Wi2025 Itinerary: Winter Institute 2025

Dear Booksellers,

When the American Booksellers Association announced its first-ever Winter Institute back in 2006, then-CEO Avin Domnitz said that attracting 150 booksellers would be a significant achievement. Instead, more than double that number of booksellers from all corners of the country arrived in Long Beach, California. One bookseller summed up the inaugural event with delightful brevity: “In a word, it was awesome.” That same energy has fueled Winter Institute’s success for two decades, turning it into the largest gathering of bookselling professionals in the US. Today, it draws over 900 booksellers, plus hundreds of authors, publishers, international colleagues, and industry partners who share the same deep love for this curious, chaotic, wonderful world of books.

This month, joining a thousand booksellers in Denver feels a bit like a homecoming for me. The summer before heading off to college, I got my first bookstore job at a little used bookstore tucked in a strip mall in the Denver suburbs. At the time, The Corner Book Store boasted the metro area’s largest collection of serial romance novels, the sales of which funded my under-the-table salary and the takeout Thai food runs I made for the owner twice a week. I spent the summer inventorying the collection, scanning shelves upon shelves of mass markets with unapologetically Fabio-laden covers along with dusty collections of poetry and dated military history.

While I was learning the difference between a UPC and an ISBN barcode, the seed of an idea was taking root for what would become the first Winter Institute. Over the past 20 years, Winter Institute has helped professionalize our industry, giving passionate folks like me the tools and community to build sustainable, rewarding careers. And now, it’s my deepest honor to welcome you home, here in Denver, as we set the stage for the next two decades of bookselling. Let’s dream big, innovate boldly, and — most importantly — celebrate the power of bookstores to shape our world.

Saturday, February 22
As our country enters the second term of a tumultuous administration — one where free speech, access to information, and community rights face unprecedented challenges, and federal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives are being dismantled — I am especially grateful for this bookselling community. Together, we remain steadfast in championing free expression, equity, and access.

In that spirit, this year’s Winter Institute is the perfect occasion to debut IGNITE: BIPOC Bookseller Pre-Con. Initially proposed by David Landry of CLASS Bookstore and developed with input from the ABA’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council (DEIC), the Booksellers Advisory Council (BAC), ABA staff, and other Black, Indigenous, AAPI, Latino/a/x, Hispanic, and Chicano/a/x booksellers from around the country, this half-day event provides spaces for BIPOC booksellers to connect with BIPOC authors and editors, build community, and engage in educational programming informed by a survey of attendees. IGNITE is a free program open to all Wi2025 attendees who identify as BIPOC, though pre-registration is required.

While IGNITE takes place before the main conference, we’ve also carved out time for Affinity Group Meetups throughout the event, with daily scheduled gatherings for the Black Community, BIPOC Community, Disability Community, LGBTQIA2S+ Community, and Neurodiverse Community, along with two pop-up rooms available all day for impromptu meetups: one for Community Affinity Groups and one specifically for BIPOC attendees.

Our Resources & Accessibility Guide is available on the Wi2025 website to help you navigate the event, offering everything from conference accessibility information to links to Black-owned, BIPOC-owned, and LGBTQIA2S+-owned businesses in the area. If you’ve got burning questions, the Frequently Asked Questions page is your go-to resource for answers, while the First-Timers Checklist provides a handy guide to navigating the Institute.

And don’t forget to download the Wi2025 app! It’s your all-in-one tool to easily personalize your schedule, view slide decks and session handouts, and connect with vendors and other attendees. The app also contains links to quick surveys for each session, so please take a few moments at the end of each session to fill them out. These surveys are absolutely critical for shaping future programming, and the ABA staff (namely, yours truly) reads every single response to ensure we’re delivering the best possible experience for you.

Sunday, February 23
Our first full conference day offers a wealth of programming to dive into. Highlights include Bookstore Tours of the Denver metro area, Publisher One-on-One Appointments, and long-form workshops on financial management, opening a bookstore, IndieCommerce 2.0, and Edelweiss.

After a day packed with inspiration and strategy, new and new-ish attendees can connect with Institute veterans at the Buddy Meet and Greet before catching a bus to the historic Fillmore Auditorium for our Opening Reception (make sure you bring your ID if you plan to visit the bar). This year, we’re celebrating three major milestones: Bookshop.org’s 5th anniversary, Winter Institute’s 20th anniversary, and the ABA’s 125th year of supporting independent bookselling.

Back at the hotel, we’ll host a special Community Affinity Groups Reception for members of the Black, BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, Neurodiverse, and Disability bookselling communities. Attendees can connect with those who share their lived experiences before joining breakout meetups for deeper conversations. For an alternative to the hotel bar (which will surely be hopping!), all booksellers are welcome to join us for Craft & Conversation, where we’ll pair creative activities with meaningful discussion.

After breakfast, the ever-popular Galley Room, Meet the Presses, and Vendor Showcase will open, running throughout the conference. This year, we’ve added longer 30-minute passing periods between sessions to give you more time to network, debrief, and exchange ideas. Impromptu meetups can happen anywhere, but the Bookseller Lounge is always available for informal connections. For quieter moments, you’ll find a designated Quiet Room and an Interfaith Prayer and Meditation Room in the Sheraton.

Our Education Sessions kick off mid-morning, covering everything from organizational culture (Policy with Purpose, Developing a Conflict Resolution Framework, Establishing Effective Workplace Communication with author Minda Harts) to financial sustainability (Cost of Goods Sold, Community Buy-In, Falling in Love with Your Romance Section). There are a lot of options to choose from, but there is no wrong choice, as our education sessions and keynotes are recorded and will be posted after the fact in our On Demand Education section of BookWeb.org and on our podcast, BookED.

For deep dives into the tools of the trade, check out our new User Group Meetups with POS vendors and other industry partners, as well as dedicated sessions from Bookshop.org and Bookmanager, or sign up for one-on-one appointments with IndieCommerce and Batch. (Side note: If you haven’t already signed up for Batch and Edelweiss Basecamp, stop by their booths at the Vendor Showcase to learn about how we can Build an Indie Future with the ABCs!)

Monday marks the first two of four Rep Picks Speed Dating sessions, where publisher reps present exciting upcoming titles. These sessions are a critical part of publisher sponsorships, which keep conference fees affordable for booksellers, so please make sure you attend! Over lunch, we’re thrilled to revive the Editors Buzz Lunch, a beloved program from the late, great BookExpo, where editors will spotlight upcoming titles across various genres. Post-lunch programming includes more education sessions, Rep Picks, and a late afternoon talk by Brenna Connor from Circana, analyzing consumer trends in the book industry. Cap off your day with a celebration of all things romance with An Evening with Avon Books, Epic Reads, Harlequin, and HTP Books.

Tuesday, February 25
Tuesday begins with a powerful Breakfast Keynote panel on the legacy and future of Black-owned bookstores, featuring Janet Jones (Source Booksellers), Jake Cumsky-Whitlock (Solid State Books), DJ Johnson (Baldwin & Co.), and Maura Cheeks (Liz’s Book Bar), and moderated by Char Adams, author of Black-Owned: The Revolutionary Life of the Black Bookstore. This discussion promises to be a highlight of the conference.

The day continues with two education blocks, including workshops from ZingTrain, deep dives into the current state of children’s books, and focused sessions on employee wellness. Lunch will feature debut authors from the Indies Introduce program, with readings you won’t want to miss. Later, the Evening Author Reception offers the chance to meet these authors — and dozens more — in a ballroom packed with books, galleys, and autographs.

Wednesday, February 26
It may be the last day, but there’s still plenty to look forward to — so don’t pack your bags just yet! The morning kicks off at Breakfast with Publisher Rep Picks Presentations, followed by two final education blocks (Marketing! Nonprofits! Author Devon Price!), a Community Forum, and more authors to meet at the Lunch Author Reception.

To wrap things up, join us for some friendly competition for a good cause with Binc’s Heads or Tails Fundraiser, before we close out with an unforgettable Closing Keynote by Brian Selznick on the role of bookstores in offering a sense of hope and belonging, especially for those who may feel cut off or hopeless. And as you make your way back home, keep an eye on your inbox for our post-event survey. Share your thoughts while they’re still fresh, and you’ll have my eternal gratitude!

As we prepare to gather in Denver, I’ve been thinking a lot about what makes our community so special: our commitment to fostering connection and our unwavering belief in the power of books to change the world. Whether it’s your first Winter Institute or your twentieth, I hope you leave feeling inspired, energized, and equipped with new ideas to bring back to your stores. Together, we’ll continue to shape the future of bookselling, one conversation, one innovation, and one book at a time.

See you soon!
—Lee Hooyboer
ABA Director of Education

Wi2025: 20 Years of Winter institute awesomeness