The ABA's Winter Institute in San Jose, Calif., ended officially last Friday evening, but judging from the energy that ran through most of the 500 booksellers in attendance, the spirit of the show will continue for quite some time. Arguably the best of the five annual Winter Institutes, this one had an emphasis on e-books and digital matters but also offered panels on trends and nuts-and-bolts issues and provided many opportunities for booksellers to hear about and talk about hot books appearing this spring and summer.

After the first day of sessions on technological trends, many booksellers felt overwhelmed and feared an e-future that would bypass bookstores. But the next morning, the mood changed, beginning with a presentation by Jack McKeown of a consumer survey that, among other things, indicated that nearly half of avid readers prefer bookstores over other places to buy books; that people who own e-readers are still buying printed books; that older avid readers represent a huge market; and that there is no near-term tipping point for e-readers (Shelf Awareness, February 5, 2010). While not dismissing e-books, booksellers began to feel that they have options, which include adding value to e-books the way booksellers do for printed books.

At the least, booksellers began to see even more how to use digital means to do their work better. For example, Carla Jimenez, co-owner of Inkwood Books, Tampa, Fla., said that while she has worried that the store is not doing enough on Facebook and Twitter, after a social networking panel, she gained more confidence about what to do and is starting to have fun with it. "And that's the whole point," she said.

Booksellers seemed reconciled to the difficult economy and competitive pressures. A common comment was along the lines of "we're down 5%, but we're still here." And yet the Winter Institute attendees seemed especially hopeful and positive. ABA CEO Oren Teicher spoke for many of them when he said, "Despite what the cynics and naysayers might say, independent bookselling is alive and well in the United States of America."

The battle between Amazon and Macmillan played out during the Winter Institute and was mentioned frequently. (Teicher joked that the ABA had planned on the battle taking place last week when it made arrangements for the Winter Institute a year and a half ago.) At the opening breakfast, the crowd gave a standing ovation when ABA president Michael Tucker called for a special thanks to Macmillan. The following morning the crowd loved it when Jack McKeown displayed Holt's full-page ad in the New York Times for Atul Gawande's The Checklist Manifesto, which included the line, "Available at booksellers everywhere except Amazon." Most booksellers thought that the dispute between their largest online competitor and Macmillan served to remind publishers of the importance and fairness of the independent bookselling channel.

The galley room and author reception were popular, and speed dating–style rep pick events gave some publishers sore throats. But they did their job: booksellers were buzzing about titles and raved in particular about The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall (Norton), The Passage by Justin Cronin (Ballantine) and Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes (Atlantic Monthly Press).

Although there have always been younger booksellers at Winter Institutes, perhaps because of Twitter, their presence on some major panels and their endless enthusiasm for books and bookselling, the younger attendees in San Jose seemed even more visible, heartening many of the older folk, who at past gatherings had worried about future bookselling generations.

As always, booksellers went home with all kinds of ideas, large and small. Jason Smith, co-owner of the Book Table, Oak Park, Ill., noted that he had heard some great ideas, many of which were too expensive to implement, but was especially thrilled to learn about several simple things that, "even after 19 years in bookselling," surprised him with their simplicity and potential effectiveness. For example, someone had recommended adding the store's URL to its voice message to emphasize that that the store is open 24 hours a day. Smith had already called his wife and co-owner to have her re-record Book Table's voicemail message.

Congratulations to the ABA staff for putting on sterling event and, as always, to Mitch Kaplan, owner of Books & Books in Florida and the Cayman Islands and former ABA president, for having the idea that led to the creation of the Winter Institute.

Shelf Awareness will have more reporting on panels this week.

Next year's Winter Institute will be held in Washington, D.C., January 20-22.--John Mutter and Bridget Kinsella