2026 Basic Bookselling Course Registration Opens 01/12/2026
The course begins Tuesday March 10th, 2026
Online
* Registration open until 3/10/26 at 12:00 AM (EDT)
Event Details
The 2026 course in Basic Bookselling starts on Tuesday, March 10 at 7 pm ET/ 6 pm CT/ 4 pm PT.
The course has 10 classes and will run through May 12, 2026.
Information about the course is on our website: please review this before you register.
Registration Information
- The course 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.
How the Course Works
This course is designed for people with less than a year's bookselling experience, and for new bookstore owners. In the course you'll learn about the bookstore industry and, specifically, what the job of a frontline bookseller encompasses. We teach 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 Indie bookstores, whether brick-and-mortar, mobile, or pop-up.
The course meets online via Zoom on Tuesday 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 registration. Students also receive 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.
Registration opens Monday, January 12 @ 1 pm ET / 12 pm CT / 10 am PT
Registration Requirements
Basic Bookselling is designed to welcome staff into a career in bookselling. It is intended as a primer for frontline booksellers with a year or less experience. It does not cover bookstore finances or store management, or how to open a bookstore.
If you'd like to find out more about the course before you finish registering, visit the Basic Bookselling page on our website.
As a requirement of the course, students must be owners or employees of Independent Bookstores that are members in good standing of the ABA and/or their Regional Trade Association. If you are considering opening a bookstore in the future and would like to learn about the business, the course content is available for Independent Study.
Registration is $125. Most Regional Trade Associations provide discount codes for registration, and offer full or partial reimbursement to students that finish and are certified. Find out what your Trade Association offers, and ask for discount codes before you register.