Booksellers Forums Continue: Last Weekend, This Weekend, and Upcoming

ABA COO Len Vlahos presents "Techniques and Tactics for Online Website Promotion" at Left Bank Books.

Last Sunday, the American Booksellers Association hosted a Booksellers Forum program in conjunction with the Midwest Booksellers Association [1] Spring Meeting in St. Louis, Missouri. Approximately 30 booksellers participated in the event, which was held at the Left Bank Books [2] downtown location.

Booksellers shared their thoughts and concerns in a lively forum discussion, moderated by ABA COO Len Vlahos, who also presented the popular Winter Institute education session "Techniques and Tactics for Online Website Promotion." Booksellers' main topics of interest at the forum were ABA IndieCommerce, the Shop Local movement, and the continuing fight for e-fairness in states across the country.

Forum participant Randy Stocker, of Great Debate Books [3] in Quincy, Illinois, told BTW, "I learned an awful lot from the talk about the [ABA IndieCommerce] websites and the talk about state taxes and Amazon. Those were both very beneficial to us."

"The face-to-face interaction was great," said Left Bank co-owner Kris Kleindienst. "I enjoyed being able to meet and interact with other booksellers…. I also really appreciated the presentation that Len Vlahos made. Everybody got a lot out of it."

This weekend, ABA CEO Oren Teicher and Membership and Marketing Officer Meg Smith will be in Atlanta to host an education program [4] in conjunction with the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance's [5] education offerings at the Spring Book Show [6].

Here's a preview of forum programs set for mid-April in Santa Fe, San Francisco, and New York.

April 16 - 17: ABA Spring Forum / MPIBA Regional Focus Meeting

Collected Works Bookstore & Coffeehouse (202 Galisteo St, Santa Fe, NM, 87501-2101); Inn of the Governors (101 West Alameda, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501)

The ABA forum and a popular Winter Institute education session will kick off programming at the Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association Regional Focus Meeting [http://www.mountainsplains.org/regional-focus-meetings.aspx], starting at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, April 16, at Collected Works Bookstore & Coffeehouse [7] in Santa Fe.

ABA CEO Oren Teicher and COO Len Vlahos will be at the forum to listen to booksellers' concerns and to provide updates on the association's programs and key initiatives. ABA will also present "Techniques and Tactics for Online Website Promotion," a session from this year's Winter Institute, that shows 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.

Participation in ABA's forum and education session is free and open to all ABA and regional booksellers association members. Fees may apply to additional programming offered in conjunction with the forum, and booksellers should check the MPIBA [8] website for full details.

The MPIBA program on Saturday, April 17, will be held at the Inn of the Governors. Among the regional's offerings are the education sessions "Secrets of the Stars: How to Create a Successful Author Event"; "E-readers and E-books: What’s the Story?"; and "Social Media: Just More 'Noise' or a Boon for Marketing?" The luncheon on Saturday will feature Hampton Sides, winner of the 2007 MPIBA Regional Book Award in Nonfiction for Blood and Thunder.

For full program details, hotel information, and a downloadable registration form, visit the MPIBA website [8].

April 18: ABA Spring Forum / NCIBA Spring Gathering

Thoreau Center, Presidio National Park, San Francisco, California

ABA will host a Booksellers Forum and education session in conjunction with the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association [9] Spring Gathering on Sunday, April 18, at San Francisco's Thoreau Center [10] . ABA's program is free and open to all Spring Gathering attendees.

The Bookseller Forum will begin at 8:45 a.m., over breakfast. ABA CEO Oren Teicher and COO Len Vlahos will be there to listen to booksellers' concerns and to provide updates on the association's programs and key initiatives.

At 10:30 a.m., Vlahos will present "Techniques and Tactics for Online Website Promotion," a session from this year's Winter Institute, that shows 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.

NCIBA's program will feature several education sessions, roundtable discussions, reps picks speed dating, and an author reception and signing.

To register for ABA's forum program and/or the NCIBA Spring Gathering, contact NCIBA via e-mail [11] or call (415) 561-7686.

April 20: ABA / NAIBA Spring Forum

Simon & Schuster's Offices, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

ABA will be holding a Booksellers Forum and education program in conjunction with the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association [12] in the 17th-floor boardroom of Simon & Schuster's offices in New York, on Tuesday, April 20. The program is free, and open to all ABA and NAIBA member booksellers.

The program will begin at 10:30 a.m. with a welcome by NAIBA President Joe Drabyak, of Chester County Book Company in West Chester, Pennsylvania, followed, from 10:35 to noon, by a presentation of the Winter Institute session "Techniques and Tactics for Online Website Promotion." ABA Technology Director Matt Supko will show 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.

Over lunch, from noon to 2:00 p.m., ABA Membership and Marketing Officer Meg Smith will lead an open forum discussion of industry issues. Attendees help guide the agenda of the forum, so booksellers are encouraged to come with questions and comments.

Booksellers planning to attend the ABA/NAIBA forum are asked to RSVP to ABA Meetings and Planning Officer Jill Perlstein [13] by April 12.

For the full ABA Spring Forum schedule, visit BookWeb.org [14].