2023 Basic Bookselling Course
The course begins Monday, March 13th
Online
Event Details
The Spring 2023 course in Basic Bookselling starts on Monday, March 13 at 7 pm ET/ 6 pm CT/ 4 pm PT.
The course has 10 classes and will run through May 15, 2023.
Registration opens February 6th at 1 pm ET / 12 pm CT / 10 am PT
Information about the course is on our website: please review this before you register.
PLEASE NOTE: Before you register you must join PBS as a member. Membership is free, and joining ensures you receive our newsletter with important updates and deadlines about the school and our courses. Your record after you join is called your "Member Compass" and you can visit and revise information there at any time.
As a requirement of the course, students must be owners or employees of stores that are members in good standing of the ABA and/or their Regional Trade Association.
Registration is $125. Students whose stores are current members of NAIBA, MPIBA, and CALIBA are eligible for discounts (please contact your association headquarters for the discount code before you register, as discounts can't be applied after registration is finalized).
Registration is limited to 60 students, with no more than two employees from each store. 48 seats are open for first come/first registered, while 12 seats are reserved for students who fall under our Diversity/Equity/Inclusion policy. There are required questions about diversity status when you register.
Students may elect to take the course to earn certification from the Professional Booksellers School, or they may elect to audit the course. All students who attend the required number of classes and who satisfactorily complete all homework will be certified.
For More Information:
How the Course Works
This course is designed for people with less than a year's bookselling experience, and for new bookstore owners. They'll learn about the book industry and how bookstores operate, as well as specific skills like handselling, customer engagement, writing shelf talkers, and creating displays that sell books. Our ideal student wants to learn about building a career in bookselling. The course is only for people who work in bookstores, whether brick-and-mortar, mobile, or pop-up.
The course meets online via Zoom on Monday nights at 7 pm ET / 6 pm CT / 4 pm PT. Each class is approximately one hour. The classes are live, and participation is required.
Students will be assigned weekly homework, and create a final project they'll present live in small groups. The course uses Discord as our platform for information, chat, and homework. Discord is free to join, and an invitation will be emailed to students after registrations. Students also receive a twice-weekly newsletters with information about the class.
Each class covers a different topic and can include guest speakers from the industry. Classes also include some small groups and other interactive elements.