ABA's Smith to Tweet From Conference Down Under

Meg Smith

ABA Chief Marketing Officer Meg Smith is on her way to Australia as a guest of the Australian Booksellers Association. Smith was invited to be a keynote speaker at the organization's 85th Annual Conference to be held in Sydney from Sunday, June 21, though Tuesday, June 23. The invitation came from Australian Booksellers Association CEO Malcolm Neil and President Fiona Stager (Avid Reader).

In a statement to Australia's Weekly Book Newsletter Neil said, "Meg is the Chief Marketing Officer of the American Booksellers Association and has responsibility for their Indiebound project (www.indiebound.org), one of the most innovative and modern bookseller campaigns in the world. Meg will connect to the conference's focus on the future of the books, bookselling, and the importance of community, and her input will be useful to all booksellers."

Before she left on her journey on Wednesday, Smith told BTW that her conversations with the Aussie ABA began with indie booksellers Derek Dryden (Better Read Than Dead) and John Page (Pages and Pages) who were interested in learning how IndieBound might apply in Australia.

"The theme of the Australian conference is Selling the Future of the Book, and I will be giving a talk on the U.S. book market generally, and IndieBound specifically," said Smith, who added that she hopes to have the opportunity to meet with the Sydney Chamber of Commerce and other groups to discuss Local First issues. Smith will also be attending the Australian Book Awards ceremony, and, of course, her trip wouldn't be complete without visits to some of Sydney's local independent bookstores.

Smith plans to tweet about her experiences starting soon. You can follow her adventures at IndieBoundMeg.

Watch for a full report in BTW when Smith returns to the U.S.