2023 Membership Survey

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* 1. How many (full) years has your store/company been in business?

Less than 1 year

1-5 years

6-10 years

11-20 years

Over 20 years

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* 2. If you have a physical store, which of these would you use to describe your store’s size/format? (For multiple location companies, choose based on your largest location)

Pop Up or Mobile

Micro storefront ($100,000 or under in sales)

Small storefront ($100,001 – $500,000 in sales)

Medium storefront ($500,001 – $2,000,000 in sales)

Large storefront ($2,000,001 – $10,000,000 in sales)

Mega storefront (over $10M in sales at one or multiple locations combined)

None of the above

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* 3. What were your store sales for the full year of 2022? (Please include: total in-store and online book, sidelines/non-book, and Bookshop affiliate sales. Please exclude: cafe sales, bar sales, or Bookshop pool funds. An estimate is fine.)

$0 - $250,000

$250,001 - $500,000

$500,001 - $1,000,000

$1,000,001 - $2,000,000

$2,000,001 - $3,000,000

$3,000,001 - $4,000,000

$4,000,001 - $7,000,000

$7,000,001 - $10,000,000

$10,000,001+

Question Title

* 4. Which of the following ABA programs or services did your store participate in/benefit from during 2022? (Check all that apply)

Education (Virtual Winter Institute, Virtual Children’s Institute, in-person Children’s Institute in Phoenix, Fall Regionals “Decoding the P&L” session, Marketing Meetups, Tech Meetups, U.S. Book Show ABA education panels, Zoom webinars, SBA joint webinars)

Children’s Bookselling Support (ABC catalog, Children’s Institute in Phoenix, ABC Shop Talk, ABC Discord Group, participation in the General Motors STEM project)

Free Expression Advocacy (American Booksellers for Free Expression support hotline; support from Dave Grogan; felt supported by ABA’s coalition work and/or letters in support of the right to read to schools and libraries; Banned Books Week promotional and display materials; signed the Banned Books petition; used ABFE free expression resources on Bookweb; received freedom of expression legal assistance from ABA)

General Advocacy (signed legislation; submitted Amazon story; contacted Advocacy team for assistance; used advocacy resources on BookWeb; felt supported by ABA’s antitrust work, information about PPP, and ERC; SBA webinars; small business support)

Bookshop (affiliate page on Bookshop or recipient of Bookshop pool money)

Customer Content (Indie Next List print or e-newsletter, Kids’ Next List print or e-newsletter, Reading Group Guide print or e-newsletter, ABC Children’s Catalog)

Independent Bookstore Marketing Initiatives (Indie Bestsellers Lists, Indies First, Indies Introduce, Independent Bookstore Day)

Store Marketing Assets (October is the new December, Good books come to those who shop early, #BoxedOut, Shop Local, Valentine’s Day, Fall assets, Genre gift guide, Holiday & Observances Calendar for social media and marketing)

Access to Galley or Advance Copies of Books (Advance Access, Advance Access — Underrepresented Voices, NetGalley, Boxed Mailings)

Networking and Community (ShopTalks, ABC Discord Group, BookWeb Forums, ABA Open House, BIPOC Meetups & Forums, LGBTQIA2S+ Meetups & Forums, Disability Meetups, Neurodiverse Meetups, New Member sessions, Board Office Hours, Virtual Children’s Institute, Snow Days Virtual Institute, in-person Children’s Institute in Phoenix)

Bookselling this Week

Partnerships/Business Services (Constant Contact discount, Gravity credit card processing rates, W.G. Elderkamp discounts, property or liability insurance, Bonfire freebie, Crowdcast discount, PartnerShip shipping rates, LIG insurance access, free Publishers Weekly subscription, etc.)

Publicity/Promotion (assistance with op-eds, assistance with press releases, press referrals, indie press/publicity generated by ABA, Good Morning America feature, NYT feature, etc.)

Resources (“Welcome to Bookselling” resource for booksellers, New Member series (Intro to Benefits, Store Ownership 101), ABACUS, Book Buyer’s Handbook, Developing a Bookstore Plan)

Patterson bookseller bonuses

IndieCommerce, IndieLite

ABA Staff Support (BookWeb dashboard, Membership team support, access to staff for answers to questions, lease negotiation support, insurance claims support)

None of the above

I'm not sure

Question Title

* 5. Did ABA provide you with skills, education, technology, community, networking, and/or resources that helped your business in 2022? Please rate on a scale of 1-10 (10 being definitely yes, 5 being neutral, 1 being definitely no.) If you are unsure, please skip this question.

Yes

I'm not sure

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* 6. If you answered yes to question #5, how valuable were these skills, education, technology, community, networking, information, and/or resources to your business in 2022 on a scale of 1–10 (1 being not at all valuable, 10 being extremely valuable, 5 being neutral)? If you are “unsure,” please skip this question.

Clear

i We adjusted the number you entered based on the slider’s scale.

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* 7. Did you observe ways that ABA demonstrated a commitment to antiracism, equity, accessibility, and representation in its efforts and initiatives in 2022?

Often

Sometimes

Occasionally

Never

Unsure/didn't notice or track it

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* 8. If you are an IndieCommerce or IndieLite store, how valuable was ABA’s e-commerce platform to your business in 2022 on a scale of 1–10 (1 being not at all valuable, 10 being extremely valuable, 5 being neutral)? If you are not an IndieCommerce or IndieLite store or are “unsure,” please skip this question.

Clear

i We adjusted the number you entered based on the slider’s scale.

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* 9. If you rated any of the above questions below a 5, please share with us how ABA can improve in these areas.

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* 10. Did you find value in your ABA membership in 2022?

Yes

Unsure

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* 11. If you found value in your membership in 2022, what did you find to be most valuable?

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* 12. What could ABA have offered that would have made your membership more valuable in 2022?

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* 13. Anything else you would like us to know, positive or negative, about the support and value you received from ABA in 2022?

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* 14. Are you a bookstore owner?

Yes

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* 15. Please share your name, email address, and store name (optional)

Name

Company

Email Address