Winter Institute 2020 Program

Pick up your badge, the official Wi15 welcome bag from W.G. Ellerkamp, and a full schedule of Institute events from ABA’s membership team. Also on hand to greet you will be representatives from NAIBA, Binc and Arcadia Publishing.

Pre-registration required; $25 fee per person; space is limited. Up until December 13, this event is only open to registered Winter Institute booksellers. After December 13, if space allows, we will open registration to booksellers who are not attending Winter Institute. Registration is closed.

The bus will leave the Hilton Baltimore at 7:30 am. The symposium will begin in Washington D.C. at 10:00 am at The Rayburn House Office Building and will end at 12:00 pm. Coffee will be served and the cafeteria is available for lunch. The bus will depart Washington D.C. at 2:30 pm so you have time to attend any law-maker meetings you may have scheduled. Boarding begins 30 minutes prior to departure.

Over the past year, regulators and lawmakers have begun to investigate the business practices of Big Tech (Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google) to determine if any of these companies might be in violation of antitrust laws. On Tuesday, January 21, booksellers attending the Winter Institute will have the opportunity to be part of a special symposium in Washington, D.C., on growing monopoly power in the retailing and tech sector, with a focus on the extraordinary market dominance of Amazon. Among other speakers, the panel will feature:

• Matt Stoller, author of Goliath: The 100-Year War Between Monopoly Power and Democracy (Simon & Schuster)
• Maria Coppola, adjunct professor at George Mason University Law School, teaching European competition law
• Stacy Mitchell, co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance
• David Dayen, author of Monopolized: Life in the Age of Corporate Power (The New Press)

This year the book drive will support the Maryland Book Bank, a local nonprofit organization committed to getting free books into the hands of young people and cultivating literacy in children from under-resourced neighborhoods. For this book drive, the nonprofit is specifically seeking books featuring minority characters, popular elementary picture books and graphic novels, elementary and easy reading chapter books, and titles in Spanish and would prefer not to receive encyclopedia sets or textbooks older than 10 years. In general, the Maryland Book Bank accepts books of all reading levels and genres in good condition, so all donated books will find a good home.

There will be a box to collect books at the ABA Welcome Desk on Tuesday and at the Ask ABA desk on Wednesday and Thursday.

Please join us for a tour of the Penguin Random House fulfillment center in Westminster, Maryland. Round-trip transportation from the Hilton will be provided. The ride to Westminster is approximately one hour long, depending on traffic.

Sign up here for the half-day tours. Registration closes on Monday, December 2. Confirmation of your spot and further details will be sent via e-mail in January 2020. Space is limited.

Morning session: 8:00 a.m. departure, 2:00 p.m. return.

Please indicate this session as your first choice if:

• If you work with a Westminster-based rep, or
• If you are a first-timer at Winter Institute, or
• If you would like to learn more about supply chain

Afternoon session: Noon departure, 4:30 p.m. return. This session includes a tour only.

Please note: we cannot guarantee morning or afternoon until we see the full range of sign-ups. We encourage you to sign up for both and indicate first or second choice. Limit of two attendees per account.

Due to limited meeting space at Westminster, we are unable to provide a sit-down meal. Lights snacks will be provided on the round-trip bus ride.

Pre-registration required; $30 fee per person; space is limited. Registration is closed.

This bookstore tour for our international friends offers a chance to experience U.S. independent bookstores in and around the city of Baltimore. Join your international colleagues for a day of exploring and learning about the proud literary tradition in Baltimore, Maryland. The tour departs from the Hilton Hotel at 10:00 am on Tuesday, January 21, and will stop at The Ivy Bookshop, Atomic Books, Red Emma's Bookstore, The Children's Bookstore and Greedy Reads. Boarding begins 30 minutes prior to departure; the tour will return to the hotel by 3:25 pm. Lunch will not be provided but will be available for purchase. (Bookstore tours for U.S. booksellers are scheduled for Friday, January 24.

Please join us for a tour of the Penguin Random House fulfillment center in Westminster, Maryland. Round-trip transportation from the Hilton will be provided. The ride to Westminster is approximately one hour long, depending on traffic.

Sign up here for the half-day tours. Registration closes on Monday, December 2. Confirmation of your spot and further details will be sent via e-mail in January 2020. Space is limited.

Morning session: 8:00 a.m. departure, 2:00 p.m. return.

Please indicate this session as your first choice if:

• If you work with a Westminster-based rep, or
• If you are a first-timer at Winter Institute, or
• If you would like to learn more about supply chain

Afternoon session: Noon departure, 4:30 p.m. return. This session includes a tour only.

Please note: we cannot guarantee morning or afternoon until we see the full range of sign-ups. We encourage you to sign up for both and indicate first or second choice. Limit of two attendees per account.

Due to limited meeting space at Westminster, we are unable to provide a sit-down meal. Lights snacks will be provided on the round-trip bus ride.

If you lost an important resource when Baker and Taylor left the indie community, this is a session you will not want to miss. The panelists will review the benefits of ordering direct from publishers and tips for organizing your resulting paperwork. Also on the panel will be booksellers who have accounts with wholesalers who can discuss those vendors' services for small stores. Panelists: PK Sindwani, ABA (White Plains, NY), Todd Dickinson, Aaron's Books (Lititz, PA), Lane Jacobson, Paulina Springs Books (Sisters, OR), Stephen Sparks, Point Reyes Books (Point Reyes Station, CA)

The Independent Publishers Caucus is an advocacy group with a mission to foster a true and mutually beneficial sense of community among independent publishers, between publishers and booksellers, and with readers through a variety of initiatives and shared resources. This meeting is by invitation only to independent publishers and their staff. See the full schedule details here.

Every title on the bookstore shelf goes through a similar cycle: author, agent, editor, and publisher activities that include editing, jacket design, sales and marketing, and all the things involved in promoting bookstore sales. This session will feature industry professionals discussing each aspect of the life cycle of the book and will give attendees a larger perspective on their part in the process. Panelists: Bradley Graham, Politics and Prose Bookstore (Washington, DC), Kaitlin Harri, Senior Marketing Director, Morrow Group, HarperCollins Publishers (New York, NY), Laura Lippman, Author, HarperCollins Publishers (New York, NY), Vicky Bijur, Owner, Vicky Bijur Literary Agency, Liate Stehlik, President and Publisher, Morrow Group, HarperCollins Publishers (New York, NY), Mary Beth Thomas, VP, Deputy Director of Sales, HarperCollins Publishers (New York, NY), Tegan Tigani, Queen Anne Book Company (Seattle, WA)

Pre-registration required; space is limited. Registration is closed.

Discuss the art of selling used and rare books with fellow booksellers. Topics will include merchandising policies, inventory acquisition, events, displays, remainders, online sales, store layout, and more. Hear from veterans about the unique world of used books. Panelists: Shane Gottwals, Gottwals Books & The Walls of Books® Franchise (Byron, GA), Amy Thomas, Pegasus Books (Berkeley, CA)

First time at Winter Institute? Don’t panic! Join us before the Welcome Reception to get the scoop on Winter Institute and meet other attendees new to the event. Together, we will assist you in making the perfect game plan that ensures you get the most out of your Wi15 experience. If you requested a mentor, now is also the time to meet them so that you can connect throughout the conference.

Co-sponsored by Shelf Awareness, ABA’s 2020 Winter Institute Welcome Reception and Anniversary Celebration is your welcome to Baltimore and an opportunity to enjoy cocktails, snacks, and the company of your colleagues from around the world.

HarperCollins in partnership with Bookstore Romance Day invite booksellers to join Avon and Harlequin at a mix and mingle reception with authors, giveaways, swag, and more.

ABA invites Wi15 attendees to join in honoring and toasting outgoing ABA CEO Oren Teicher.

Pick up your badge, the official Wi15 welcome bag from W.G. Ellerkamp, and a full schedule of Institute events from ABA’s membership team.

New technologies and shifting consumer buying behaviors have reshaped the business landscape. In this Wi15 keynote event, Ryan Raffaelli (@RyanLRaffaelli), associate professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, will present his groundbreaking research on how longstanding industries can increase their odds of achieving sustained growth in the face of new business threats. Professor Raffaelli will also preview findings from his forthcoming academic paper on the renewed strength of the independent bookstore channel. Drawing on eight years of in-depth field observations of bookstores in 25 states, more than 200 interviews and focus groups, and analysis of extensive archival data, the study examines the decline and subsequent rise of the U.S. independent bookselling sector from 2005 to today. Professor Raffaelli will highlight “3Cs” of reinvention – community, curation, and convening – and offer broader insights for local businesses and communities responding to current significant threats from online and corporate retail competition.

The always-popular Galley Room is filled with ARCs of upcoming titles from Wi15 sponsors. A limited supply of book totes will be on hand. The PartnerShip/FedEx Shipping Desk will also be open to assist in shipping your galleys back to your bookstores.

The New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA) is pleased to host the Hospitality Suite at this year’s Winter Institute. Stop by for a chance to decompress, grab a beverage, and refuel before heading back out to join your peers. Open to booksellers from all regions.

The Quiet Room is intended to provide a quiet, calm space where attendees can spend time away from noise, light, and other stimuli of conference spaces. The quiet room is not available for conversations or meetings.

This meeting space will be open and available to booksellers throughout the course of the event. The agenda is yours! Enjoy a space set aside for one-on-one discussions or larger group conversations. A number of flip-charts will be available for use.

Rebecca Solnit, the author of more than 20 critically acclaimed books, has long been championed by independent booksellers. In this Wi15 keynote event — “A (Feminist) Field Guide to Nonexistence” — she will talk about her formation as a feminist and a writer in the face of a misogynistic American society, how she discovered her voice as a woman and an author, and what it means to speak out in a society that prefers women to be silent. Rebecca Solnit is the author of A Field Guide to Getting Lost, The Faraway Nearby, A Paradise Built in Hell, River of Shadows, and Wanderlust: A History of Walking. She is also the author of Men Explain Things to Me and many essays on feminism, activism and social change, hope, and the climate crisis. 2003 book, River of Shadows, won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Lannan Literary Award; her 2013 book, The Faraway Nearby, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, and her most recent collection of essays, Call Them By Their True Names, was longlisted for the National Book Award and the Kirkus Prize. Her forthcoming book, Recollections of My Nonexistence, will be published by Viking in March 2020.

Wi15 lead sponsor Ingram hosts an open reception to close day one of the Institute. Join your colleagues for drinks and nibbles.

Come toast Scholastic’s 100th Anniversary with great authors, galley giveaways, champagne, dessert, and more! Featured authors include: Pam Muñoz Ryan, Deborah Wiles, Sharon Cameron, and Jenny Downham!

Pick up your badge, the official Wi15 welcome bag from W.G. Ellerkamp, and a full schedule of Institute events from ABA’s membership team.

Join bestselling novelist, memoirist, and short story writer Jennifer Finney Boylan as she explores the radical act of telling stories and the powerful role narrative plays as a catalyst for social change. Professor Jennifer Finney Boylan, author of fifteen books, is the inaugural Anna Quindlen Writer in Residence at Barnard College of Columbia University. Her column appears on the op-ed page of The New York Times on alternate Wednesdays. She serves on the Board of Trustees of PEN America. From 2011 to 2018 she served on the Board of Directors of GLAAD and also provided counsel for the TV series Transparent and I Am Cait. Her 2003 memoir, She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders was the first bestselling work by a transgender American. A novelist, memoirist, and short story writer, she is also a nationally known advocate for human rights. She lives in New York City, and in Belgrade Lakes, Maine, with her wife, Deedie. They have a son, Sean and a daughter, Zai. Good Boy will be published by Celadon Books in April 2020.

The always-popular Galley Room is filled with ARCs of upcoming titles from Wi15 sponsors. A limited supply of book totes will be on hand. The PartnerShip/FedEx Shipping Desk will also be open to assist in shipping your galleys back to your bookstores.

For attending Wi15 authors: Join your fellow authors on a tour of three Baltimore independent bookstores. Publishers can register authors online through the ABA Publisher Dashboard. There is a $30 fee per person. The tour will depart from the Hilton Hotel at 9:20 am on Thursday, January 23, and will stop at Greedy Reads, The Ivy Bookshop, and Red Emma’s Bookstore. Boarding begins 30 minutes prior to departure; the tour will return to the hotel by 12:15 pm. (Bookstore tours for U.S. booksellers are scheduled for Friday, January 24.)

Indies Introduce is about what independent booksellers do best: Discovering exciting debut authors and sharing the best with readers across the country. You will hear about the title selection process from the bookseller panelists who curated the Winter/Spring 2020 Indies Introduce list, which, according to Destenie Fafard of Cellar Door Books (Riverside, CA), provides panelists with “the privilege of reading debut authors’ work and giving a spotlight to those who perhaps wouldn’t be seen without our platform.” Many of the Winter/Spring 2020 Indies Introduce debut authors will be present to read a short passage and answer a question posed by one of the panelists. Authors will be available to sign copies of their debut books following the presentation.

Developed for author guests at Winter Institute, this lunch panel features booksellers who have formulated best practices for creating events that benefits both store and author. This session will cover a number of issues, from author publicity to dealing with pre-event nerves. Panelists: Nina Barrett, Bookends & Beginnings (Evanston, IL), Linda Kass, Gramercy Books (Bexley, OH), Susan Hans O'Connor, Penguin Bookshop (Sewickley, PA), Joan Trygg, Red Balloon Bookshop (St. Paul, MN), Alex George, Skylark Bookshop (Columbia, MO)

The Town Hall is an opportunity for open discussion about industry and association issues. ABA Board Jamie Fiocco (Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill, NC) and Vice President Bradley Graham (Politics and Prose Bookstore in Washington, D.C.) will facilitate the meeting. The full ABA Board will respond to questions and comments from all booksellers; booksellers who would like to send questions in advance can e-mail [email protected].

Thanks to the generosity of ABA’s publisher sponsors, dozens of authors and illustrators will be on hand to chat with booksellers and autograph new and forthcoming titles at the Author Reception. Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be served.

Pick up your badge, the official Wi15 welcome bag from W.G. Ellerkamp, and a full schedule of Institute events from ABA’s membership team.

The always-popular Galley Room is filled with ARCs of upcoming titles from Wi15 sponsors. A limited supply of book totes will be on hand. The PartnerShip/FedEx Shipping Desk will also be open to assist in shipping your galleys back to your bookstores.

Enjoy breakfast while hearing about great upcoming titles from more of Winter Institute’s publisher sponsors. Seating is unassigned for this breakfast.

Immediately following their breakfast presentations, reps from participating publisher sponsors will be available to meet with interested booksellers for further discussion.

In the 1960s and 1970s, scores of Black bookstores opened in the U.S. Founded by activist entrepreneurs, these indie stores served as a refuge and intellectual center for communities in search of books by and about Black people. This Wi15 keynote event will be a wide-open conversation about the history and vital position of Black bookstores in our communities and in our industry with pioneers of Black bookselling and publishing, moderated by Professor Joshua Clark Davis, author of From Head Shops to Whole Foods: The Rise and Fall of Activist Entrepreneurs (Columbia University Press). Speakers include: W. Paul Coates, Black Classic Press (Baltimore, MD); Shirikiana Aina Gerima, Sankofa Video Books and Cafe (Washington, D.C.); Judy Richardson, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (Atlanta, GA); Nati Kamau-Nataki, Everyone's Place (Baltimore, MD).

Enjoy lunch and meet an additional lineup of authors and illustrators from Winter Institute’s sponsors, who will be on hand to chat with booksellers and autograph their new and forthcoming titles.

Pre-registration required; $30 fee per person; space is limited. Registration is closed.

The Baltimore-area Bookstore Tour departs from the Hilton Hotel at 2:00 pm on Friday, January 24, and will stop at Atomic Books, Red Emma's Bookstore, and Black Classic Press. Boarding begins 30 minutes prior to departure; the tour will return to the hotel by 4:45 pm.

Sponsored by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Celebrate the end of another successful Winter Institute and Baltimore legend John Waters with this very special movie screening of the 1988 classic Hairspray. Refreshments will be served.