BookED American Booksellers Association

The heart of a bookstore is the bookseller in the stacks, on the floor, behind the counter, or in the back room. These are the dedicated professionals who create the welcoming environment your community experiences every day. How do you keep this team? This session will cover important factors that impact employee retention today. You will be asked to consider your store culture, the openness of store-wide communication, your diversity and inclusion efforts, and conditions around compensation, among other important factors that drive employee satisfaction and retention. Come prepared to listen, engage, and leave with the beginnings of an action plan.
Speakers
Suzanna Hermans, Oblong Books - Millerton, NY Jamie Thomas, Women & Children First - Chicago, IL DJ Johnson, Baldwin & Co. - New Orleans, LA Lyn Roberts, Square Books - Oxford, MS Files & Links
Video Recording Slide Deck Recorded February 14, 2024 at Winter Institute 2024 in Cincinnati, OH
Additional bookstore education resources can be found at www.bookweb.org.
 
 
Theme song by Constant Companion

Edelweiss Analytics, a tool created uniquely for indie booksellers, allows you to easily manage your inventory by integrating POS data into Edelweiss to analyze your stock, view order & sales history, and access aggregate market data without missing a beat. Whether your store uses Square or a bookstore-specific POS system, this conversation is for you. An Edelweiss team member in collaboration with bookseller panelists will examine each tier of Edelweiss Analytics and explain the value of utilizing these tools for better collaboration with publishers, and for amplifying the power of the indie market as a whole. If you’re not currently signed up, remember Edelweiss Analytics’ base tier — Basecamp — is free for ABA members the first year so come check it out! If you’re already signed up, come hear best practices and ways to optimize it for your store.
Speakers
Jeanne Costello, Maria's Bookshop - Durango, CO Jenny Cohen, Waucoma Bookstore - Hood River, OR Dan Brewster, Prologue Bookshop - Columbus, OH Nicolette Siclare, Edelweiss by Above the Treeline - Ann Arbor, MI Files & Links
Slide Deck  
Recorded February 14, 2024 at Winter Institute 2024 in Cincinnati, OH
Additional bookstore education resources can be found at www.bookweb.org.
 
 
Theme song by Constant Companion

You’ve meticulously curated your inventory, designed the perfect displays, and developed an events program for your community — but how will you know if what you’re doing is working? Tracking Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) will give you the answer. KPIs are specific outcome-based targets that support your strategic plan and can be measured quantitatively, such as inventory turnover ratios, sales per square foot, and average transaction value. By the time you leave this session, you will: (1) understand the meaning and value of critical retail KPIs and how to track them, (2) understand how to compare your store’s KPIs against financial metrics found in the ABACUS report, and (3) be able to apply this data to create an improvement plan for at least one area of your store’s performance.
Speakers
Cynthia Compton, MacArthur Books - Carmel, IN Melissa DeMotte, The Well Read Moose - Coeur d'Alene, ID Candice Anderson, Tombolo Books - St. Petersburg, FL Files & Links
Video Recording Slide Deck  
Recorded February 13, 2024 at Winter Institute 2024 in Cincinnati, OH
Additional bookstore education resources can be found at www.bookweb.org.
 
 
Theme song by Constant Companion

Free Expression Friday is an interview series from ABA's American Booksellers for Free Expression celebrating the amazing work of booksellers, organizers, and book people in general fighting for the right to read.
In this episode, ABA's Advocacy Associate Manager, Philomena Polefrone talks with Maggie Tokuda-Hall, an acclaimed Children's and YA author and one of the organizers of Authors Against Book Bans. Read the full interview on Bookweb.
Follow the American Booksellers for Free Expression on Instagram at @ABFEFreeExpression to keep up with ABFE's advocacy efforts and tune into their Free Expression Friday series. Additional bookstore education resources can be found at www.bookweb.org.
 
Theme by Constant Companion

Investing in the leadership skills of your staff has both short-term and long-term benefits, from building a better culture for your team to identifying potential successors when you retire. In this session, Kim Scott, author of Radical Candor and the forthcoming Radical Respect, will teach you how to nurture staff into leadership roles, and evaluate the process for success!
Speakers
Kim Scott, author of Radical Respect : How to Work Together Better Files & Links
Video Recording Slide Deck Recorded February 13, 2024 at Winter Institute 2024 in Cincinnati, OH
Additional bookstore education resources can be found at www.bookweb.org.
 
 
Theme song by Constant Companion

Clearly defined systems save time and mental energy and can set clear expectations for everyone on a team which means great (consistent!) results. These systems are the start of any training program and can even help improve employer/employee communication and increase sales! Sounds great, right? But where do we start with defining these systems? We start with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Join this session for practical education on writing and following SOPs for your store. Presented by ZingTrain.
 
Speakers
Arianna Téllez Léon, ZingTrain - Ann Arbor, MI
  Files & Links
Video Recording Slide Deck Writing Standard Operating Procedures Workbook  
Recorded February 12, 2024 at Winter Institute 2024 in Cincinnati, OH
Additional bookstore education resources can be found at www.bookweb.org.
 
 
Theme song by Constant Companion