Booksellers Forums Upcoming in Missouri, Georgia, Maine & Ohio

In the next several weeks, the American Booksellers Association's Spring Booksellers Forum Tour will be making stops in St. Louis, Missouri; Atlanta, Georgia; Portland, Maine; and Oberlin, Ohio. ABA senior staff will be at the Booksellers Forum programs to listen to booksellers' concerns, to provide updates on the association's programs and key initiatives, and to present a popular education session from last month's Winter Institute.

Participation in ABA's forum and education session at each show is free and open to all ABA and regional booksellers association members. Fees may apply to additional programming offered in conjunction with the forums. Check appropriate regional association websites for details.

These four upcoming events are part of a larger schedule of 12 Booksellers Forums to be held throughout March and April in every region of the country.

10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. at Left Bank Books Downtown (321 North Tenth Street, St. Louis, Missouri)

The ABA forum and a popular Winter Institute education session will be part of a full day of programming at the Midwest Booksellers Association Spring Meeting on Sunday, March 21, at Left Bank Books Downtown in St. Louis. MBA's offerings include an education component, two Rep Picks sessions, lunch with a guest author, and an Author Reception.

The ABA Forum and education session "Techniques and Tactics for Online Website Promotion," from 1:45 p.m. - 4:15 p.m., will be led by ABA COO Len Vlahos with the help of Meetings and Planning Officer Jill Perlstein. "Techniques and Tactics for Online Website Promotion" will teach booksellers how to use everything from hyperlocal searches and affiliate marketing to advanced analytics and beyond to build meaningful relationships between their store websites and local communities.

Here's a look at the schedule:

Registration for MBA's Spring Meeting and ABA's Forum Program is via a downloadable form on the MBA website, where booksellers can also find additional program details and information about hotels.

The Spring Book Show, March 26 - 28, at The Cobb Galleria in Atlanta, Georgia

ABA will conduct the Winter Institute seminar "Techniques and Tactics for Online Website Promotion" on Saturday, March 27, in conjunction with the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance's education offerings at the Spring Book Show in Atlanta. The bargain book show will be held from March 26 - 28 at Atlanta's Cobb Galleria.

ABA senior staff in attendance will be CEO Oren Teicher and Membership and Marketing Officer Meg Smith. "Techniques and Tactics for Online Website Promotion" will teach booksellers how to use everything from hyperlocal searches and affiliate marketing to advanced analytics and beyond to build meaningful relationships between their store websites and local communities.

SIBA educational workshops begin on Thursday, March 25, at 6:00 p.m. with "An Evening on a Wing & a Prayer,"readings by two eminent Southern authors. 

Other programming includes:

Friday, March 26

Saturday, March 27

For details and registration information, visit the SIBA website. 

11:15 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at University of Southern Maine's Glickman Library (314 Forest Avenue, Portland, Maine)

Booksellers are invited to join the New England Independent Booksellers Association Board and Advisory Council and ABA senior staff for a day of New England authors and education on Wednesday, April 7, at the University of Southern Maine’s Glickman Library. The day will begin with 10 authors reading and talking about their new books, followed by a boxed lunch. The ABA forum and education session "Techniques and Tactics for Website Promotion," from 2:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., will be led by ABA COO Len Vlahos and Technology Director Matt Supko. ABA Board member Dan Chartrand of Water Street Bookstore in Exeter, New Hampshire, also plans to attend.

"Techniques and Tactics for Online Website Promotion" will teach booksellers how to use everything from hyperlocal searches and affiliate marketing to advanced analytics and beyond to build meaningful relationships between their store websites and local communities.

Here's a look at the schedule:

Space is limited, so NEIBA requests that booksellers RSVP by March 12. More information and a sign-up and payment form is available on the NEIBA website.

10:45 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. at the NACS Continuing Education Center (500 E. Lorain Street, Oberlin, Ohio)

Booksellers are invited to join ABA, the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association, and the National Association of College Stores (NACS) on Friday, April 9, for a Booksellers Forum and education program at the NACS Continuing Education Center in Oberlin, Ohio. ABA's Booksellers Forum will be led by CEO Oren Teicher and Membership and Marketing Director Meg Smith. ABA Vice President Becky Anderson of Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville, Illinois, also plans to attend.

The schedule to date includes:

For more information, visit gliba.org; to RSVP send an e-mail to joan@gliba.org.