American Booksellers Association

Book Buyer's Handbook

Booksellers Resource Directory

Member Directories

IndieBound

Forums/Wiki/Blog

Contact ABA

Create a BookWeb Account

ABA is...

the national trade association for independent booksellers — since 1900. ABA offers education, services and products, advocacy, and relevant business information. Look below for a selection of this month's key news and programs.

A Literary Liberation

By now, all ABA storefront members should have received their IndieBound Literary Liberation Box. Check out the IndieBound Curriculum for a good primer on what's in the Lib Box, and for some suggestions for making the most of IndieBound in your store.

The Latest Headlines From Bookselling This Week

>All the News

Downloadable materials from ABA's Day of Education

Even if you weren't able to attend ABA's Day of Education, you can still download and peruse handouts full of useful information from each session. And if you did attend, here's your chance to check out sessions you might have missed.

Green Retailing

Booksellers have a lot of important reasons to go green — the environment, meeting shoppers' expectations, even cutting business expenses. ABA is working to help indies implement important environment-related business changes and to present key titles for consumers. Here's an update on ABA's activities, as well as a growing body of educational materials.

Keep abreast of what other booksellers are doing, and join the Green Initiative both by nominating titles to our upcoming Green List and by sharing updates from your store.

Benefit From the Wisdom of Crowds — Participate in the 2008 ABACUS Survey

ABA's annual ABACUS survey provides both crucial information on bookstore operations and the essential benchmarks for managing a growing and profitable business.

But ABACUS only happens with your participation. Submit your data on the project's secure, fully confidential online survey form and you will received a detailed, customized analysis of your store's financial results — and a $50 rebate check.

Here's more info on ABACUS.

>Plan Better, Work Smarter, Grow Your Business

Join the Fight for E-Fairness

Booksellers and other retailers have won a big victory in New York State to require out-of-state retailers to comply with existing state sales tax laws. This change comes after months of intense lobbying by New York booksellers, ABA, and other allied retailers and organizations.

But there's still much to be done. Here's more information about the importance of e-fairness and how you can join the fight.

>Here's more information about importance of e-fairness.

Featured DIY for July:

Here's What You Just Did Poster

Makes a great poster for your store—or a handout to include in customers' bags. Show customers how shopping at your independent bookstore benefits everyone in their community!

ABA Members only: download it from the Online Identity Manager now.

Networking Online

When you need an answer to a nagging business question, tap into a knowledgeable, nationwide bookselling community. ABA's bookseller-to-bookseller online forums are a network of smart, supportive fellow independents who can offer advice on everything from in-store technology headaches to new online scams. Join the conversation today.

>Go to the Forums

Taking Care of Business...

The ABA Book Buyer's Handbook is the ultimate resource for essential trade terms information and timely special orders — and it is available exclusively to ABA members. This electronic publication is fullable searchable and continually updated, and it has new tools that let booksellers add their own notes to entries and create hot lists of selected publishers. Let the big red book help keep you in the black....