Held virtually this year, the ABA convened its annual meeting of members, during which president Jamie Fiocco read a statement from the board, saying, “ABA should not be a come-to-us organization. We should make it attractive and viable for members of Black, indigenous, and people of color communities to become booksellers and owners.” Next steps include diversifying the board and examining the organization’s policies.
Earlier this year, at ABA’s Winter Institute, a conversation was held with American Dirt author Jeanine Cummins, whose novel was an Indie Next pick. (Indie Next books are nominated and chosen by ABA members.) ABA CEO Allison Hill acknowledged that as a low point: “We heard from booksellers of color who felt unheard and unsupported in the discussions around American Dirt. And I bring it up today because that’s what we do to move forward.” Later, bookseller Cristina Rodriguez said she encountered racist remarks in a number of forums and venues at Winter Institute and that she did not feel safe as a member of ABA. She also questioned what ABA would do to hold bookstores accountable for supporting racist rhetoric, referring in part to Tattered Cover’s response to George Floyd’s death. Learn more about the meeting at Publishers Weekly.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
