About ABA

The Great Lakes Booksellers Association (GLBA) held its Spring Meeting on March 27 at the Transitions Learning Center in Chicago. The program included an ABA Booksellers Forum, an ABACUS "Sneak Preview," and a seminar on Succession Planning/Bookstore Valuation sponsored by ABA. Representing ABA at the meeting were President Ann Christophersen of Women & Children First in Chicago; Board member Karl Pohrt of Shaman Drum Bookshop in Ann Arbor, Michigan; CEO Avin Mark Domnitz; COO Oren Teicher; and Ivan Barkhorn, a consultant to ABA on strategic matters.

ABA will be conducting Booksellers Forums in conjunction with regional booksellers association meetings, held from April 4 - 8, in the Southeast, New Atlantic, and Mid-South regions. Southeast The Southeast Booksellers Association (SEBA) Spring Seminar and Book Awards Celebration will feature a series of ABA programs in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Friday, April 4, and Saturday, April 5, at the Park Road Hotel.

Following a significant increase in the submission of bookstore financial data to the ABACUS project, ABA has extended the deadline for bookstores to contribute data to the first year's study to April 30.

Book Sense has established a marketing partnership with The Minute Maid division of The Coca-Cola Company to attract consumers participating in reading groups to independent bookstores with Book Sense. The new sweepstakes promotion for BACARDI® Mixers will run for four months starting in July. Bookstores participating in Book Sense must sign-up to participate in the program.

The ABA Board of Directors held its spring meeting in Chicago from March 28 - 30. At the meeting, the Board:

Dear Booksellers, As I have been traveling around the country over the last few weeks to ABA Booksellers Forums and other events, it is clear that many of you are concerned about the rapid deterioration of business in the retail world generally and in your bookshops specifically. These are indeed challenging times for independent booksellers, as the continued softness of the national economy and international events have hit many of our members hard.

ABA bookstore members should watch the mail for an envelope containing ballots for the 2003 ABA Board of Directors and the 2003 Book Sense Book of the Year (BSBY) Awards, as well as the program of ABA events at BookExpo America, May 28 - June 1. This material is being mailed to all ABA bookstore members on Friday, March 28.

In the coming weeks, ABA Booksellers Forums will be held in the Southeast, New Atlantic, and Mid-South regions. The Southeast Booksellers Association's (SEBA) Spring Seminar and Book Awards Celebration, April 4 - 5, at the Park Road Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina, will include a Booksellers Forum and an ABACUS "Sneak Preview."

Thursday, May 29, at BookExpo America will be replete with activities of interest to children's booksellers, beginning with the annual meeting of the Association of Booksellers for Children (ABC). Registration and box-lunch pick up will begin at 11:45 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. All those pre-registered for the meeting can pick up a free box lunch.

On Friday, March 14, over 35 people attended an ABA Booksellers Forum, held in conjunction with the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA) Spring Show, in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. The PNBA Spring Show ran from March 14 - 16 and was held at the Coeur d'Alene Resort.