ABACUS Session at NAIBA 'Clear and Useful'

On Sunday, April 25, at the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association's (NAIBA) Spring Workshop in Philadelphia, ABA CEO Avin Mark Domnitz discussed the 2003 ABACUS study and how bookstore owners and managers can use the results to make better operational decisions. The session kicked off a full day of NAIBA programming at the Sheraton Society Hill.

According to attendees who spoke to Bookselling This Week, the ABACUS session was a hit. "I thought it went well," reported John Bennett of Bennett Books in Wyckoff, New Jersey. "Avin did an impressive job presenting it…. The information was clear, useful, and the people I spoke to were enthusiastic."

Bennett continued, "My wife [Betty] was amazed at the useful information that came out of a simple report that [booksellers] present to Avin."

Attendee Dean Avery of Ariel Books in New Paltz, New York, said he plans to submit data for this year's ABACUS study. "I thought the session was good," he said. "I've attended a number of them -- I did get home and downloaded [the form].... The ABACUS form is very straight forward and very simple."

For Archie Kutz of Lift Bridge Books in Brockport, New York, the only disappointment was that Domnitz didn't have more time to discuss "The 2% Solution" -- a topic he found particularly interesting. "I'm planning on going to ['The 2% Solution'] session [at BookExpo America in Chicago]," he said.

Domnitz will conduct "The 2% Solution" on Saturday, June 5, from 10:00 a.m. - noon in Room 402A/B at the McCormick Place Convention Center. This seminar looks at the drivers of profitability and examines how they can be reworked to move businesses to profitability. The session suggests exactly how a bookseller can work on sales, gross margin, compensation, and occupancy expense.

For Ariel Books' Avery, last Sunday's session clearly pointed out how important it is for booksellers to submit their data for this year's ABACUS study. "Avin noted that, as of Sunday, he ... needed more booksellers to report," he said. "I don't understand why more people aren't participating. We need it more than ever."

The deadline for participation in the 2004 ABACUS has been extended to Wednesday, May 5. For more information and an online form, click here.