News from the ABC Board
3-27-09
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Hello ABC Members,
I hope this note finds you well and enjoying winter's departure.
Last
week ABC booksellers--as the voting membership of ABC--received the
letter below by mail at their stores. It describes a recent decision
by the ABC Board to initiate a discussion with the ABA Board about the
possibility of a future merger of the two organizations.
This is
only a preliminary discussion, and it is one of many explorations we
are having regarding ABC's long-term future. As you will read below, we
are not initiating this because of any problems at ABC right now. It's
business as usual, and we are very happy with the work our current
Executive Director is doing for us.
Rather we are undertaking it as ABC's stewards with an eye to the future.
In
the interests of keeping the entire membership in the loop, we wanted
you to know about it. No action is required on your part, although if
you have questions or feedback, we encourage you to speak to any of the
ABC Board members.
At the bottom you will find some FAQ's that may answer some of your questions as well.
Many thanks, and best wishes for a great Spring!
Becky Anderson - President
The Association of Booksellers for Children (ABC)
Anderson's Bookshops-Naperville, IL
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Dear ABC Booksellers, March
26, 2009
ABC's Board recently met in Salt Lake City for its annual planning retreat to
assess current programs and future goals. We are writing to you, the voting
membership, to update you on a recent Board discussion that might have
consequences for ABC's future.
As the organization's stewards, it is
the Board's job to look at both the short-term and the long-term forecast for
ABC, with the goal of keeping ABC strong for many years to come. ABC has had great
successes in recent years, and at the moment the organization is healthy and
vibrant.
However, as you know, the
publishing industry is facing a period of unprecedented change. Even the best
and brightest among us are blind to what the future may hold in terms of
shifting consumer patterns, technological innovation, and publisher priorities.
We are grappling with this at all levels of the industry, and there are a wide
variety of strategies organizations are adopting, from consolidation, to re-structuring,
program cuts, staff cuts, technology innovations, and more.
Because ABC has always run very close
to the bone-with about 80% of annual revenue being funneled directly into
annual programming-it has never built a large reserve, staff, or capital assets.
It relies heavily on income from publishers to fund critical programs like the
catalog, educational workshops, and BEA programming.
Small shifts in industry economics
will almost certainly have a huge impact on ABC's ability to execute
programming without careful planning and pragmatic leadership. A trade
association that cannot afford to fund programs on behalf of its membership no
longer has a reason for existing.
As a Board we want to be
proactive at looking toward the future, rather than reactive. We don't want to
have a series of decisions forced upon the organization by the economy; we want
to make a series of choices that really reflect our best hopes for ABC's
long-term survival and the best interests of our membership.
We believe we have just
about reached the limit of how far we can grow with the current staff and
resources, and our lack of reserve means we have no margin for error. If we
want to expand our programming, fully support our members during this
challenging period, and make sure our hard work is reaching all the people who
might benefit from it, we may need a new approach.
After a thorough
discussion, we believe that one potentially viable way of securing ABC's future
would be to pool our resources with our sister association, the American
Booksellers Association (ABA). Possible options would include becoming a
division of ABA, a department of ABA, or another configuration that we
haven't determined yet. This would have the advantage of giving ABC the
resources of a larger organization while expanding the programming available to
all ABA members.
Although this is one of
many possibilities for ABC, the complexity of the idea requires extensive
research and discussion, and would require that the Boards of both
organizations be involved in exploring its implications.
Because of the time
required to adequately evaluate the idea and all the potential industry
uncertainty ABC faces in the next year, as a Board we felt we should initiate a
discussion with ABA in a timely manner. That way we could make some headway
before industry changes became overwhelming. Consequently, the issue was
brought to the ABA Board at Winter Institute, and they have responded
positively to the invitation.
In a follow-up e-mail ABA
Board President Gayle Shanks said:
"The
ABA Board is excited about exploring the possibilities of a collaboration
between ABC and ABA. We share the same passion for independent bookstores,
and in an economy that requires us to look at every option for the healthy
survival of our stores, exploration of this idea seems prudent and timely. Thanks
for your leadership in initiating this discussion."
It has been agreed that a
joint task force be created that includes members and staff of both
organizations. Its job will be to report back to both Boards after examining
the issues inherent in a possible merger scenario, and determining the
viability of the idea. If the idea is deemed viable, the task force will also
make some preliminary recommendations for possible structures, staffing
scenarios, and programming solutions.
After reviewing the task
force recommendations the ABC Board will report back to you, the members, on
the findings. At that point we should have a clearer idea of all of the options
available to secure ABC's future, and hopefully we will have a better idea of
what the long-term industry outlook will be.
We know that this idea
will provoke strong feelings for some of you. Those of you who have been ABC
members from the beginning (1984) know that ABC was founded specifically to address
the special concerns of children's booksellers at a time when ABA was unresponsive. However, much has
changed since then; the industry landscape has been totally transformed, and so
has ABA.
Currently 95% of ABC
members are ABA members, and as Gayle Shanks mentioned above, ultimately
we share the same core mission with the ABA: To support the viability of
independent bookselling, and to do whatever we can to make our members'
businesses thrive. As we explore potential alliances and solutions, we felt
this made ABA a natural place to begin.
As we look toward the
future our primary goal is securing ABC's identity and key programming, and we
are committed to sharing our expertise with any stores who need it regardless
of affiliation. Good information and resources will be key in this increasingly
challenging economic climate.
We are sure you have
questions. On the last page you will find answers to some of the most pressing
ones you may have right now. Your input is very important to this process. Please know that you will have plenty of
opportunity to offer feedback and concerns as we explore this option. Before we
convene the task force we will be conducting a survey to find out your impressions
and ideas.
A final thought: part of the
difficulty with change lies in not knowing what is on the other side. That can
be scary. However, in the words of Hermux Tantamoq, "Time stops for no mouse." We ask you to be open to all of the
possibilities for ABC's future so that we can best meet the challenge of making
sure ABC is here for its members for many years to come. We are working very hard in that regard.
Sincerely,
The
ABC Board of Directors
Anderson's Bookshops
Naperville, IL
Elizabeth Bluemle-Vice President
The Flying Pig Bookstore
Shelburne, VT
Valerie Koehler-Secretary
Blue Willow Bookshop
Houston, TX
Dara LaPorte-Treasurer
Politics & Prose
Washington, DC
Leslie Reiner-Bookseller at Large
Inkwood Books
Tampa, FL
Antonia Squire-Bookseller at Large
Kepler's Books & Magazines
Menlo Park, CA
Carol Stoltz -Bookseller at Large
Porter Square Books
Cambridge, MA
Melanie Chang - Publisher Advisor
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Judith Haut -Publisher Advisor
Random House
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Questions about a possible ABC/ABA Merger
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Is ABC in trouble?
No. ABC is doing just fine right now financially and programmatically. We are
having this discussion because the rate of change in the industry is moving
very fast, and the circumstances which underpin ABC's health could shift
quickly. As a Board it is our job to keep ABC healthy, and we do not want to be
in the position of having a series of decisions forced upon us by a lack of
cash flow or a sudden change in our funding scenario caused by store failures
and/or changes in publisher priorities. We prefer to take a leadership role in
securing ABC's future with a solution that reflects a best-case-scenario in the
face of industry uncertainty.
Is an ABC/ABA merger a foregone conclusion?
No. We are only convening a task force to evaluate the idea as a possibility
for securing ABC's future. Once the task force makes a recommendation, then the
Board will report back to the membership.
If it ever were to happen, what organizational form might an ABC/ABA merger
take?
There are many possibilities, and part of the task force's job will be to
examine this question and make a recommendation on a possible structure.
Obvious possibilities would be for ABC to become a division or a department of ABA.
However, there are other solutions that may rise to the surface and will be
duly reported back to the Boards. The goal in any outcome would be to maximize
programming for all members while streamlining resources and staffing for
long-term sustainability.
What's the timeline for the ABC/ABA Task Force?
Within the next month ABC will be surveying members about their thoughts and
ideas about a possible ABC/ABA merger, as well as what parts of the ABC
programming members find most valuable. Between now and BEA in May, we will be
gathering members of the task force, and the staff of both organizations will
be researching the issues that the task force will have to discuss. After BEA,
the task force will begin formal meetings with the goal of generating a report
for both Boards before January 2010. If you are interested in participating in
the process, please let us know.
Will my opinions be considered?
Yes, ABC members will have plenty of opportunity for input including: a
membership survey, regular updates via the ABC News, a Town Hall meeting to
discuss the idea at BEA, and a full Board report after the task force completes
its job. Along the way we encourage you to talk with ABC Board members, and to
e-mail questions to the ABC office. Ultimately it will be the voting
membership of ABC booksellers who will make the decision about ABC's future.
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