BookED American Booksellers Association

As booksellers continue to be on the front lines of many consumer and human rights issues, the need for professionally-led training to keep booksellers safe has never been more important. In this session, participants will learn essential de-escalation skills and strategies to gracefully handle difficult customer interactions and defuse tensions while prioritizing staff safety. Empower yourself with the tools you need to navigate challenging situations with confidence and professionalism, fostering a welcoming and supportive atmosphere in your bookstore.
Speakers
Chasity Rush, Talbert House - Cincinnati, OH
Files & Links
Slide Deck Video Recording De-Escalation Language  
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

Independent bookstores are unique — your story, history, values, causes, and specialties are what differentiate you from others. Your “About Us” section on your website should be unlike anyone else’s too! It’s the easiest way, and one of the most important ways, to promote your store. Join this workshop on how to shift from a generic description about community and curation to one that reflects your store’s personality, makes loyal customers, entices new customers, and helps ABA pitch your store to the media, publishers, and others. 
Speaker
Matt Banker, Banker Creative - Saint Paul, MN Files & Links
Slide Deck Video  
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

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, chats with Lauren Groff about opening her bookstore in Florida, banned books, and celebrating Independent Bookstore Day.
Watch the video on YouTube or read the full interview on Bookweb.
Lauren Groff is the author of The Vaster Wilds, Matrix, Florida, and others. She is also the owner of the indie bookstore The Lynx, which will have its grand opening in Gainesville, Florida on April 28th (but will be open on April 27th for Independent Bookstore Day). Earlier this week, she was named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2024.
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
 

AI is rapidly becoming part of the day-to-day and booksellers are beginning to explore what that means for bookselling. Being pro-author and pro-employee doesn't have to mean being anti-AI or rejecting the opportunities that AI represents for the industry. Go beyond the AI hype with Director of ABA Technology Greg Galloway and ABA’s Director of IndieCommerce Phil Davies as they consider AI’s place in publishing today, what the future might hold for AI and independent retailers, and how AI can be made to serve labor, creative arts, and commerce (not vice-versa).
Speakers
Phillip Davies, Director of IndieCommerce - American Booksellers Association
Greg Galloway, Director of ABA Technology - American Booksellers Association
Files & Links
Slide Deck
Featured Websites
 
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

Contemporary fiction increasingly invites the reader to see race, gender, and sexuality not as binary identities, but as a vibrant spectrum of diversity. This year's new fiction is opening up space for new ideas about how we might expand our understanding of identity and what myriad of relational dynamics are possible beyond the normative concepts of race, gender, and sexuality. In this keynote panel, four authors share their thoughts and experiences writing for a world that has moved beyond the traditional binary definitions of identity and belonging.
 
Speakers
Miranda July, author of All Fours (On sale May 14, 2024 from Riverhead Books/Penguin Random House) Danzy Senna, author of Colored Television (On sale September 3, 2024 from Riverhead Books/Penguin Random House) LaDarrion Williams, author of Blood at the Root (On sale May 7, 2024 from Labyrinth Road/Penguin Random House) Maysoon Zayid, author of Shiny Misfits: A Graphic Novel (On sale April 16, 2024 from Graphix/Scholastic) Anton Bogomazov, Politics and Prose Bookstore - Washington, DC Files & Links
Live Captioning Video Recording  
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

ABA's Lightning Talk series features booksellers presenting 5-10 minute talks on tech tools, organizational strategies, communication methods, or innovations they’ve made in their stores. On March 14, 2024, Angie Zhao of bbgb books (Richmond, VA) discussed School Author Events.
Files & Links
Slide Deck
 
Additional bookstore education resources can be found at www.bookweb.org.
 
Theme by Constant Companion