Winter Institute 8 Registration Opens

Registration for the American Booksellers Association’s Eighth Annual Winter Institute [1] (Wi8) is now open.

Wi8 begins with a reception on Friday evening, February 22, 2013, at Kansas City, Missouri’s historic Union Station and continues through Monday, February 25, with more than 25 education sessions for booksellers at all levels of experience. The educational programming and author events will be at the 2013 host hotel, the Westin Kansas City at Crown Center. The three-day education program, which is made possible by the generous support of the Ingram Content Group, covers a wide range of topics, including buying and selling non-book, working with self-published authors, the ABA/Kobo eBook solution, remainder buying, effective and profitable marketing, financial operations, and more.

The schedule also features plenaries with bestselling authors Malcolm Gladwell and Daniel Pink, peer advisory groups, reps’ picks lunches, publisher meetings, and special events, including the ever-popular Author Reception.

Kansas City will also be the site of the National Association of College Stores’ (NACS) 2013 CAMEX trade show [2], and Wi8 will feature a special trip to the show for bookseller attendees, where they will be introduced to a diverse mix of gift and non-book items. As part of the ABA/NACS cooperation, booksellers who take the field trip during Wi8, or visit CAMEX on their own following the institute, will receive a $100 rebate for placing an order of any size from a vendor exhibiting at the show.

Registration for Wi8 is open exclusively to ABA bookstore and provisional members and is capped at 500 booksellers with a maximum of three registrants per member business to ensure a dynamic yet intimate educational program. Past Winter Institutes have filled up quickly, so ABA is encouraging members who want to attend to register as soon as possible.

“We couldn’t be more excited about this year’s Winter Institute, which offers a broad range of educational programming, unique networking opportunities, and what we know will be an illuminating and insightful look at our industry from fantastic plenary speakers,” said ABA Content Director Dan Cullen. “And, in addition to that, Kansas City offers an amazing range of attractions, from once-in-a-lifetime barbeque to world-class museums and a performing arts center that the New York Times called ‘one of the most enjoyable, exhilarating arts centers’ in the country. For all these reasons, we expect strong immediate registration for Wi8, and we encourage booksellers to sign up for this year’s institute soon.”

Below is a look at some of the highlights of Wi8’s packed schedule. Winter Institute registration, hotel information, and full event details, including session descriptions, can be found at wi8.bookweb.org [3].

2013 Winter Institute festivities begin with an opening reception from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. on Friday, February 22, sponsored by Kansas City’s own Andrews McMeel Publishing, at majestic Union Station, one of Kansas City’s most prominent cultural and entertainment destinations. This stately landmark is just steps from the host hotel and is easily accessed via the enclosed skyway that directly links it to the Westin Crown Center.

Saturday’s educational programming [4]begins in a big way with an opening plenary on the art and science of selling featuring Daniel Pink, whose previous Winter Institute appearances have been among the institute’s most memorable events. In his forthcoming book, To Sell Is Human (Riverhead, December 2012), Pink shows that sales, whether to push a product or promote an idea, isn’t what it used to be. Because of powerful economic changes, the glad-handing, truth-bending form of sales is a relic. In its place is a new approach to moving people that involves three very human qualities and four surprising skills.

The rest of Saturday is packed with 10 breakout sessions, working groups, a Reps’ Pick Lunch, and a discussion of Wi8’s One Institute, One Read title, to be announced soon.

Sunday [5]kicks off with a plenary featuring Malcolm Gladwell discussing the complex and surprising ways in which the Davids of the world can successfully compete against the Goliaths, and how goals (often culturally determined) can make a huge difference in our ultimate sense of success. Gladwell’s forthcoming book, David and Goliath (Little, Brown, 2013), draws upon examples from the world of business, sports, culture, cutting-edge psychology, and an array of unforgettable characters around the world.

To encourage more interaction among booksellers and publishers, time has been set aside on Sunday morning for Wi8 Publisher Sponsors [6] to meet with groups of booksellers to discuss issues of common interest and mutual concern. Booksellers will be assigned to a specific publisher for this session and will receive their assignment and room location upon check-in at the Wi8 Welcome Desk.

Sunday afternoon features the visit to CAMEX, which will be preceded by an introduction to the show and vendors that might be of particular interest to indie booksellers.

The day will be capped by the Winter Institute’s signature Author Reception, which, thanks to ABA’s Wi8 Publisher Sponsors [6], will feature more than 50 authors and illustrators, who will chat with booksellers and autograph their new and forthcoming titles. Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be served. Watch future editions of Bookselling This Week [7] for a listing of the authors and illustrators scheduled to appear.

Monday [8]begins with an opportunity to hear from industry innovators at the Small Press Breakfast, followed by 15 different educational sessions, a Reps’ Picks Lunch, and a closing reception.  The Monday session “Banned Books: Censorship and YA Literature,” sponsored by the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression [9], will feature award-winning authors Sherman Alexie and Laurie Halse Anderson.

Also on Monday, the Consultation Station will provide booksellers with the opportunity to meet with representatives of ABA’s business solution partners, POS vendors, World Book Night, and others.

Wi8’s Galley Room, to be open at various times throughout the show, will feature advance copies of many of the books presented at the Reps’ Picks Lunches. The Galley Room schedule will be available at the show.

The Winter Institute’s $75 non-refundable meal fee will offset some of the food costs for the event, which provides booksellers with three breakfasts, three lunches, two receptions, and lots of coffee.

The ABA group rate at the Westin Kansas City at Crown Center — $119 for singles and doubles — will be available for accommodations from Tuesday, February 19, through Thursday, February 28, 2013. To receive the special rate, reservations must be made by 5:00 p.m. Central Time on Tuesday, January 22, 2013, and the special ABA group code (available on the Wi8 website [10]) must be provided. The room block could sell out before the reservation deadline, so booksellers are encouraged to make their reservations as soon as possible. Reservations can be made by calling the Westin reservation number (800) 937-8461, or by booking online at www.starwoodmeeting.com [11].

Publisher Sponsors [6] have contributed more than 20 bookseller scholarships to Wi8. Scholarship winners will be selected from all ABA bookstore members, including Wi8 registrants and non-registrants. Booksellers who drop off a business card at the ABA booth at any of the regional trade shows can earn an extra entry in the scholarship awards process. Scholarship winners from the past three years are not eligible for Wi8 scholarships. Scholarships cover the Wi8 meal fee, up to four nights’ hotel accommodations at the Westin Kansas City, and transportation costs up to $350. Winners will be announced the week of November 12.

Follow Bookselling This Week and the Twitter hashtag #Wi8 [12] for Winter Institute news and updates.

For complete details and to register for Winter Institute 8, visit wi8.bookweb.org [3].