Resources

It took Nancy Pearl a year to complete Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason (Sasquatch Books, September 2003). But that's just one way of looking at it.

Former Wisconsin bookseller (and database software manager of the San Francisco Giants) Nick Glass has introduced a free Web site, TeachingBooks.net, useful for anyone involved with children's books. The comprehensive site offers useful links for all booksellers -- original multimedia information about authors, tour schedules, reading guides, and more arcane bits.

Nancy Kranich, chair of the American Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Committee As bookseller concern continues to grow regarding the current state of civil liberties in a post-9/11 world, here's a comprehensive resource list of Web sites

Twice a year since July 1999, Paz & Associates Bookstore Training & Consulting Group, in conjunction with the American Booksellers Association, has been conducting weeklong intensive workshops designed to teach potential booksellers the ins and outs of the bookstore business. The next program, "Opening a Bookstore: The Business Essentials," will take place in Portland, Oregon, on September 9 - 15, in conjunction with the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association convention and trade show, held September 13 - 15.

ABA member booksellers recently received a letter with full details of the recent launch of the Book Buyer’s Handbook Online, the fully searchable electronic edition of the Book Buyer’s Handbook. The new online edition of the Handbook is available to all ABA bookstore and associate members at BookWeb.org, the association member Web site. Note that the handbook icon is now on the main navigation bar on the left-hand side of BookWeb.org’s home page.

By Kenneth Corrigan

Just the Facts … on Making the Most of the BTW Search Engine The new online version of Bookselling This Week includes a search engine that enables readers to find previously published stories, to research topics, and to quickly access stories within several key categories.

The Idea Exchange on ABA’s Web site, www.BookWeb.org, provides forums for booksellers to exchange ideas with colleagues and to express opinions to, and ask questions of, ABA staff and Board members. This area is only accessible to ABA bookstore members who have registered a login name and password. To register for the online forums and for access to all restricted areas of BookWeb.org, booksellers may simply click here for an online registration form.

In an era where there is more retail space devoted to selling books than ever before, starting, sustaining, and growing a profitable bookstore business requires that each person in a management role fully understand the fundamentals of book retailing. From May 1 through May 3, ABA is sponsoring a three-day booksellers school to help booksellers deal with crucial business issues in "Fundamentals of Independent Bookselling -- Strategies for Understanding and Growing a Profitable Business," at this year’s BookExpo America.

The Association of American University Presses (AAUP) has recently launched the online title resource "Books for Understanding," which offers a comprehensive listing of university press books that shed light on current events. "We’re hoping it will be useful to booksellers … who have people coming in and asking ‘Where can I learn more about these topics?’" said Brenna McLaughlin, communications manager for the not-for-profit AAUP.