New Program Aims to Help Independent Booksellers Compete With Chains

Atlanta, Ga, USA (SANEPR.com) July 21, 2008 -- The IndieBound outreach liaison for the American Booksellers Association will be in Atlanta on Aug. 1 to brief independent booksellers on a new ABA program designed to help them compete.

Paige Poe will speak from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at the Great American Bargain Book Show at the Cobb Galleria Centre.

Booksellers who wish to attend must register at the Great American Bargain Book Show Web site, www.gabbs.net.

The ABA officially launched the IndieBound program at BookExpo America in Los Angeles in May. It is designed to help not only booksellers but all independent merchants at a time when competing with large chains has become increasingly difficult.

IndieBound is designed to bring together booksellers, readers, indie retailers, local business alliances and others who believe that healthy local economies help communities thrive.

Following a year of study and planning, the ABA designed a program to tap into a growing national movement, creating new and interesting ways for independent booksellers and other independent businesses to better communicate their core strengths - independence, passion, community - to their customers.

"America has clearly reached a tipping point - people are choosing Main Street over malls,” said Poe of the upcoming workshop. “Nationwide, people are renewing their ties to friends, neighbors, and institutions in their cities and towns. Through IndieBound, we believe booksellers and other indie retailers are at the forefront of a movement that is already being embraced by shoppers."

According to Larry May of L.B. May and Associates of Knoxville, Tenn., the book show organizer, “GABBS is a great opportunity for small independent bookstore owners to acquire inventory at exceptionally low cost."

About GABBS: The Great American Bargain Book Show is one of the three largest bargain book shows in the United States, staged annually in time for retailers to buy inexpensive stock for marketing during the winter holiday season. The show is organized by L.B. May & Associates of Knoxville, Tenn. Further information at www.GABBS.net

About American Booksellers Association: Founded in 1900, the American Booksellers Association is a not-for-profit trade organization devoted to meeting the needs of its core members - independently owned bookstores with storefront locations - through education, information dissemination, business products and services and advocacy. The association actively supports free speech, literacy and programs that support local and independent retail shops.
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Contacts:
Noel Griese
Anvil Publishers, Inc.
Atlanta, Ga
770-938-0289
ngriese@anvilpub.com
http://www.GABBS.net