BookED

The author event landscape has shifted and booksellers are feeling the strain. This candid session explores what sustainable programming really looks like now. From rising costs to staff burnout, we'll discuss how to build events that are realistic, joyful, and community-driven. Come ready to share, reflect, and leave with practical ideas you can actually use. If you have been organizing or hostin...

Many readers want to buy and engage with Spanish language books at their local indie bookstore, but curating a meaningful selection can feel overwhelming. This session will guide you through how to source quality titles, evaluate translators, and discover essential tools for informed purchasing decisions. You'll also explore ways to connect with Spanish-speaking communities in your area — through...

With pressure on bookstores increasing over the books they decide to carry or not carry, it is essential to have a clear curation policy that reflects your store's emphasis and values. Having a curation policy helps a store keep the team on the same page, explain curation decisions to customers, and work through disagreements within the staff and community. Led by ABFE's Associate Director Philome...

Independent bookstores and publishers share the same goal: getting the right books into readers' hands. This session unveils a new tool that brings publishers and booksellers together more directly than ever by expanding access, elevating diverse catalogs, and removing the roadblocks in how booksellers discover forthcoming content. Join us for a first look at this new tool and learn how you can he...

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, Elisa McIntosh of The Bookstore Plus in Lake Placid, NY interviews Ahmad Saber, author of Ramin Abbas Has MAJOR Question...

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, Cassie Goodwin of Loudmouth Books in Indianapolis, IN interviews Reena Shah, author of Every Happiness , available Febru...

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, Haley Calvin of The Novel Neighbor in St. Louis, MO, interviews Alice Evelyn Yang, author of A Beast Slinks Towards Beij...

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, Ambir Moore of The Book Lovers Era in Hill AFB, UT interviews Eric King, author of A Clean Hell: Anarchy and Abolition i...

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, VaLinda Miller of Turning Page Bookshop in Goose Creek, SC interviews Char Adams, author of Black-Owned: The Revolutiona...

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, Marisa Spence of Ballast Book Co., Bremerton, WA interviews Julian Brave NoiseCat , author of We Survived the Night , av...

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, Laurie Gillman of East City Books in Washington, DC interviews Laura Venita Green, author of Sister Creatures , availabl...

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, Grace Lane of Linden Tree Books in Los Altos, CA interviews  Helena Haywoode Henry , author of Last Chance Live! , avail...

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, Lauren Pronger of Chapterhouse Books in Amarillo, TX interviews Shafaq Khan, author of Zeyna Lost and Found , available...

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, Keeley Malon of Ink Drinkers Anonymous in Muncie, IN interviews Ruby Martinez, author of An Embroidery of Souls , availa...

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, James Crossley of Leviathan Books in St. Louis, MO interviews David Greig, author of The Book of I , available September...

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, Mara Luther of Chapter One Bookstore in Hamilton, MT interviews Susan Metallo, author of Reasons to Hate Me , available...

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, Mara Luther of Chapter One Bookstore in Hamilton, MT interviews Cassandra Ramos-Gomez, author of  Lost on Doll Island ,...

Literacy begins in infancy and then school takes over. Family reading gets substituted with smartphones, tablets, Nintendo Switch, after-school activities, and friends. All these things take time, and there is little opportunity for reading to naturally evolve into a hobby. This session will lay the groundwork for educating parents on ways they can get involved, actively and passively, in their ch...

Financial literacy takes time to develop. Whether you're fluent in your store's finances or just learning the language, visiting foundational concepts and practices of financial literacy can support and affirm your financial decisions. This session will walk attendees through ten important concepts and practices every business owner should know to grow and reinforce their financial literacy.   Rec...

In this session, Maisie Soetantyo will discuss practical ways bookstores can implement innovative support strategies and best practices to increase accessibility for neurodivergent customers. Maisie is an openly autistic inclusivity consultant and founder of Guiding Extraordinary Minds and Autism Career Pathways.   Recorded June 14, 2025 at Children's Institute 2025 in Portland, OR.  Additional bo...

Information comes at us from all directions. Some of it is true. Some of it is partially true. And some of it is false. In this informative session, American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE) Associate Director and author of The Right to Read Handbook, Philomena Polefrone, will tell booksellers what they need to know when it comes to their First Amendment rights. Up-to-date information on boo...

Picture books are for grown-ups! They are sophisticated and complex, as well as accessible, beautiful, and entertaining. In this session, a panel of booksellers and authors take attendees through a format and contextual analysis of two very familiar picture books. The panel and attendees will engage in a lively dialogue to reveal the depth, complexity, and nuance that exist within the picture book...

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, Nahin Cano of Seminary Co-Op Bookstores in Chicago, IL interviews Addie E. Citchens, author of  Dominion , available A...

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, Grace Lane of Linden Tree Books in Los Altos, CA interviews Joanne Yi, author of All the Tomorrows After , available A...

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, Marisa Spence of Ballast Book Company in Bremerton, WA interviews Xenobe Purvis, author of The Hounding , available Au...