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, Angie Zhao of bbgb books (Richmond, VA) discussed School Author Events.

Files & Links Slide Deck

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

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The world of work has changed. New worker expectations, growing labor movements, pandemic trauma, increased need for de-escalation skills, and pandemic-induced skill gaps are creating new challenges and opportunities for managers and frontline employees. In this session, hear from an expert on current labor trends to consider when hiring, developing, and supporting staff.

Speaker Nicolas Williams, University of Cincinnati - Cincinnati, OH

Files & Links Slide Deck

Recorded February 14, 2024 at Winter Institute 2024 in Cincinnati, OH

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

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Michele Norris is one of America's most trusted voices in journalism, earning numerous honors over a long career, including Peabody, Emmy, Dupont, and Goldsmith awards. As founding director of The Race Card Project, a Peabody Award–winning narrative archive where people around the world share their reflections on identity—in just six words, she ignited the conversation with the seemingly simple prompt: Race. Your Thoughts. Six Words. Please Send. The responses she received have been challenging and complicated, intimate and candid, revealing fear, pain, triumph, and humor. Her transformative new book, OUR HIDDEN CONVERSATIONS (Simon & Schuster) and her work with The Race Card Project reminds us that even during times of great division, honesty, grace, and a willing ear can provide a bridge toward understanding and maybe even empathy.

Speakers Michele Norris, author of Our Hidden Conversations: What Americans Really Think about Race and Identity (available now from Simon & Schuster)

Files & Links

• Slide Deck
• YouTube Video

Recorded February 13, 2024 at Winter Institute 2024 in Cincinnati, OH

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

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CoverHound is thrilled to present a special four-part webinar series for ABA members, Insuring Success: Business Insurance for Bookstores. On March 28 at 3:00 pm ET, CoverHound presented part one of this series, Safeguarding Your Shelves: Business Insurance Basics for Book Retailers. In this webinar, tailored to book retailers and bookstore owners, CoverHound guides bookstore owners through the essential aspects of commercial insurance. Learn about the coverage options necessary to safeguard your book business against unforeseen risks, including property damage, liability claims, and business interruption. CoverHound is proud to partner with the ABA in managing the Bookseller Insurance Program, which has been supporting the unique insurance needs of bookstores since 1997. More information can be found at https://www.bookweb.org/coverhound-business-insurance-details. Links & Files Slide Deck Insurance Checklist Scenario Checklist Claims Checklist

Keeping a bookstore running can feel like having too many tabs open in your brain at once. Luckily, there are project management tools and strategies that can help with that. In this presentation, booksellers who have cracked the code on project management will share the tools and strategies that have helped them set goals and timelines and stay organized with their short- and long-term projects. You'll leave this session with a better understanding of effective project management, which tool or approach is right for you, and what your next steps are for getting started!

Speakers Kirsten Hess, The End & Let's Play Books Bookstore(s) - Emmaus, PA Angela Schwesnedl, Moon Palace Books - Minneapolis, MN Rachel Watkins, Avid Bookshop - Athens, GA Cori Theroux, The Green Dragon Bookstore - Fort Dodge, IA

Files & Links Slide Deck Project Management Reading List

Recorded February 13, 2024 at Winter Institute 2024 in Cincinnati, OH

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

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In an industry with such slim margins, direct ordering can make all the difference to your bookstore's bottom line. In this session, Ted Hill of Pubnet/Pubeasy, Deidre Dumpson of Edelweiss, and a bookseller panelist will guide you through the key elements of creating a direct ordering strategy, and show you how to use Edelweiss to order frontlist and Pubnet/Pubeasy to order backlist directly from publishers and distributors. If you're a new bookstore who has primarily sourced your inventory from wholesalers and are now looking to diversify your ordering, this session is for you! You'll leave this session with the ability to: understand the importance of balanced ordering from both wholesalers and publishers; create a customized ordering strategy; leverage the technology of Edelweiss, Pubnet, and Pubeasy to streamline direct ordering; and build lasting publisher relationships.

Speakers Jill Hendrix, Fiction Addiction - Greenville, SC Ted Hill, Pubeasy & Pubnet - Brooklyn, NY Alison Langlois, Edelweiss by Above the Treeline - Ann Arbor, MI

Files & Links Slide Deck Direct Ordering on Edelweiss for Booksellers Bookseller Tips and Tricks for Effective Direct Ordering Developing a Strategy for Ordering Direct How to Get Your Very Own Book Representative

Recorded February 12, 2024 at Winter Institute 2024 in Cincinnati, OH

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

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Every bookseller in the UK uses Batch to simplify their Accounts Payable and publisher invoice management and over 300 US booksellers (and growing!) are now using it. Come learn more about this free platform to:

• Automatically and electronically organize publisher invoices to reduce paperwork and free up time.
• Provide access to invoice information 24x7, enabling you to manage invoices when it's most convenient for you.
• Provide electronic invoices, allowing you to verify shipments and raise claims for damages or shortages at the point of delivery.
• Allow payments to be prepared and remittances received and stored electronically.
• Link with QuickBooks, enabling automated entry of invoice data directly into QuickBooks.

The more booksellers that sign up for Batch, the more publishers that will sign up! Saving everyone time and money.

Speakers Kathy Burnette, Brain Lair Books - South Bend, IN Kate Layte, Papercuts Bookshop - Boston, MA Zachary Matelski, McLean and Eakin Booksellers - Petoskey, MI Nathan Halter, Batch for Books

Files & Links Slide Deck

Recorded February 13, 2024 at Winter Institute 2024 in Cincinnati, OH

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

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A well-planned seasonal inventory can result in big profits, while missing the mark can be a costly mistake. Buyers from a large urban store, a medium-sized store in a college town, and a bookmobile will discuss how they plan their seasonal inventory while keeping in mind store budgets, physical space, and more.

Speakers Elese Stutts, Flyleaf Books - Chapel Hill, NC Kim Brock, Joseph-Beth Booksellers - Cincinnati, OH Zsamé Morgan, Babycake's Book Stack - Saint Paul, MN Emily Schroen, Main Street Books - Saint Charles, MO

Files & Links Slide Deck

Recorded February 13, 2024 at Winter Institute 2024 in Cincinnati, OH

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

Theme by Constant Companion

Used books can meet a variety of needs for you and your customers. They offer customers a deeper selection with more accessible pricing, they reduce your cost of goods, and they reduce your carbon footprint. This panel will feature experienced booksellers from used bookstores who understand the process of curating used books and will walk you through best practices for buying, pricing, managing, and marketing used books. Specifically, this panel is designed for booksellers from used bookstores or for stores that curate a used section.

Speakers Danielle King, Left Bank Books - St. Louis, MO Pete Mulvihill, Green Apple Books - San Francisco, CA Amy Hall, Hudson Valley Books for Humanity - Ossining, NY

Files & Links Slide Deck

Recorded February 12, 2024 at Winter Institute 2024 in Cincinnati, OH

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

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This information session hosted by the ABA team and your bookseller colleagues will answer questions like: What is Batch? What is license plate receiving? What are event grids? And more! ABA will begin the discussion by reviewing industry opportunities you may not know about like RISE scholarships for booksellers and bookstore owners to visit international conferences and bookstores; Books Across Borders opportunities; the Professional Booksellers School; ABA opportunities like the Board, Nominating Committee, Audit Committee, Governance Committee, Indies Introduce, Education Task Force, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, Booksellers Advisory Committee, ABA Children's Group Advisory Council, etc. No question is too basic — come as you are and leave a little more enlightened!

Speakers Christine Bollow, Loyalty Bookstores - Washington, DC Tegan Tigani, Queen Anne Book Company - Seattle, WA Camden Avery, Booksmith - San Francisco, CA Ryan Quinn, American Booksellers Association Joy Dallanegra-Sanger, American Booksellers Association

Files & Links Slide Deck Welcome to Bookselling Handout ABA's Bookstore Resource Library

Recorded February 12, 2024 at Winter Institute 2024 in Cincinnati, OH

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

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