ABA to Offer Education at Regional Shows
This fall, ABA will be presenting education sessions at each of the nine regional booksellers association fall gatherings. At the top of the list at every show is IndieBound, the new ABA initiative that celebrates independents and supports localism. Other ABA sessions vary from show to show, but here's a first look at what's on the agenda at each. Updates and complete details, including times and presenters, will be provided in the coming weeks in BTW's fall regional trade show previews. (Read more....)

Editors to Present Winter Picks Via Webcasts
The Association of American Publishers has announced a pilot program featuring some of today's top editors presenting and previewing their Winter 2009 book picks for an online audience of booksellers and members of the media. Book Editors Online and Unscripted, a series of interactive webcasts, will launch in September. (Read more....)

Bookseller Urges ABACUS Participation
In response to last week's report that the 2008 ABACUS Study is in jeopardy, Amy Thomas, the president of Pandora's Books Inc., which includes Pegasus and Pendragon Books, wrote to her fellow booksellers urging them to set aside about an hour to complete the survey form to make sure this year's study becomes a reality. "[ABACUS] is an excellent tool for honing your systems and concentrating on areas that can potentially make or break your business," said Thomas. (Read more....)

The August Indie Notables Fliers & Shelf-talkers
The August Indie Next List Notables flier, in PDF format, features jacket images, bibliographic information, and bookseller quotes for a great selection of titles to augment the month's Indie Next List selections. Bookseller quotes are also currently available in an electronic file of Notables shelf-talkers. (Read more....)

Skylight Books Expands -- With More Than a Little Help >From Its Friends
This week, Los Angeles' Skylight Books expanded into a neighboring, 1,400-square-foot space. The 12-year-old store will continue to put finishing touches on the newly renovated location throughout August and will hold a gala Grand Opening on Saturday, August 30. "Even though getting the space ready to open took about two months longer than I had originally figured on, we are bursting with pride and excitement that it is finally all coming together," said Kerry Slattery, Skylight general manager and co-owner. (Read more....)

Page & Palette Commemorates 40 Years With Newsletter for the Ages
The town of Fairhope, Alabama, was founded over a century ago as a utopian village for authors and artists. In 2008, the heart of this thriving literary and artistic paradise is, not surprisingly, a bookstore -- Page & Palette, which will celebrate its 40th anniversary in August. To commemorate its anniversary and the diversity of the town's locally owned businesses, Page & Palette has published an impressive 48-page color newsletter, Forty Years at The Heart of Fairhope: Special Anniversary Edition. (Read more....)

I Know You Like a Book + IndieBound = Great PR
After Mary Beth Nebel of I Know You Like A Book in Peoria Heights, Illinois, read a column in the Peoria Journal Star that called for support of local independent restaurants, she wrote a letter to the editor to say that the column should have stressed support for all locally owned businesses. She got what she asked for. The next week, using IndieBound information supplied by Nebel, the business editor cataloged the many benefits of shopping local. (Read more....)

Reporters' Program Prompts Congressmen to Act
Two members of the United States Congress from different parties recently joined in speaking out in favor of legislation to protect the confidentiality of news sources after participating in a program co-sponsored by Arundel Books in Seattle, the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, and the MLRC Institute. Following a discussion of the proposed federal shield law, which took place on Friday, July 18, at the Downtown Seattle Republican Club, Rep. Jay Inslee (D) and Rep. David G. Reichert (R) both agreed to contact members of their parties in the Senate to urge passage of the bill, the Free Flow of Information Act (S. 2035). (Read more....)

Michigan Independent Business Alliance Quickly Makes a Name for Itself
When Bridget Rothenberger opened Nomad Bookhouse in historic downtown Jackson, Michigan, in December 2005, the bookstore was the only retail outlet on the street. But things are changing, Rothenberger said. The downtown area is starting to grow, and the once manufacturing town is taking a decidedly artistic turn. "Another coffee shop has opened here now, a couple of retail outlets have come in," she reported. The changes occurring in Jackson have also spurred the formation of another organization: Jackson (JXN) Local First, which Rothenberger was instrumental in launching this year. (Read more....)

Love Your Locals in Larchmont, New York
As part of the American Booksellers Association's summer series of IndieBound information sessions, ABA COO Oren Teicher recently participated in a gathering of independent businesses organized by Larchmont, New York's The Voracious Reader. The one-year-old children's bookstore hosted 10 representatives from other local businesses, including two art galleries, two jewelry stores, a dog accessories store, and a music store. With many of IndieBound's marketing materials in hand, the group discussed how to make the most of the Shop Local movement. (Read more....)

Twilight Party? Photos Wanted
In next Thursday's edition of Bookselling This Week, we'd like to feature a montage of photos displaying indie bookstore celebrations for the release of Breaking Dawn, the last title in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. All ABA members who would like to contribute to the display are invited to send photos, along with store name and brief captions, to editorial@bookweb.org. (Read more....)

E-Fairness Update: NYC Mayor Backs E-Fairness Provision
This month, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg came out in favor of New York State's Internet Sales Tax provision, which is currently being challenged in court by Amazon.com and Overstock.com. Bloomberg said it was only fair that out-of-state online retailers pay the same tax rate as their in-state competitors, as reported by the New York Sun. The mayor told reporters: "If you are going to have a tax system, one of the essences of it should be that it is fair. And it just inherently makes no sense whatsoever to tax you if you want to buy a book from Amazon differently than if you want to buy a book from a bookstore." (Read more....)

Around Indie Bookstores
Valerie Koehler to Be Honored by Literacy Advance of Houston; C-SPAN's Campaign Bus to Stop at Northshire Bookstore; Chapters Bookstore to Celebrate Grand Opening (Read more....)

BTW News Briefs
Consortium Offers Free Freight Terms; J.K. Rowling's Children's Charity to Publish The Tales of Beedle the Bard; MPIBA Announces 2008 Book Award Winners; SCIBA Announces Book Award Finalists (Read more....)

Free Classifieds: An ABA Bookstore Member Benefit
ABA Bookstore Members in good standing may place up to four free two-week Classified Ad insertions in Bookselling This Week each year. BTW Classifieds are the perfect place for booksellers to place help wanted ads, advertise fixtures or stores for sale, and more. (Read more....)

Media Guide
On Tour, In Print, On the Tube, On the Radio, and
Upcoming Events.

Classifieds
Books/Bookstores for Sale, Supplies, Fixtures, Computer Inventory Systems, Sidelines, Positions Available, etc.

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