On Demand Education Sessions

Decoding the P&L for Booksellers, Managers, and Owners was presented at the Fall 2022 Regional Shows.

A bookstore’s profit and loss statement (P&L) is a critical tool for evaluating a store’s overall performance. Join ABA staff on a walk-through of a bookstore P&L statement as we lay a groundwork for understanding bookstore financials, decode individual line items to identify opportunities for improved profitability, discuss how to use ABA’s ABACUS Report, and consider ways to share financials with staff in a meaningful and cooperative manner.

During this session booksellers will hear from Taylor Soignoli of Bonfire, on their online platform where anyone can design and sell custom products, the services they offer around helping create unique designs and some best practices and examples of well-run campaigns.

A full transcription and closed captioning are available for this session. Please note that both are machine-generated and are not reviewed for accuracy.

Our New Member Series:Store Ownership 101 provides new and prospective bookstore owners with an opportunity to ask questions of seasoned bookstore owners/staff. 

The opinions expressed are those of the individual participants, not of the ABA. Information discussed is reflective of the time of the recording.

A full transcription is available for this session. Please note that it is machine-generated and not reviewed for accuracy.

It's not too late to participate in this year's free ABACUS financial survey and receive all the ABACUS reports and tools. If you are having trouble trying to figure out where to access information or finding the time to report, on Monday, August 8, at 3:30 p.m. (Eastern) you can join ABA CFO (and former bookseller) PK Sindwani for a special ABACUS webinar to help you jump start your submission by providing line-by-line instructions on filling out the ABACUS questionnaire and answer any questions that may be slowing you down so you can submit before the deadline on August 10.
Bring your final (year-end) P&L, Balance sheet or tax return along with your year-end z report to the session.

A full transcription and closed captioning are available for this session. Please note that both are machine-generated and are not reviewed for accuracy.

Get a jump start on your holiday marketing plans by joining us for this open conversation on what's worked in the past, ideas you want to try this year, and how you'll be preparing.

A full transcription and closed captioning are available for this session. Please note that both are machine-generated and are not reviewed for accuracy.

In this robust conversation with bookstores and audio publishers, attendees will get updates about audiobook sales and consumer behavior and tips for interesting customers in the format. Learn from bookstores about how audiobook sales have benefited their stores and what suggestions they have for making the most of offering the format. 

A full transcription and closed captioning are available for this session. Please note that both are machine-generated and are not reviewed for accuracy.

Our New Member Series: Intro to ABA Benefits includes a tutorial on navigating Bookweb.org to ensure a better understanding of where to find the information most vital for members. The presentation looks at education resources, networking and community, business affinity partnerships, indie marketing, advocacy, and much more. The second half of the session will offer booksellers an open forum during which they can ask questions and talk with ABA staff.

The opinions expressed are those of the individual participants, not of the ABA. Information discussed is reflective of the time of the recording. 

This ShopTalk will feature a presentation from GTM Payroll & HR; a comprehensive solution for all of your HR needs. GTM HR (formerly PINNACLE HR), is a human resources services provider. ABA bookstore members will have access to a certified human resources professional who will provide assistance with development or updates to employee handbooks, wage benchmarking data, HR forms, training programs, and advice and opinions on various HR-related problems. ABA bookstore members will receive a discounted hourly rate for most HR services. There is no monthly rate and no startup fee. Some services are available on a fixed fee basis; the GTM HR consultant will provide time estimates and quotes upon request.

A full transcription and closed captioning are available for this session. Please note that both are machine-generated and are not reviewed for accuracy.

Charlie Jane Anders (Victories Greater Than Death and Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak) gives a rousing closing keynote that examines bookstores as portals to other realms and speaks to the importance of putting the right book in the right reader's hand at the right time. 

In this session, bookstores with experience with the media will share how to to make your store media ready, including creating an About Us section that will attract press, how to build a media kit, which components are key, and how to select the assets to share to highlight your bookstore’s individuality in the press.

BookTok is here to stay. In this session, booksellers will learn how bookstores, authors, and publishers use BookTok to assess sales, trends, and engage with a virtual community of readers.

Book fairs come in all shapes and sizes. If well planned, they can be a profitable undertaking for a bookstore. In this session, booksellers with profitable book fair models will discuss different store models and how bookstores with established relationships with local school districts can analyze and optimize profitability.

Over the last two years, the IndieCommerce team has observed and analyzed consumer e-commerce buying habits as all consumers were forced to adapt to online shopping throughout the public health crisis. In this feature talk, Phillip Davies, ABA’s Director of E-Commerce, will give attendees an e-commerce market overview and share assessments on consumer buying habits. Afterward, booksellers will meet in Buzz Groups to discuss how they can optimize what they’ve learned to continue to drive online sales.

Community partnerships are an untapped source of income for many stores. They can have a profound impact on a store’s bottom line as well as the soul of the store and its community. A panel of booksellers who work closely with community partners will share how to make initial contact, what format a partnership can take, and how to manage expectations without taking on too much. Attendees will have an opportunity for open discussion and to ask each other questions on community partnerships.

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.

Dr Faith Harper, licensed professional counselor and author of Unf*ck Your Brain and the YA adaptation Befriend Your Brain , will lead booksellers on a session on mental health and self-care in a "post" pandemic world.

In this session, IndieCommerce team members will discuss upcoming features and updates for websites on the current IndieCommerce 1.0 and IndieLite platforms to prepare for the 2022 Holiday shopping season. The team will also review the transition to the new IndieCommerce 2.0 platform, the timeline, and how stores can best prepare for the transition. An additional session that will discuss just IndieCommerce 2.0 is scheduled for Wednesday, June 22.

Understanding financial benchmarks within your children’s bookstore or children’s departments can help you maximize space, optimize non-book gifts and sidelines, improve profitability, and more. This session is for children’s-only bookstores or general bookstores with a children’s department. Attendees will also learn more about ABACUS — how to participate, how to use this important tool for your business, and why it’s so important for children’s bookstores to be counted in this data.

Indies Introduce is all about what independent booksellers do best: Discovering exciting debut authors and sharing the best with readers across the country. You will hear about the title selection process from the bookseller panelists who curated the list and many of the debut authors will be present to read a short passage and answer a question posed by one of the panelists. Afterwards, authors will move to the signing area where booksellers can meet the authors and get galleys signed.

Brenna Connor, Books Insights Manager of The NPD Group, will break down the state of the US children’s book market including 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 NPD BookScan data and Brenna’s industry expertise.

Storytime is so much more than a staff member reading a book to little ones. It is an opportunity to brand your store, bolster sales, generate goodwill, and capture new audiences. This session will unpack how to turn storytime into a bookselling event with introductory storytelling training, as well as ideas to drive sales and create a new revenue stream by monetizing the event.

Non-book gifts and sidelines support a store’s book inventory, increase dollars per transaction, add value for customers, and enhance a store’s personality. This session will offer merchandising tips to optimize your space, improve profitability, and serve your customers in a way that both increases sales and lets your store’s identity shine.

Join activist and author Karen Walrond (The Lightmaker's Manifesto) for a keynote conversation on how booksellers can maintain their spark while continuing to work for change in their communities and the world at large. By identifying tools and practices that can help booksellers define and refine their missions without succumbing to burnout, Walrond's opening keynote is sure to kindle conversations that will resonate through the entirety of Ci10.

Celebrate Juneteenth with music and a not to be missed conversation between Dr. Ibram X. Kendi (Goodnight Racism, Penguin Young Readers) and Frederick Joseph (Better Than We Found It: Conversations to Help Save the World, Candlewick Press).

From book banning challenges and troll attacks to stores faced with defending their store mission, business decisions, or mistakes, the past two years we’ve seen stores impacted by social media and PR crises. Effective crisis communication management starts long before an issue arises. In this session, learn how to create a plan to mitigate and respond to risk, and how to handle things when the plan fails.

Panelist: Andrew Gilman, CommCore Consulting Group (Washington, D.C.)

Learn the ins and outs of TikTok in a workshop environment. Participants will gain a better understanding of TikTok lingo, how to record and produce video, as well as basic to intermediate editing tools that will help bookstores attract customers a drive sales.

Speakers

• Kassie King, Novel Neighbor (St. Louis, MO)
• Nicole Lintemuth, Bettie's Pages (Lowell, MI)

This ShopTalk will  have feature a presentation on The Bookseller Insurance Program by Arrowhead General Insurance Agency, Inc. The presentation will include Insurance 101 training, with a specific focus on important coverages, services and terms for booksellers.

A full transcription and closed captioning are available for this session. Please note that both are machine-generated and are not reviewed for accuracy.

Online advertising becomes a larger part of small businesses every day and there are a lot of options. In this session you'll learn about the differences between Google ads and Facebook/Instagram ads, hear from fellow booksellers about their uses of both and the benefits they find behind them.

A full transcription and closed captioning are available for this session. Please note that both are machine-generated and are not reviewed for accuracy.

Store operations are the necessary procedures that keep your store healthy and functioning. They can also become complicated. You may not be aware that there are a number of low-tech solutions for common problems. In this hour, booksellers will have the opportunity to hear from presenters who will provide affordable, easy-to-use and scalable technology suggestions to help run your business — and your life — more efficiently. This session is for stores of all sizes. 

Featuring:

• Cindy Dach, Changing Hands Bookstores (Tempe & Phoenix, AZ)
• Julia Davis, The Book Worm Bookstore (Powder Springs, GA)
• Nathan Halter, Batch for Books US
• Kelly Justice, Fountain Bookstore (Richmond, VA) 

Known for cultivating and building solid and symbiotic relationships with bookstores, university presses can be some of the best curation partners you have. Join a panel of booksellers and representatives from university presses as they discuss curation, partnerships, mission, finances, and — oh, yes — favorite titles. 

Featuring:

• Clancey D'Isa, Seminary Co-op Bookstores (Chicago, IL)
• Catherine E. Hobbs, Columbia University Press (New York, NY)
• Gianna LaMorte, University of Texas Press (Austin, TX)
• Levi Stahl, University of Chicago Press (Chicago, IL)
• Alyson Turner, Source Booksellers (Detroit, MI) 

Email newsletters are one of the most used marketing tools for small businesses. This session, led by Gwyn Ridenhour at Matchbook Marketing, will review the free Indie Next List e-newsletter program available to ABA members, provide general email newsletter best practices, and discuss Matchbook Marketing’s other newsletter services.

A full transcription and closed captioning are available for this session. Please note that both are machine-generated and are not reviewed for accuracy.

Our New Member Series:Store Ownership 101 provides new and prospective bookstore owners with an opportunity to ask questions of seasoned bookstore owners/staff. 

The opinions expressed are those of the individual participants, not of the ABA. Information discussed is reflective of the time of the recording.

A full transcription is available for this session. Please note that it is machine-generated and not reviewed for accuracy.

Edelweiss provides a lot of tools for book industry professionals, but its core purpose is to be a convenient place for booksellers to order frontlist titles from their sales reps. Join Deidre Dumpson, Retail Success Manager for Edelweiss, in a webinar to learn how the ordering process works.

Cosed captioning is available for this session. Please note that it is machine-generated and is not reviewed for accuracy.

Our New Member Series: Intro to ABA Benefits includes a tutorial on navigating Bookweb.org to ensure a better understanding of where to find the information most vital for members. The presentation looks at education resources, networking and community, business affinity partnerships, indie marketing, advocacy, and much more. The second half of the session will offer booksellers an open forum during which they can ask questions and talk with ABA staff.

The opinions expressed are those of the individual participants, not of the ABA. Information discussed is reflective of the time of the recording. Please see the most recent coffee break and/or the daily email update for the most current information.

During this session you will hear from several booksellers on how they market offsite events and how they work as a tool to bring customers back to their stores.

A full transcription and closed captioning are available for this session. Please note that both are machine-generated and are not reviewed for accuracy.

A well-defined and executed brand strategy affects all aspects of a business and is directly connected to consumer needs, emotions, and competitive environments. We will discuss how active brand management takes a valuable asset that may be largely underused and turns it into a powerful competitive advantage. It will be most productive if you come to the session with the attached documents filled out. However, it is not a requirement.

IndieCommerce users, IndieLite users, or those interested in a new website or e-commerce solution, don't miss this conversation on the IndieCommerce upgrade currently underway. IndieCommerce 2.0 will include an improved shopping cart for customers, a more modern look, easier ways for staff to create content, increased speed, and overall improved functionality.

A customer experience/marketing funnel is a visualization that outlines the process of turning customers into advocates, which in turn refuels the top of any marketing funnel by driving awareness and lead generation. This funnel is a useful tool to help you visualize the path people take from when they first find out about your business to when they convert into customers. A good customer experience/marketing funnel outlines the process of turning customers into advocates, which in turn refuels the top of the marketing funnel by driving awareness and lead generation.

A full transcription and closed captioning are available for this session. Please note that both are machine-generated and are not reviewed for accuracy.