The independent bookselling community has been counted out more than once over the last three decades as the arrival of superstores, online retailing, and e-books have each led to predictions that most independently -owned bookstores would become largely extinct.
But in 2010, the American Booksellers Association saw its first increase in membership in many years, and by 2013 the sector had recovered enough that independent bookstores are once again seen as critical to the success of the book industry. For their role in leading the resurgence of independent bookselling, ABA CEO Oren Teicher and the ABA board have been chosen as PW’s Person of the Year.
An interview with Teicher and ABA board president Steve Bercu appears in the December 2 issue of PW along with names of our five notable selections.
