News - Regional

Walker leaving Midwest Booksellers Association; Blog promotes indie bookstore opportunities; Thriller winners announced

W.S. Merwin named poet laureate; ABA Partnership with Google in New York Times; Ingram Publisher Services adds three clients; WNBA Pannell Award installs new chair; Audiobook sales increase; Marie Johns becomes SBA deputy administrator; Midwest Booksellers Association on the move

Applications due for NEIBA and SCIBA scholarships; Reach Out and Read starts summer campaign; Riverhead Donates to Hosseini Foundation

NCIBA Receives "Chain Alternative Award"

With last month's launch of the American Booksellers Association's new Member Relations Department, two member relations managers now serve as the main contacts for all bookstore and provisional members. Each manager has primary responsibility for members in different regions of the country. Booksellers with questions and ideas they'd like to share with ABA are encouraged to reach out to their member relations manager at any time. 

The American Booksellers Association's spring forum schedule comes to an end next week with gatherings in LaVergne, Tennessee, and San Antonio, Texas. On Wednesday, April 28, ABA CEO Oren Teicher and COO Len Vlahos will lead a Booksellers Forum from noon - 2:00 p.m. at Lightning Source, Inc. (1246 Heil Quaker Blvd., La Vergne). All area booksellers are invited.

HarperCollins Vice President for Independent Retailing Carl Lennertz has pulled together a second collection of regional essays inspired by State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America (edited by Matt Weiland and Sean Wilsey, Ecco). Booksellers and librarians from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska contributed to the Pacific Northwest Reader, which is available now. The first regional collection, the Great Lakes Reader, was published last year.

 This week has been a busy one for ABA senior staff. They've crossed the country to host four Booksellers Forum programs in conjunction with regional associations, participated in the American Independent Business Alliance's International Conference, and have two more forum programs and a Digital Task Force meeting upcoming this weekend.

 On Wednesday, April 14, Suzy Staubach of UConn Co-op Bookstore in Storrs, Connecticut, went to the state capital in support of HB 5481, sales tax fairness legislation. Staubach, who was accompanied on her visit by ABA staff, met with the legislators representing the districts of both her home and UConn Co-op. These included meetings with House Majority Leader Rep. Denise Merrill; Rep. Bryan Hurlburt; Sen. President Pro Tempore Donald Williams; Sen. Anthony Guglielmo; and Sen. Andrew Roraback (on behalf of three ABA member bookstores in Roraback's district).

The American Booksellers Association invites members to four Booksellers Forums in the next week: