2026 Fall Show Education Day
Tuesday, September 29
Sponsored by Penguin Random House
9:45 - 10:30 am
Multnomah Room
Building a Bookstore Budget
Budgeting for your bookstore doesn’t have to be scary or intimidating! A budget with a sales forecast is a critical map for business, and knowing your numbers keeps you on track. This session – designed for both new and established stores – will explore how a well-structured budget for your bookstore can help you meet your business goals and ensure a sustainable business. We’ll explore the fundamentals of a bookstore budget and how ABACUS can help you plan and build targets. You’ll leave ready to use ABA’s Budgeting & Monitoring Workbook in your store!
Presenter:
Emma Shah, American Booksellers Association
Building a Bookstore Budget
Budgeting for your bookstore doesn’t have to be scary or intimidating! A budget with a sales forecast is a critical map for business, and knowing your numbers keeps you on track. This session – designed for both new and established stores – will explore how a well-structured budget for your bookstore can help you meet your business goals and ensure a sustainable business. We’ll explore the fundamentals of a bookstore budget and how ABACUS can help you plan and build targets. You’ll leave ready to use ABA’s Budgeting & Monitoring Workbook in your store!
Presenter:
Emma Shah, American Booksellers Association
Clackamas Room
Book Mail: How to get it and why you should
Are you a bookseller longing for a physical ARC for a book you saw on Edelweiss? Have you wondered about what IndiesNext, Kids Indies Next, and Indies Introduce actually are and how they work? Do you see ARCs or social media posts with bookseller quotes on them and wish it were your name there too? In this panel, we'll explore some of the ways that booksellers at any stage of their career can build connections with publishers and other booksellers to diversify national lists, support authors, and create a more robust and engaging bookselling experience (with mail).
Presenters:
Meg Olsen, Kingfisher Bookstore
Ronnie Kutys, Associate Director, Adult National Acct & Retail Marketing, HarperCollins
Rafe Posey, Bookstore Manager, Third Place Books Ravenna
Jenn Foley, Member Relations Manager, American Booksellers Association
Book Mail: How to get it and why you should
Are you a bookseller longing for a physical ARC for a book you saw on Edelweiss? Have you wondered about what IndiesNext, Kids Indies Next, and Indies Introduce actually are and how they work? Do you see ARCs or social media posts with bookseller quotes on them and wish it were your name there too? In this panel, we'll explore some of the ways that booksellers at any stage of their career can build connections with publishers and other booksellers to diversify national lists, support authors, and create a more robust and engaging bookselling experience (with mail).
Presenters:
Meg Olsen, Kingfisher Bookstore
Ronnie Kutys, Associate Director, Adult National Acct & Retail Marketing, HarperCollins
Rafe Posey, Bookstore Manager, Third Place Books Ravenna
Jenn Foley, Member Relations Manager, American Booksellers Association
Timberline Room
Back Pain, Burnout, and Bookselling
As we all know, bookselling is not all fun and games. From work related injuries to mental health concerns, our jobs can be hard on our bodies and our minds. This session will focus on personal, business, and financial implications of health concerns, as well as resources available to bookstore owners and managers. We also will delve into ways to help reduce risk of work related injuries, management of basic overuse injuries, and discuss mental health and burnout as it relates to the book industry. Come ready to share and discuss concerns (please note, no specific medical advice will be given).
Presenter:
Jocele Skinner, MD, owner Shared Stories, Caldwell, ID
Back Pain, Burnout, and Bookselling
As we all know, bookselling is not all fun and games. From work related injuries to mental health concerns, our jobs can be hard on our bodies and our minds. This session will focus on personal, business, and financial implications of health concerns, as well as resources available to bookstore owners and managers. We also will delve into ways to help reduce risk of work related injuries, management of basic overuse injuries, and discuss mental health and burnout as it relates to the book industry. Come ready to share and discuss concerns (please note, no specific medical advice will be given).
Presenter:
Jocele Skinner, MD, owner Shared Stories, Caldwell, ID
10:45 - 11:30 am
Multnomah Room
YA: Where We Were, Where We Are, and Where We Are Going
As the home of some of the biggest YA titles, like Hunger Games and Heartstopper, Scholastic knows that Indie booksellers are struggling to connect with their YA readers. This panel will take a look at where we are, the challenges we are facing to get the attention of these young readers with so much on their plate, and how we can hold hands to work together to reach kids in these important stages of life. Please come prepared to brainstorm with us and grab those brag books! We'd love to see photos of your YA sections and hear about successful events for teens that you've hosted. Did we mention the YA book swap? Bring a copy of your favorite YA to handsell in the store, share it with your colleagues, and discover something new for yourself!
Presenters:
Lisa Sandell, Editorial Director, Scholastic
Anne Broyles, author of Words Spoken True
Lamar Gules, author of Say Less
Teri Dederer, author of Feast of Hearts
YA: Where We Were, Where We Are, and Where We Are Going
As the home of some of the biggest YA titles, like Hunger Games and Heartstopper, Scholastic knows that Indie booksellers are struggling to connect with their YA readers. This panel will take a look at where we are, the challenges we are facing to get the attention of these young readers with so much on their plate, and how we can hold hands to work together to reach kids in these important stages of life. Please come prepared to brainstorm with us and grab those brag books! We'd love to see photos of your YA sections and hear about successful events for teens that you've hosted. Did we mention the YA book swap? Bring a copy of your favorite YA to handsell in the store, share it with your colleagues, and discover something new for yourself!
Presenters:
Lisa Sandell, Editorial Director, Scholastic
Anne Broyles, author of Words Spoken True
Lamar Gules, author of Say Less
Teri Dederer, author of Feast of Hearts
Clackamas Room
Beyond the 12: Nominees We Also Loved
The PNBA Awards Committee spends months reviewing hundreds of nominated titles before (so very painfully) narrowing it down to just 12 finalists and later (cue wailing, gnashing of teeth, narrowly avoided duels, etc) the six winners. Come hear about some of the other nominees that we loved passionately and get the inside scoop about serving on the committee.
Presenters:
Bookseller Members of the PNBA Book Awards Committee
Beyond the 12: Nominees We Also Loved
The PNBA Awards Committee spends months reviewing hundreds of nominated titles before (so very painfully) narrowing it down to just 12 finalists and later (cue wailing, gnashing of teeth, narrowly avoided duels, etc) the six winners. Come hear about some of the other nominees that we loved passionately and get the inside scoop about serving on the committee.
Presenters:
Bookseller Members of the PNBA Book Awards Committee
Timberline Room
Scrappy Events for Small Bookstores
Hosting events for new or smaller bookstores can be intimidating and it is especially challenging to bring in an audience. We'll be discussing how building relationships with your local authors can lead to unconventional events, old-fashioned word-of-mouth publicity, preorders, and a more robust social media following for both your store and for local authors. We'll cover a variety of ways to think about and host events - from book launches with an author's family and friends, to regular story times with picture book authors/illustrators, to book clubs with perspectives from both booksellers and authors.
Presenters:
Becky Merillat
Elaine Cho,
Lucy Tan
Scrappy Events for Small Bookstores
Hosting events for new or smaller bookstores can be intimidating and it is especially challenging to bring in an audience. We'll be discussing how building relationships with your local authors can lead to unconventional events, old-fashioned word-of-mouth publicity, preorders, and a more robust social media following for both your store and for local authors. We'll cover a variety of ways to think about and host events - from book launches with an author's family and friends, to regular story times with picture book authors/illustrators, to book clubs with perspectives from both booksellers and authors.
Presenters:
Becky Merillat
Elaine Cho,
Lucy Tan
11:45 - 12:30 pm
Multnomah Room
Sound Investment with Libro.fm
Independent bookstores operate on famously thin margins, where rising operational costs and fixed retail realities require creative, diversified revenue streams to survive and thrive. Join the Lee Hooyboer, senior manager of bookseller partnerships at Libro.fm, for an actionable, toolkit-focused session dedicated to transforming your Libro.fm sales into a sustainable, low-effort, high-efficiency revenue stream for your store. We'll explore field-tested strategies from stores that have successfully increased their Libro.fm revenue through creative in-store presence, author event tie-ins, and strategic promotional campaigns. Then we'll pull back the curtain on what's coming next, including ebooks and new features designed to enhance customer engagement both in-store and online. Whether you want to streamline your staff's handselling workflow or expand your digital offerings, this session provides the concrete tools and inspiration you need to boost your bottom line.
Presenters:
Lee Hooyboer, senior manager of bookseller partnerships at Libro.fm
Sound Investment with Libro.fm
Independent bookstores operate on famously thin margins, where rising operational costs and fixed retail realities require creative, diversified revenue streams to survive and thrive. Join the Lee Hooyboer, senior manager of bookseller partnerships at Libro.fm, for an actionable, toolkit-focused session dedicated to transforming your Libro.fm sales into a sustainable, low-effort, high-efficiency revenue stream for your store. We'll explore field-tested strategies from stores that have successfully increased their Libro.fm revenue through creative in-store presence, author event tie-ins, and strategic promotional campaigns. Then we'll pull back the curtain on what's coming next, including ebooks and new features designed to enhance customer engagement both in-store and online. Whether you want to streamline your staff's handselling workflow or expand your digital offerings, this session provides the concrete tools and inspiration you need to boost your bottom line.
Presenters:
Lee Hooyboer, senior manager of bookseller partnerships at Libro.fm
Clackamas Room
Zines! How to Make 'em & Stock 'em
I'll talk a bit about what inspired the session, the history of zines, and highlight our spring 2026 title Zine Making & Bookbinding. I'll introduce the panelists and ask a few questions centering zines, their zine sections, customer response, logistics, etc. I'll then wrap the panel and possibly take audience questions before introducing Sara Peté to let her take over for a quick zine-folding instructional for participants (panelists can leave at this point if they'd like).
Presenters:
Hosted by Stacy Wayne Durham, Chronicle Books
Andrea Swanson from Auntie's Bookstore
Sweet Pea from King's Books
Gene Cook from Spoke & Word Books
Sara Peté from Washington Center for the Book
Zines! How to Make 'em & Stock 'em
I'll talk a bit about what inspired the session, the history of zines, and highlight our spring 2026 title Zine Making & Bookbinding. I'll introduce the panelists and ask a few questions centering zines, their zine sections, customer response, logistics, etc. I'll then wrap the panel and possibly take audience questions before introducing Sara Peté to let her take over for a quick zine-folding instructional for participants (panelists can leave at this point if they'd like).
Presenters:
Hosted by Stacy Wayne Durham, Chronicle Books
Andrea Swanson from Auntie's Bookstore
Sweet Pea from King's Books
Gene Cook from Spoke & Word Books
Sara Peté from Washington Center for the Book
Timberline Room
Strange Bedfellows: Unlikely Partnerships That Strengthen Your Store
Some of the best partnerships don't look like partnerships at all — until they work. In this session, booksellers and a librarian pull back the curtain on the collaborations that have expanded their communities in unexpected ways, from creative event pairings to civic and financial alliances.
Together, the panelists will cover:
• Event-based community partnerships — creative collaborations with businesses outside the book world
• Civic and financial partnerships — working with local government and funding sources
• Cross-sector partnerships — connecting bookstores, schools, and libraries
Attendees will leave with concrete ideas — and maybe a few unconventional ones — for building partnerships that make their stores indispensable to their communities.
Presenters:
Cynthia Frank, Cypress House
Katherine Morgan, Grand Gesture Books
Alyse Wecker, Maggie Mae's Bookshop
GeneCook, Spoke and Word Books
Lorie Lieberman, teacher/libraria
Strange Bedfellows: Unlikely Partnerships That Strengthen Your Store
Some of the best partnerships don't look like partnerships at all — until they work. In this session, booksellers and a librarian pull back the curtain on the collaborations that have expanded their communities in unexpected ways, from creative event pairings to civic and financial alliances.
Together, the panelists will cover:
• Event-based community partnerships — creative collaborations with businesses outside the book world
• Civic and financial partnerships — working with local government and funding sources
• Cross-sector partnerships — connecting bookstores, schools, and libraries
Attendees will leave with concrete ideas — and maybe a few unconventional ones — for building partnerships that make their stores indispensable to their communities.
Presenters:
Cynthia Frank, Cypress House
Katherine Morgan, Grand Gesture Books
Alyse Wecker, Maggie Mae's Bookshop
GeneCook, Spoke and Word Books
Lorie Lieberman, teacher/libraria