Under the theme Bookselling with Passion and Purpose this year’s conference program will include thematic streams on professional bookselling, bookshop communities, sales and marketing and broader industry issues.

Sessions topics include healthy workplaces, career bookselling, intergenerational staff, community engagement, return on investment, sales, and instore and online visual merchandising.  All-in-sessions will include the members’ forum on day one and the industry forum on day two.

Our special keynote speaker is Meryl Halls MD of the Booksellers Association UK and Ireland.  New to the role but not to the organisation, Halls will talk to the current revitalisation of the UK bookselling industry. The UK BA is helping to shape a progressive future for booksellers with a focus on diversity and inclusion, green initiatives, benchmarking and professional development.

Industry speakers will join guest authors including Eliot Perlman, Benjamin Law, Archie Roach, Sally Rugg, Diane Armstrong, Grantlee Kieza, Andrew Ramsey and Tyson Yunkaporta. Additional speaker announcements to come.

The industry’s leading trade exhibition will take place on Sunday 23 June and offer a broad and diverse range of publishers, gift and stationery suppliers and industry associated businesses.

We are proud to announce the next Between the Covers, Behind the Counter Children’s Bookselling and Publishing Seminar, which will take place on Tuesday 25 June. A full-day seminar jointly run by the Children’s Publishing Committee of the APA and the ABA rounds out three days of professional development and networking opportunities.

The ABA conference is a time to step away from the day to day business of selling books and connect with your industry, whether it be in sessions, at the trade exhibition, at lunch or over drinks. We trust you will be challenged, recharged and inspired to walk back in to your workplace with fresh passion and purpose.