Home 5 News 5 American Booksellers Association: The future is indie

American Booksellers Association: The future is indie

by | Jun 1, 2023 | News

“The future is indie,” American Booksellers Association (ABA) CEO Alison Hill told the body’s AGM.  She was commenting on the 34% increase in ABA membership in the past three years, as well as 173 stores opening in 2022.  She continued:  “The ABA wants to not only support you in that future, but help make it possible. In a time when too many individuals are focused on taking books out of readers’ hands, your work putting books in people’s hands is more important than ever.”

In her annual report, she called 2022 “a year of incredible growth for the indie channel” and said that the ABA was “honoured to play a role in supporting and championing your stores. Independent bookstores continued to demonstrate remarkable resilience, adaptability, creativity, and passion. Most of you experienced sales above pre-pandemic levels and many of you grew–expanding, adding second locations, growing and evolving from a pop-up or mobile store to a bricks-and-mortar store, or vice versa. The indies rocked it in 2022.”

The ABA’s 34% increase in membership translates into 2,185 bookstore companies with 2,599 bookstore locations.  Since the pandemic started, 475 new stores have opened, 140 of them BIPOC-owned (black, indigenous or people of colour).  In 2022, 173 member stores opened and 53 closed. In 2023, some 56 stores have already opened, while 198 are set to open in the next year or two.

Recent News

16Jun
Beijing Book Fair 2025: Tech and Books Unite

Beijing Book Fair 2025: Tech and Books Unite

The 31st Beijing International Book Fair this month goes heavily into conferences and academic publishing. Asia’s biggest trade event has enjoyed double-digit growth in exhibitor numbers, with AI and STM topics high on the agenda at Beijing. The 31st Beijing International Book Fair, themed “Promoting Civilizational Inheritance and Development, Advancing Exchange and Mutual Learning for […]

12Jun
The UK launches annual awards for audio content

The UK launches annual awards for audio content

Two of the UK’s leading cultural publications – The Bookseller and The Stage – have announced the launch of The British Audio Awards aka The Speakies, a brand-new annual event celebrating outstanding achievement in audiobooks and audio drama.   The British Audio Awards will shine a spotlight on ‘the most innovative, moving, and masterfully produced […]

11Jun
Lords Defend Artists in AI Clash

Lords Defend Artists in AI Clash

In the UK, the House of Lords has dealt a fourth defeat to the government over its plans to allow tech companies to use copyrighted material to train their models. The Lords, who are looking for more protections for artists from AI, rejected the latest amendment to the Data (Use and Access) Bill. The BBC […]

Related Posts

The UK launches annual awards for audio content

The UK launches annual awards for audio content

Two of the UK’s leading cultural publications – The Bookseller and The Stage – have announced the launch of The British Audio Awards aka The Speakies, a brand-new annual event celebrating outstanding achievement in audiobooks and audio drama.   The British Audio...

Lords Defend Artists in AI Clash

Lords Defend Artists in AI Clash

In the UK, the House of Lords has dealt a fourth defeat to the government over its plans to allow tech companies to use copyrighted material to train their models. The Lords, who are looking for more protections for artists from AI, rejected the latest amendment to...

THE LOOK by Michelle Obama Coming in November

THE LOOK by Michelle Obama Coming in November

Crown Publishing Group has announced the upcoming release of THE LOOK, a new book by former First Lady Michelle Obama, set to hit shelves on November 4, 2025.   The book will be available in hardcover and eBook editions from Crown, with an audiobook version, narrated...

Previous Next
Close
Test Caption
Test Description goes like this