On Demand Education Sessions

In the first of two meetups on how multi-store events are organized and marketed, bookseller speakers will focus on Independent Bookstore Day and how regional businesses put together bookstore crawls and passports. Guest speakers will be Clarissa Murphy of Silver Unicorn Bookstore; Katie Eelman of Papercuts J.P.; Eric Lorberer of the literary organization Rain Taxi; Tom Nissley of Phinney Books; and Jessica Stockton Bagnulo of Greenlight Bookstore.

Actress Alyssa Milano is a lifelong activist who is passionate about fighting for human rights. In addition to being named a National Ambassador by UNICEF and a 2017 Person of the Year by Time, Milano speaks to kids around the country about the importance of voting and teaches them how to fill out a ballot. Most recently, Milano popularized the #MeToo hashtag. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two kids.

Bookstores that sell direct to schools are an invaluable resource to the local community and have made use of a successful strategy for increasing cash flow and profits. Bookseller panelists who have worked closely with their school districts will share with attendees how they, too, can foster a relationship with school districts and add to their store’s bottom line. In this session, booksellers will learn:

• Creating teacher wish lists and classroom requests
• Tips on book fair distribution
• How to manage in-school author visit orders
• Best practices for orders
• How to establish and manage subscription services with schools
• Best Practices for working with educational publishers

In this session, a panel of diverse publishers will share their experiences in publishing, including how the industry is changing, where it still needs to grow, and efforts bookstores can take to raise awareness, lift voices, and support authors of color.

“Co-op” is a word booksellers often hear from publishers, but it can be quite confusing to try to decipher what it is. In this session, Jenny Cohen of Waucoma Bookstore in Hood River, OR provides an overview of cooperative advertising: what it is, where it comes from, and how a store can maximize their spending using accrued co-op dollars from publishers.

Elizabeth Acevedo is the author of The Poet X, which won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, the Michael L. Printz Award, the Pura Belpré Award, and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. She is a National Poetry Slam champion and holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Maryland. She lives with her partner in Washington, D.C.

You know you want to bring authors to your store and into area schools, but how do you begin to ask publishers? Two words: “Author Grids.” In this session, panelists who have mastered the author grid will share with attendees:

• Tips for a perfect pitch
• The power of your sales rep
• How to create a stellar general event profile
• How to anticipate attendance
• How to request access to grids

With hundreds of subscription boxes to choose from, how will a customer know that yours is the right one for them? Attendees will learn the following from bookstores that have successful subscription box programs:

• Best practices for marketing
• Inventory control
• Options for special services
• How to select categories
• Fulfillment management
• Order tracking

Optimize your bookstore search and reordering process by implementing tags and keywords for categories and sub-categories in your point-of-sale system, Edelweiss, and in staff reference documents. Attendees of this session will learn:

• The benefits of using tags and keywords
• Tag and keyword suggestions
• Best practices for implementing tags and keywords
• How to get staff involved

There’s nothing like walking into your favorite bookstore and being on a first-name basis with the staff. Why not say, “Thank you for being a friend,” and reward customers’ loyalty with a frequent buyer card, membership subscription, or other benefit program that will keep them coming back over and over again? A panel of booksellers with robust customer loyalty programs will share:

• Background on their store’s customer loyalty programs
• How to create a program that rewards the customer but also the store
• How to onboard customers
• How to market the program
• How to integrate a new program into your store’s culture

This year, the American Booksellers Association is partnering with Well-Read Black Girl founder Glory Edim to bring book club meetings to independent bookstores nationwide with the goal of amplifying diverse voices and supporting emerging writers of color. Booksellers are invited to sign on to serve as ambassadors and host Well-Read Black Girl book clubs in their stores throughout the year. Learn more about the partnership.

Everyone wants to be a book influencer on social media, but it takes more than logging in and sharing a photo. Instagram influencer and debut author Hafsah Faizal will teach attendees:

• What it means to have an Instagram persona and how to establish a unique voice
• How to gain followers
• Best practices for targeted messaging
• How to effectively use hashtags
• Tips to curate beautiful, attention-grabbing photos
• How to establish profitable partnerships with other businesses and organizations

Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales, The Little Prince, Pippi Longstocking, Asterix — what do they all have in common? They are all beloved classics that have been translated from the authors’ original languages and have enriched the U.S. children’s book landscape as well as readers of all ages. In this informational session, publishing personnel will share with attendees:

• An overview of the translation and rights process
• Why translated books are important
• How to promote and sell these books to U.S. audiences
• How books can be used in outreach to schools and community groups
• How translated books can foster diversity, cultural awareness, and cross-cultural understanding

Representation matters. #OwnVoices matters. As bearers of knowledge and information for children, it is imperative that a bookstore’s inventory reflects the experiences of all kinds of people to cultivate cultural awareness and engender empathy in youth. One step toward a more inclusive collection of books is to conduct a diversity audit on your store’s inventory. This session will teach attendees how to:

• Assess their inventory
• Conduct an audit
• Identify where attention needs to be focused
• Use an audit to inform the ordering process

The ABACUS benchmarking report is designed to provide easy-to-understand guidelines for identifying independent bookstore business performance improvement opportunities. If you have never participated in the survey and would like to learn more about reporting to ABACUS-19, which will open in spring 2020, this session will teach you:

• The importance of reporting to ABACUS
• Information you need to prepare to complete the report
• Best practices from booksellers who reported their store's numbers to the 2018 ABACUS
• Actionable steps to take when you return home to prepare for ABACUS-19

Indies Introduce is 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 this season’s debut authors will be present to read a short passage and answer a question posed by one of the panelists.

You have a good idea for an event, but it’s not catching fire. You’ve sent out emails, created fliers for the store, and have even posted on all of your store’s social media channels, so what gives? In this session, marketing and events managers teach attendees:

• Best practices for creating marketing campaigns
• Opportunities for advertisement
• Areas for potential partnerships for cross-marketing
• Marketing timelines
• Using social media methodically to get the most out of your posts
• Thirteenth-hour efforts for the final push

Holiday gift buying is not a last-minute task, but how does a gift buyer not only source but anticipate what will be a popular gift six months down the road? In this session, bookstores that have a unique collection of non-book items will teach buyers:

• The role seasonal non-book items play in holiday sales
• Best practices for discovering the next “it” holiday gift
• Efficiencies and systems for ordering and reordering, shipment scheduling, and storing holiday gift items
• How to move, move, move items that may not be selling

Bookstores are important fixtures in every community. They serve as places to gather, to find and research new ideas, to explore new worlds, and to find refuge. But bookstores can also be intimidating for people who are underrepresented by the makeup of a store's staff That’s why it is important for a store to not only reflect its immediate community but also the larger community. In this session, HR leaders will share with attendees:

• The importance of hiring a diverse staff
• The impact a diverse staff has within the store and on the greater community
• How to find great bookstore employee candidates outside your store’s community

Almost every bookstore has a story time, but not every bookstore has a story time that keeps customers coming back again and again. This session is designed to teach attendees:

• The performance aspect of story time and how to turn up the energy
• Tips and tricks to be the best reader in the world
• How to keep little ones engaged
• Ways to adjust your approach when the crowd gets restless
• How to read to kids of all ages

You don’t need an infinite amount of space to remain competitive in independent bookselling. Bookstores under 1,000 square feet share what they do to maximize their selling space and host events without having to knock down walls. Attendees will learn from panelists who call a small store home:

• The logistics of hosting an in-store event
• Crowd management in a small space
• Inventory management in a small stockroom
• Keeping it fresh with inventive displays

Recently, children's literature has been the subject of debate as readers respond to content related to race, class, culture, individuality, and identity. Authors are self-selecting to delay publication of their books, publishers are canceling titles, and review outlets are retracting starred statuses. There is immense pressure from all sides of the industry to do the right thing, but what is the right thing? This session is designed to be a discussion led by bookselling peers that will begin with a contextual overview of the issues surfacing in kids' books. Attendees will discuss the implications of these issues and how booksellers can productively talk about race, class, culture, individuality, and identity without alienating customers, authors, and each other.

When your wallet is slim and margins are small, every penny counts. But there are little things that can be done every single day to boost a bookstore’s bottom line. Bookstore panelists who have effectively pinched a penny here and saved a penny there will teach attendees:

• How to identify small costs that add up
• Where to look for savings
• Small actions booksellers can take to impact overall savings and sales

Title 1 schools work with a small number of resources and even smaller budgets to bring authors to student audiences, host book fairs, and keep accounts with independent bookstores. Luckily, many bookstores do manage successful and profitable partnerships with Title 1 schools. Panelists with ongoing success in partnering with Title 1 schools will share with attendees:

• How to approach Title 1 schools
• How these partnerships are effective and profitable
• How to assist a school in maximizing monies received from a granting organization
• How to build community goodwill through partnership with a Title 1 school

Ann Patchett, the author of eight novels and three works of nonfiction, is the winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award, England’s Orange Prize, and the Book Sense Book of the Year, and was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. Her work has been translated into more than 30 languages. She is the co-owner of Parnassus Books in Nashville, where she lives with her husband, Karl, and their dog, Sparky.

You only have a few seconds to attract—and hold—a customer’s attention, so it’s critical that you get it right if you want to turn a browser into a buyer. From the whimsical to the thought-provoking, store displays done right tell a story that taps into a customer’s needs—needs for entertainment, introspection, fantasy, connection, and more. Booksellers who are skilled at telling stories through engaging displays will present tips and visuals on how to make an eye-catching in-store displays that turn browsers into buyers.

The ability to stay in business for decades—and longer—means weathering change by staying adaptable and flexible. Customer relationships and sales are just part of the equation that can ensure the longevity of a business and even turn it into a celebrated, longstanding institution. Careful planning and understanding of your store’s resources, a flexible business plan, continuously improving operations, and a culture that willingly embraces change in order to adapt and improve are all factors that influence where your business will be around in 5, 10, or 20 years—or more. A a panel of longtime booksellers will lead this not-to-be-missed conversation.

IndieCommerce™ is the ABA’s e-commerce platform for independent bookstores. The system provides the tools for indie bookstores to create unique, content-rich, and easy-to-operate, fully transactional, e-commerce enabled websites. Over the past few years, the IndieCommerce team has been working closely with booksellers to to help them achieve their online marketing and sales goals. This session will highlight some of the most impactful changes that individual stores have made to their websites over the past year, including before and after examples.

If you have been in business for five years or fewer, this is the session for you. Hear from booksellers who will look back over those first critical years and share tips for making it through the next five.

Graphic novels can be a useful springboard into reading for reluctant readers, but they can also serve as a vehicle to launch readers into the symbiotic relationship between text and visuals. In this session, attendees will learn from booksellers and experts:

• How the role of graphic novels has evolved in the bookstore and literacy
• How to have a productive conversation with staff and customers about graphic novels
• Types of programming that highlight and elevate the genre
• The importance and impact of the representation of diverse characters in graphic novels
• What the current educational terrain looks like and how bookstores can work with school libraries to incorporate graphic novels into the curriculum

Edelweiss+Analytics is excited to present the new Shelf Report, created to help bookstores succeed against competitive pressures by providing unique decision intelligence. This new tool provides benchmarks for your store’s inventory, using the aggregate performance of hundreds of other independent bookstores on four key measures of sales and inventory health – across genres. Join us to learn more about how this tool can help you view your store from the outside-in and point to where you can focus your attention to make sure your inventory is working its hardest for you.

On April 28, indie booksellers will celebrate the fifth annual Independent Bookstore Day (IBD). In this panel, new concepts and a new ordering system will be revealed. Attendees will hear from booksellers who have figured out how to make the most of IBD and increase their sales dramatically. It takes a little effort and imagination, but having a highly successful Independent Bookstore Day doesn’t have to tax your staff or break the bank. Booksellers will learn:

• How to order and make the most of the IBD exclusive merchandise
• How to throw a party that will get people into your store
• How to publicize your store’s party
• How to take advantage of social media

Independent bookstores are champions of innovation when it comes to business models. For the last few years, many bookstores have added bars to their business model by blending books with booze. This session will feature booksellers from both small and large stores who have experienced the successes and challenges of this business model.

If you are thinking about opening a second location -- or if you have recently done so -- this session is for you. A panel of experts who have been through the process will share tips and provide insight on how to know if opening a second store is the correct decision for your business, and if so, how to navigate the process. The topics discussed will include:

• Review: Make sure your business is currently financially stable
• Resources: monetary, staffing, and current owner responsibilities
• Financing: Accessing traditional financing and other options

Market research: Ensuring your choice for the second location is sound

Scenario: your store's children's bookseller is out sick and not one general bookseller has even an inkling about kids’ books. Never fear! Geared towards general booksellers with ZERO experience in the kid’s department, children’s frontlist booksellers on this panel will provide a crash course to prepare any bookseller to head into the children's department. In the session, general booksellers will learn:

• Key phrases to use when selling a kids book
• Important questions to ask a child and a parent when selecting a book
• Signs to look for when selecting a book (shelf talkers, inferences from the cover)
• Basic important information to always have in their back pocket
• Where to look for recommendations

As part of the pilot program of the Open Discussion project, five independent bookstores will be launching reading groups in the fall of 2018 with the goal of bringing liberals and conservatives together to discuss the issues that divide them. The Open Discussion Project is sponsored by the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) in partnership with ABA. NCAC and ABA are inviting booksellers to join the Open Discussion Project when it goes national next year. A panel of booksellers who are participating in the pilot will discuss their experience.

The goal of this session is to help bookstore owners and employees learn how to empower themselves to end uncomfortable situations, including harassment, with professionalism and respect. Among other things, the panel will discuss tips for identifying and navigating out of these distressing situations and suggestions for talking points booksellers can rely on while under duress. Booksellers will hear discussions on:

• Prioritizing personal safety
• Tips for changing the power dynamic
• Tips for extricating yourself from a situation in a professional way
• Learning how to ask for help when needed

Creating and nurturing relationships with publishers is key to building a thriving business. Panelists in this session will provide an overview of how publishers work with independent bookstores and discuss steps booksellers can take to capitalize on and grow these relationships. Booksellers will learn:

• Best practices for networking with publishers at industry events
• What publishers look for in event proposal and how to land the A-List author
• Best practices for pitching events in person
• How to keep your relationships moving forward

What if everyone read James Baldwin? He’s one of our most acclaimed 20th century thinkers, his writing exploring countless facets of American society and diving into subjects like sexuality, politics, marriage, police brutality, the Church, race, and love. He observed and critiqued humanity in a way that still resonates with so many of us in 2018 because his words and voice are timeless. Baldwin's groundbreaking work has inspired generations of fervent readers and fans, but what if we could widen that audience? Spread Baldwin's texts even further? Sell his work better, recommend him more frequently alongside other literary giants? We believe we can. Join the National Book Foundation for its new Author in Focus program featuring the work of James Baldwin, a four-time National Book Award nominee. The Foundation will be joined by two dynamic authors at Winter Institute as they help to answer the question of why James Baldwin's work has, does, and will always matter. This event was made possible by the Ford Foundation and Velvet Film.

One minute of planning can save you ten minutes in execution. Planning skills can make you a more effective bookseller and help prevent burnout because planning creates efficiency and leads to improved productivity. Cindy Dach, co-owner of Changing Hands Bookstores (Tempe, AZ), will teach booksellers techniques for time management, planning and organizing daily tasks, all with an eye toward completing the big-picture projects. This session is part of Changing Hands' professional development program.

Gain a better understanding of the valuable role Instagram can play in your bookstore’s marketing program with Two Cats Communication as they share a holistic overview of best business practices utilizing the social media platform. This session will set bookstores up for Instagram success by teaching attendees:

• Optimization tips
• The benefits of an Instagram Business Account
• How to develop a consistent brand
• Platform features that can increase your reach and bring value to your bookstore

There are many factors that go into publisher decisions for author visits and tours, and bookseller event grids help them make those choices. In this session, booksellers will see sample event grids from publisher panelists and learn more about how publishers approach author tours and what they are looking for from bookstores. Booksellers will learn:

• The number-one thing publishers are looking for in potential events
• How to make your event proposal stand out
• How to use Edelweiss to make your grids more specific
• Important ways to follow up after you submit the grid

Bookstores that sell direct to schools are an invaluable resource to the local community and a successful strategy for increasing cash flow and profits. Bookseller panelists who have worked closely with their school districts will share with Institute attendees how they too can foster a relationship with school districts and add to their stores’ bottom line. In this session booksellers will learn:

• How to find appropriate school contacts
• How to create teacher wishlists
• How to become a school’s one-stop book fair distributor
• How to manage in-school author visit orders
• Best practices for orders
• How to establish and manage subscription services

Pre-orders are becoming an increasingly important way in which books are sold and marketed in 2018, and indie bookstores can and should take part in this growing business. Heavily influenced by television and social media, the months before a title’s publication are critical, and pre-orders are a growing component of a book’s ultimate sales. By working with publishers to take full advantage of pre-order opportunities, indie bookstores can avoid lost sales, lost PR, and lost market share. In this session, panelists will discuss ways that stores can successfully promote and sell pre-orders to become an integral partner to publishers and authors. Learn about new methods developed and tested by a task force of indie stores--including processes and protocols for stores using various POS systems--that all stores can use to maximize pre-orders through marketing, tracking, and reporting. The session will include bookseller participation from the pre-order task force.

Being an independent bookstore in today’s retail environment means working tirelessly to stay connected with your community while also promoting yourself online as an alternative to other online retailers. All independent retailers, not just booksellers, are meeting this challenge in various ways. Come to this session to hear from Albuquerque’s independent retailer stars, ask questions, and discover ideas to apply to your bookstore.

Join your colleagues for a discussion on creating events and opportunities to highlight women's voices in the store and larger retail community. Hear from booksellers who are fostering women entrepreneurs, cross-promoting with women-owned businesses, creating dynamic in-store programming, and more. ABA members know that a diverse business district promotes a thriving local economy, and they are finding ways to ensure their stores, their communities, and their business districts are as dynamic and profitable as possible.