Dear Booksellers,

What to Do

To help ABA prepare for its regular meetings with publishers to advocate on behalf of bookstores, fill out this brief survey no later than 6:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 14. 

Sign up for any of next week’s events:

Cast your vote in the ABA Board of Directors election (if you’re the designated voter for your store). Submit your store’s ballot now.

Submit a nomination for the ABC Best Books for Young Readers consumer catalog. Let us know your favorite titles now! If you’re interested in joining the title selection committee, email ABC Manager Gen de Botton.

Contact the Small Business Administration (SBA) if you wish to request an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) increase. The SBA recently increased the maximum loan amount from $150,000 to $500,000. If your store is eligible for an increase, look for an email from @sba.gov or @updates.sba.gov email addresses with more instructions. See a sample email with important instructions here.
BTW
What to Know

Bookselling This Week is getting a new design and a new schedule. What does this mean for you? Starting later this month, watch your inbox at around 12:00 p.m. ET / 9:00 a.m. PT on Tuesdays and Fridays for the latest news from ABA. But be sure to read it! This will be your go-to place for information as ABA reduces the number of emails it sends to members in the coming weeks.

While ABA’s contract with Chosen Payments has expired, a new partnership with Gravity Payments is kicking off; see a recording of this week’s Technology Meetup to learn more about the program. Gravity Payments offers 2.4% + 23 cents per online transaction for IndieCommerce and IndieLite stores (bookstores that use alternative, compatible platforms are eligible for the same rate) and .11% (11 basis points) + 6 cents per transaction plus interchange for in-store transactions. To get started with Gravity, reach out to dedicated reps Nicole West or Jason Butler. For a limited time, ABA members who start processing with Gravity will receive one free month of membership dues for up to three locations (a $58 value per location). 

Ci9This week, we announced that Children’s Institute (August 30–September 1) is going virtual. If this logo is any indication, it’s going to be a treat! Watch for registration to open on June 15.

Independent Bookstore Day author ambassador Glennon Doyle loves indie bookstores! See what she posted on Instagram yesterday — it’s got more than 50,000 likes! 

The special enrollment period for health insurance has been extended through August 15. This video from ABA health insurance partner LIG Solutions offers an easy way to understand what that means for you.  

Indiana just added $60 million to its Small Business Restart Grant. Applications are open through 2021, but bookstores are encouraged to apply as soon as possible before the funds run out. Indiana bookstores can learn more about the grant here.

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ABA is here for all of you. Please reach out if there is anything we can help with. Members can contact me directly or email the Membership, Advocacy, or IndieCommerce teams.

Best,
Allison

Allison Hill
Chief Executive Officer

American Booksellers Association
333 Westchester Ave., Suite S202 
White Plains, NY 10604 | 800-637-0037 
info@bookweb.org • www.BookWeb.org

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