Michelle MiJung Kim, award-winning author of  The Wake Up: Closing the Gap Between Good Intentions and Real Change , and Hannah Oliver Depp of Loyalty Bookstores for a thought-provoking conversation about how each of us can — and must — be a part of creating a more equitable world. Drawing upon her lived experiences as a queer immigrant woman of color and her work across various industries, M...

On-shift training is the primary form of training in many businesses - one trainer teaching skill-based information to one or two trainees. Despite its popularity, it is often hard to get consistent results when not all trainers are on the same page, are not working with the same expectations, and sometimes, are not on the same skill level. This leads to frustrated trainees, managers, and trainers...

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 10, 2023, Dick Hermans of Oblong Books (Rhinebeck, NY) discussed  music retailing . Additional bookstore education resources can be found at  www.bookweb.org .   Theme by  Constant Companion

Join Native authors Cynthia Leitich Smith, Traci Sorell, and Danielle Greendeer in a conversation about how reader awareness and shifts in publishing have affected the way they create new stories with native characters at the center, and share stories of the past. Panelists: Cynthia Leitich Smith, editor of Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids (HarperCollins); Danielle Greendeer, Keepun...

Join a panel of booksellers as they discuss ways that they have become more efficient in basic bookstore operations. The panel will review how to organize invoices for efficiency, provide samples of easy-to-use forms to streamlined processes, discuss how to communicate with staff around new operations procedures, and more. Come to the session to listen and also share your own best practices. Speak...

This Winter Institute keynote conversation between Cory Doctorow (co-author of  Chokepoint Capitalism ) and Stacy Mitchell (Director of the Institute for Local Self Reliance) will explore the threats posed by corporate consolidation, and far-reaching strategies for fighting back. Corporate monopolies are as powerful as ever, making it harder and harder for American small businesses to thrive. The...

Join ABA Director of Education, Kim Hooyboer, as we review some of the top crises that bookstores have experienced this past year. From cybersecurity threats to a car driving into the store, we will provide resources and tips to prepare for and, when possible, avoid these crises at your store. Topics will include: fire, flood, and natural disasters; protesters, break-ins, and ransomware, credit ca...

Independent bookstores' online sales have increased over 600% since 2019. We've made incredible progress, but it's clear we need to do more to lock in our gains and keep growing. The indie channel sells only about 2% of the books bought online versus roughly 10% of physical retail. Our goal is to increase indie channel e-commerce sales by 5x so that local, independent bookstores capture our share...

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 10, 2023, Cynthia Compton of 4 Kids Books & Toys (Zionsville, IN) discussed the platform Podium . Additional bookstore education resources can be found at  www.bookweb.org .   Theme by  Constant Compani...

Join Ingram for an informative workshop with essential tips and techniques for using ipage®. Whether you're new to ipage® or an experienced user, gain a clearer understanding of our platform's full capabilities so you will spend less time navigating and more time selling. In this session, you will learn how to refine your searches and order, understand tracking within ipage®, and learn more about...

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 October 12, 2023, Clark Mason, CFO of  Vroman's Bookstore (Pasadena, CA), discussed the  e-commerce fraud protection program, NoFraud .   Additional bookstore education resources can be found at  www.bookweb.o...

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 October 12, 2023, Chelsia Rice of Montana Book Company  (Helena, MT) discussed  hosting Drag Story Hour . Additional bookstore education resources can be found at  www.bookweb.org .   Theme by  Constant Compan...

Whether you have owned a store for many years and are considering exiting a much-loved business, are planning for your store's long-term future, or are a bookseller exploring options for keeping a business viable for many years to come, this is the session for you. This seminar will cover store valuation, alternate models for succession, how to raise capital, the importance of an emergency plan, a...

Whether you have owned a store for many years and are considering exiting a much-loved business, are planning for your store's long-term future, or are a bookseller exploring options for keeping a business viable for many years to come, this is the session for you. This seminar will cover store valuation, alternate models for succession, how to raise capital, the importance of an emergency plan, a...