ABA Town Hall & Annual Membership Meetings Recap

June 03, 2008

The American Booksellers Association held its annual Town Hall, followed by the ABA Membership Meeting, on Friday afternoon, May 30, at BookExpo America. The informal Town Hall, moderated by outgoing ABA President Russ Lawrence of Chapter One Book Store in Hamilton, Montana, and incoming President Gayle Shanks of Tempe, Arizona's Changing Hands, was dominated by discussions of IndieBound, as well as ABA's e-fairness efforts.

BEA Show Director Lance Fensterman began the Town Hall by giving members a brief convention update, and then Lawrence opened the floor to booksellers. Hut Landon, executive director of the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association, kicked off the dialogue by commending "the excellent work that New York booksellers and ABA" undertook to get the Internet sales tax provision passed in the New York State budget in April. "As you know, we've been fighting in California for a long time," he said. "We have pushed the Board of Equalization (BOE) to go after Barnes & Noble for nine years." Landon then reported that, the night before, the California BOE had accepted and affirmed settlements in two sales tax cases involving the bookstore chain and that B&N will have to pay the state of California approximately $8.3 million in back taxes. (See related story.)

Lawrence also extended his thanks to New York booksellers for their e-fairness efforts, and added: "It's all part of the puzzle; it's made a difference in New York. And public sentiment is on our side when we make our case properly. This is not a new tax; it is a way to collect tax that is already due."

Following the update on the campaign for e-fairness, the discussion turned to IndieBound. Lawrence provided a brief history of how IndieBound came about, and in the process, had great praise for the Book Sense program. "IndieBound is continuing what was great about Book Sense.... It carries on all those things that keep us in the publishers' eyes. But what was missing was the connection with the customers, the community. IndieBound gives you a way to go out and talk to other businesses in your community.... [It] is a movement; we can all contribute to it."

Jean Brace from Brace Books & More in Ponca City, Oklahoma, asked if, as part of the IndieBound movement, the association has had any conversations with other trade organizations.

"That's a big part of it," Lawrence said. "We've met with other trade associations.... Some of these groups [have only independent members], and they love what we're doing."

Former ABA President Mitchell Kaplan of Books & Books in Miami, Florida, extended congratulations to the whole Board for putting the initiative together. "I heard about it for the first time last night," he said, "and it really revealed itself in the ABA Lounge today," where there were samples of the "Literary Liberation Box" and the new IndieBound collateral materials

Kaplan also thanked the association for its handling of the copyright infringement claims brought by the Rev. Herman Douglas, Sr. against various distributors and retailers. The judge, who had already dismissed the Rev. Douglas' claims against author Joel Osteen and his publisher, Hachette, ordered the case closed this week. A number of ABA bookstore members were among those who had received a summons in the civil action.

Maryelizabeth Hart of Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego, said that, following ABA's festive announcement of IndieBound at Thursday night's Celebration of Bookselling, she still "didn't know really what it was, other than a renaming of Book Sense."

Shanks responded that, when rolling out a new initiative, it's tough to know exactly how much to talk about at the initial launch, but she stressed, "We could not be more excited about this program. We did tease the program a lot but a decision was made that booksellers could [find out more about the program] in the ABA Lounge and at the IndieBound Information Session" on Saturday afternoon.

"It's a legitimate comment," ABA CEO Avin Mark Domnitz stated. "Thursday night was very much the launch of the program, the presentation of an idea and the outline of a painting, and, now, we have to do the painting," he said, adding, "We knew, number one, you'd come to the lounge and the information session, and next week, you will be receiving your Literary Liberation Box." The box is the start-up kit that all ABA members will receive, and it will include explanations of the program, posters, bookmarks, book plates, buttons, and other collateral material.

Lucy Kogler from Talking Leaves Books in Buffalo, New York, had high praise for IndieBound. "It gives us the tools to do this in our own way, in our community. I'm so excited about this."

Following the Town Hall, Lawrence called the association's Annual Membership Meeting to order. Board member Beth Puffer of Bank Street Bookstore in New York City delivered the Report of the Nominating Committee, which noted the election of new Board members Ken White of SFSU Bookstore in San Francisco and Dan Chartrand of Water Street Bookstore in Exeter, New Hampshire, and the reelection of Michael Tucker of California's Books Inc. to a second three-year term on the Board. The association membership also ratified the Board's choice of Gayle Shanks to serve a one-year term as ABA president and Tucker to serve a one-year term as vice president/secretary.

In the Report of the President, Lawrence praised association members, ABA Board members, and past presidents for the progress the association has made on many fronts, including providing the education and the tools booksellers need to succeed. "New stores are opening again. The '90s were tough, but in the last few years we've seen new stores open." He also praised outgoing Board member Collette Morgan of Wild Rumpus in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and thanked her for "what you have brought us with your cheerfulness, thoughtfulness, and creativity." Lawrence welcomed White and Chartrand to the Board and told ABA members at the meeting, "The association is in tremendously good hands."

In her role as ABA vice president/secretary for the past year, Shanks reported on ABA's membership figures, which, as of April 2008, numbered 2,117, down from 2,209 the year before. However, she noted that, in addition to losses in membership, ABA had for the third year in a row seen more than 100 newly opened stores join the association. "We have started gaining new stores," she said. "I think we're on the way up."

In his report, ABA CEO Avin Mark Domnitz said, "It's been a good year, an exciting year. There are a lot of good things happening here, part of which you saw last night [at the Celebration of Bookselling]. With IndieBound, there are no rules. The one problem with Book Sense is that there were rules to participate. With IndieBound, any independent can participate....

"I came into the business in 1979, and the '80s were good for booksellers. Then there was a dark age where bigger was [considered] better, and national was good. Today, things have changed. A window has opened, an appreciation for independents is palpable -- you can feel it in the air.... Consumers are looking for you in their shopping."

Domnitz also reported that, based on feedback from its members, the association has, over the past few years, developed an annual calendar of education events, which includes the highly popular Winter Institute. He also noted that more than 700 booksellers had participated in Thursday's Day of Education program.

"And advocacy is also extremely important, and we've been active in the pursuit of measures to ensure e-fairness," Domnitz said, noting how New York State booksellers and ABA were successful in their e-fairness efforts in the state. "It means that [on June 1], Amazon.com will start collecting and remitting sales tax in New York State. That's a huge victory." Domnitz saluted the efforts of the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association and its executive director, Eileen Dengler, and president, Joe Drabyak, for their efforts in encouraging the state's independent booksellers to write their elected officials to urge approval of the Internet sales tax provision.

Domnitz also noted that the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression has been very active this year.

Addressing the association's finances, Domnitz said, "ABA is a healthy fiscal organization.... ABA is quite healthy." Referring to the weak national economy and its effect on the association's investment portfolio, he added: "We are wending our way through stormy seas very, very well." (The 2008 Membership Meeting slideshow, the handout given to members, and more are available at www.bookweb.org/about/govern.)

There were no items raised under Old Business, and under New Business, former ABA President Ann Christophersen praised outgoing president Russ Lawrence. "I just want to say you have been a terrific president." --David Grogan

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