ABA Leadership Meets With 14 Trade Publishers

Beginning on May 2 and concluding on May 4, ABA President Michael Tucker and President-elect Becky Anderson, together with association CEO Oren Teicher and COO Len Vlahos, met with 14 publishers in New York City. The focus of the meetings with the publishers’ senior executives was to introduce Anderson to the publishing leadership and to discuss topics of mutual interest to both publishers and booksellers.

“It was an extremely busy time, but a very productive time, too,” said ABA President Tucker. "It’s vital for booksellers and publishers to have just this sort of opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues, including the steps we can collectively take to sell more books, and to strengthen the unique bond between authors and readers.”

Among the topics discussed during the meetings was the special role bricks-and-mortar bookstores play in the physical merchandising, display, and sale of books, as well as important opportunities regarding the sale of e-books and online commerce.

Tucker is co-owner of San Francisco’s Books Inc.; Anderson is co-owner of Anderson’s Bookshops in Naperville, Illinois.