News - Bookselling

As a bipartisan coalition of U.S. lawmakers seeks to pass federal sales tax fairness legislation, a Utah Senate committee approved an affiliate-nexus bill sponsored by Sen. Wayne Harper, and in West Virginia, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin has proposed legislation that would require remote retailers with warehouses in the state to collect and remit sales tax.

The American Booksellers Association’s Board of Directors, which met this week in Kansas City just prior to the Winter Institute, has named three director candidates to stand for election to the Board.

For those who may have missed our report from Winter Institute 8, here, in photos and text, are highlights from the opening reception, the plenary sessions presented by bestselling authors Daniel Pink and Malcolm Gladwell, and other key happenings from the first full day of education through Sunday morning’s plenary session.

Here’s a quick reminder about some of this weekend’s Winter Institute highlights.

Kansas City fire miles away from Wi8 site; Ingram launches on-demand journals program

Bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell will share insights from his forthcoming book, David and Goliath (Little, Brown, October 2013), with booksellers at Wi8’s Sunday morning plenary session. Here, Gladwell talks about what drew him to the theme of David and Goliath and some of the opportunities for bookselling “Davids.”

Last Friday, Hudson, Ohio’s The Learned Owl Book Shop changed hands. After 30 years at the helm, Liz Murphy sold the business to store staff member Kate Schlademan, who assured the community that Learned Owl will continue to be the same great place.

Registration is now open to ABA member booksellers for a free March 26 webinar “Your Bottom Line: What Healthcare Reform Means for Your Small Business,” presented by ABA and the Small Business Majority.

Today, February 20, is the date set by state of Georgia for all retailers to submit sales taxes collected for the month of January. Legislation, which went into effect on January 1, made clear that Amazon.com has nexus in Georgia and is therefore required to collect sales tax on purchases made by state residents.

ABA bookstore members should expect to receive a settlement notice soon as part of the proposed class-action settlement of a federal antitrust lawsuit over rapidly rising Visa and MasterCard credit card swipe fees. ABA is currently working with a coalition of trade associations and companies to gather information as to the best course of action for members.