ABA Unveils Educational Program for BEA

Today, The American Booksellers Association announced its schedule of educational programming [1] for BookExpo America 2013 [2]at New York’s Jacob Javits Convention Center. The free programming is aimed toward ABA bookstore and provisional members but is open to all BEA attendees. ABA educational programming is made possible by the overall support of the Ingram Content Group.

To help booksellers plan their time at BEA, below is a look at the schedule to date. More information will be provided in coming weeks, and the schedule is subject to change.

BOOKSELLING TODAY & ABA EDUCATION
[1]

Wednesday, May 29

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: ABA Plenary: “Publishing, Bookselling, and the Whole Damn Thing: A Conversation With John Sargent” (IE14/1E15/1E16)
Begin BEA with a stimulating discussion between Macmillan CEO John Sargent and ABA President Becky Anderson about the book industry, the challenges it faces, recent key events, and what the future may hold.

11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.: How to Plan for a Second Location (1E02/1E03)
Have you considered opening a second location? Whether your current location has been in business for 12 years or two, there are a number of key variables that will play a critical role in your analysis of whether or not the new venture will succeed. Join a panel of booksellers and other skilled professionals who will share their insights, experiences, and best practices on this issue. Panelists to come.

11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.: Evaluate Your Remainder Buying (1E07)
Remainders can help keep your store profitable if you know where and when to buy them. This is an advanced buying session that will cover everything from best practices for buying online to the benefits of visiting warehouses and hotel showrooms, as well as strategies for in-store display. Discuss and share important keys to profitability with remainders. Gayle Shanks, Co-owner of Changing Hands Bookstore (Tempe, AZ), and an additional bookseller to come.

11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.: Edelweiss Update (IE08)
Keeping track of drop-in titles has been an ongoing headache for both booksellers and sales reps. Edelweiss is implementing a new feature that will help solve this problem by showing booksellers a customized view of newly added titles, as well as showing sales reps which titles their accounts have not yet seen. This session will explore the functionality of this new feature and will include time for booksellers and publishers to discuss best practices. Joe Foster, Edelweiss (Ann Arbor, MI)

1:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.: Programming Details to Come

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.: ABA/Kobo eBook and eReader Introduction (1E08)
This session will cover all the basics about Kobo eBooks and eReaders, and it is aimed at stores interested in learning more before making the decision to sign up for the ABA/Kobo program. There will be a question-and-answer period at the end. Neil Strandberg, ABA Member Technology Director (White Plains, NY); Dave Morris, Kobo Account Manager (Toronto, Ontario); Jessica Stockton Bagnulo, Owner, Greenlight Books (Brooklyn, NY)
[3]

3:00 – 4:00 p.m.: Being Social:  Reaching Your Customers and Community (1E07)
Using social media to market your store may seem at times to be hit-and-miss. But businesses of all types have successfully implemented effective social media marketing strategies. Hear tips from experts in Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, and learn how to make social media work for you. Amy Cox Williams, Director, Product Marketing, Ingram Content Group; Lynette Young, Owner, Purple Stripe Productions; Moderator and additional panelists to come.
[4]

4:15 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.: BEA Adult Editors’ Buzz (IE14/1E15/1E16)
The Buzz Forums are notable platforms for launching new books and creating awareness for noteworthy titles and authors at BEA. Insightful and passionate, the forums typically attract a large audience of booksellers and media who are eager to hear about, and then talk about, the new titles that have been singled out for discussion and presentation. The Adult Editors’ Buzz will be moderated by Betsy Burton (The King’s English, Salt Lake City, UT)

Thursday, May 30

10:00 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.: BEA Young Adult Editors’ Buzz (IE14/1E15/1E16)
Moderated by Suzanna Hermans, Oblong Books, Rhinebeck, NY
 

11:00 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.: BEA Middle Grade Editors’ Buzz (1E12/1E13)
Moderated by Valerie Lewis, Hickleebee’s Children’s Books, San Jose, CA 

Friday, May 31

9:30 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.: Common Core: Insights From Industry Touchpoints (1E11)
Professionals from every part of the book industry will offer insights into how to present the material we offer for most effective use in schools and libraries to achieve these standards. This session will dispel some myths; explain how material is used in different ways; and look at how publishers are responding and what we can all improve to respond to this new golden age of reading and writing.

The panel, moderated by Richard Buthod, National Sales Manager, Turtleback Books (St. Louis, MO), will feature Cheryl Dickemper, Director of Purchasing and Collection Development, The Booksource (St. Louis, MO); Melissa Jacobs-Israel, Coordinator in the Office of Library Services, NYC Dept. of Education (New York, NY); Victoria Stapleton, Director of School and Library Marketing, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (New York, NY); Kenny Brechner, Owner, DDG Booksellers (Farmington, ME); Becky Anderson, Owner, Anderson’s Bookshops Naperville, IL); and Phoebe Yeh, HarperCollins (New York, NY)

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.: Kobo 201: Best Practices(1E08)
ABA Member Technology Director Neil Strandberg, Kobo Account Manager Dave Morris, and Matthew Norcross, co-owner of Mclean & Eakin Booksellers (Petoskey, MI), will lead a discussion with bookseller users on “best practices” for featuring Kobo eReaders and selling eBooks, and getting customers to affiliate their Kobo account with your bookstore.  Come prepared to share your own experiences.

See this week’s related stories on special events for children’s booksellers [5]; ABA’s bookseller/publisher focus groups [6]; the Annual Celebration of Bookselling and Author Awards Luncheon [7]; and Hotel ABA. [8]