Filofax Joins ABFFE Affiliate Program

The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression’s (ABFFE [1]) newest affiliate is Filofax, a premier supplier of journals, datebooks, planners, and writing instruments, including Lamy pens and pencils, and all Letts of London products. Filofax will contribute five percent of purchases made by American Booksellers Association member bookstores to ABFFE.

“We are very excited to be working with Filofax, Lamy, and Letts of London,” ABFFE President Chris Finan said.  “We started our affiliate program to give booksellers an opportunity to support ABFFE by selling wonderful sidelines, and these companies offer some of the very best.”

Paul Brusser, director of business development for Filofax USA [2], added, “We’re happy to partner with ABFFE and independent booksellers around the country to support free expression and the freedom to read. The popularity of our products among booksellers and their customers is testament to the fact that readers are also writers.”

Filofax is making attractive displays available to stores placing orders. For more information about the full line of Filofax products and the ABFFE partnership, booksellers should contact Brusser at pbrusser@filofaxinc.com [3] or (561) 585-4396.

The affiliate program is the brainchild of ABFFE board member Mitchell Kaplan, the owner of Books & Books [4] in Miami, who helped recruit Filofax. “Books & Books is doing really well with Filofax products,” said Kaplan, “so I’m very glad they’re now going to be part of ABFFE’s affiliate program, giving fellow booksellers the chance to translate their commitment to the freedom to read into financial support for the foundation’s important work.”

Kaplan earlier connected two other sideline companies with ABFFE.  2020 Vision USA [5] contributes $1 for every pair of reading glasses and sunglasses that it sells to bookstores — more than $30,000 since 2009. EmotionGallery [6], a French company that makes 3D bookmarks, contributed $6,000 during its first 15 months in the program.

Another ABFFE affiliate, Carolyn Forsman [7], owner of Carolyn Forsman Conversation Piece Jewelry and creator of the “I Read Banned Books” bracelet, died on January 19.  The status of her company, which was largely a one-person operation, is unknown at this time.

Sideline companies interested in learning more about ABFFE’s affiliate program may contact Philip Turner, ABFFE’s newly appointed affiliate program coordinator, at philipsturner@gmail.com [8] or (917) 293-0901.