With young adult and middle-grade readers enjoying romance, it's no secret that romance is good for business and good for young people who are exploring their identities and feelings. Whether it's their first crush or a big love song-worthy experience, this discussion-based session will examine how reading about romantic relationships can be a young person's first experience with different expressions of identities in relationships, creating boundaries, and giving/receiving consent — all while growing your business.

Session Video & Resources

Recorded June 12, 2024 at Children's Institute 2024 in New Orleans, LA

Additional bookstore education resources can be found at www.bookweb.org.

Theme song by Constant Companion

This session will teach booksellers how to calculate the cost of goods sold (COGS) and maximize gross profit/margin. Panelists will lay the foundation for an understanding of COGS so that booksellers can confidently compare their information to ABACUS data. During this session, booksellers will be given time to examine what they've learned and identify areas in their own business for better COGS management so that they can begin applying these concepts when they return to their stores.

Session Video & Resources

Recorded June 11, 2024 at Children's Institute 2024 in New Orleans, LA

Additional bookstore education resources can be found at www.bookweb.org.

Theme song by Constant Companion

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 September 12, 2024, Philomena Polefrone of ABFE discussed Observing Banned Books Week in Your Store.

Session Video & Resources

Additional bookstore education resources can be found at www.bookweb.org.

Theme by Constant Companion

Helping staff succeed is the primary role of a leader, though many leaders struggle with exactly how to do that. In this seminar, ZingTrain shares practical, tactical tools for leaders to use to tackle performance problems, give future-focused feedback, and manage their teams more effectively.

Session Video & Resources

Recorded June 10, 2024 at Children's Institute 2024 in New Orleans, LA

Additional bookstore education resources can be found at www.bookweb.org.

Theme song by Constant Companion

We don't believe in training just for training's sake, or just because it's the right thing to do. We firmly believe that the best and most successful training positively changes behavior and, therefore, positively affects our business' bottom lines. We'll share key elements of how we design and deliver our staff training as well as other tips we've learned over the years. Presented by ZingTrain.

Session Video & Resources

Recorded June 11, 2024 at Children's Institute 2024 in New Orleans, LA

Additional bookstore education resources can be found at www.bookweb.org.

Theme song by Constant Companion

Book access programs for banned and diverse books are essential. In places where books are banned from public institutions like schools and libraries, these programs may be the only way low-income kids can see themselves reflected in literature. In this episode, the American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE) introduces the Set Books Free Project, a book donation initiative to create a pipeline of banned and diverse books from independent booksellers and their customers to the places experiencing the most bans. The virtual kick off event on August 19th was hosted by American Booksellers for Free Expression in collaboration with Authors Against Book Bans, the Independent Book Publishers Association, Red Wine & Blue, and others.

Session Video & Resources

Follow the American Booksellers for Free Expression on Instagram at @ABFEFreeExpression to keep up with ABFE's advocacy efforts and tune into their Free Expression Friday series. Additional bookstore education resources can be found at www.bookweb.org.

Theme by Constant Companion

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 March 14, 2024, Bregette Poore (Child's Play Toys & Books) discussed buying and sourcing toys.

Session Video & Resources

Additional bookstore education resources can be found at www.bookweb.org.

Theme by Constant Companion

Join Ron Smithson and Marsha Wood as they discuss how Ingram is investing in indie bookstores through new warehouse improvements, and how the recent ipage enhancements can help increase productivity while decreasing downtime.

Session Resources

Recorded June 12, 2024 at Children's Institute 2024 in New Orleans, LA

Additional bookstore education resources can be found at www.bookweb.org.

Theme song by Constant Companion

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, Sally Sue Lavigne of Story Book Shoppe (Bluffton, SC) interviews Steven Banbury, author of The Pumpkin Princess and the Forever Night, available September 3, 2024, at your local independent bookstore.

Theme by Constant Companion

Reading is on the decline. We've all heard it and we're all worried. It will take a bookstore organizing and community effort to relight the spark of literacy in not just kids, but also their parents. Bookstores with active reading programs will share models that work for them that booksellers can implement in their bookstores. This session will include time for a discussion on how the collective can work together to keep kids in bookstores.

Session Resources

Recorded June 12, 2024 at Children's Institute 2024 in New Orleans, LA

Additional bookstore education resources can be found at www.bookweb.org.

Theme song by Constant Companion