I spent five minutes staring out the window at the snow falling this morning. In truth, it wasn’t so much falling as it was swirling, the way it does between buildings, especially 12 floors up. It’s far from the first time I’ve ever seen the stuff; I grew up in Rhode Island. But I’ve been stuck in the south for a few decades now, so snowfalls have been few and far between.
I miss it.
I’m in Pittsburgh for a conference, Winter Institute 2026, presented by the American Booksellers Association. It’s my first time—the first of many, I suspect—and it’s a bit intimidating. Now, I used to do conferences like this all the time. From 2006 to 2017, I’d attend Affiliate Summit twice a year, which was several times larger than Winter Institute. The difference is that now, I don’t know anyone.
It’s an odd thing, embarking on a new career in a new industry.
The funniest thing is that I keep seeing people from my past. Look, there’s Carolyn! Look, there’s Eric! But no, they’re just lookalikes. I think my brain is trying to make me more comfortable by tricking me into seeing old friends and colleagues.
Day One
Today has been all about educational sessions, of which I attended two. The morning session was a two-hour presentation about ABACUS, the ABA’s annual industry report. Every year, independent bookstores all over the U.S. submit their financial data, and the ABA compiles it into an industry-wide picture of how indie bookstores are actually performing. ABACUS has been instrumental in getting Multiversity off the ground. When I’m sitting across from a landlord or a lender, having real industry data submitted by hundreds of stores, compiled by the ABA, carries a lot more weight than just my own optimism.
The afternoon session was a couple of hours on Edelweiss, which was fantastic because I know next to nothing about the platform, and I need to. Edelweiss is the trade tool publishers use to share advance catalog information, digital galleys, and marketing materials with booksellers. It’s where you go to see what’s coming months before it hits shelves, request review copies, and start building the institutional knowledge that makes a bookstore’s buying more intentional, less scattershot. For a new store like Multiversity, that head start matters enormously.
My day ended with Bookselling in 2026: The Big Questions, held in the Spirit of Pittsburgh ballroom, which is, of course, massive. The presentation was quite good, with dual screens and great lighting. ABA CEO Allison Hill facilitated a striking roundtable conversation covering a noted decline in reading during the first half and the rise of AI during the second. I walked away inspired and with a note full of ideas to bring to Multiversity.
This whole experience is utterly exhausting, in the best way. I regret that I could not attend the opening reception this evening, but I have my limits, and I need to pace myself both physically and mentally. The week’s just getting started, and it only gets busier from here.
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