American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE)

Mission

American Booksellers for Free Expression (“ABFE”) is the free expression initiative of the American Booksellers Association (“ABA”). ABFE was founded in 1990 to be the bookseller’s voice in the fight against censorship. ABFE’s mission is to promote and protect free expression, particularly expression within books and in literary culture, through legal advocacy, education, and collaboration with other groups with an interest in free speech. ABFE's current mission, informed by ABA's current Ends Policies, is to ensure that core member bookstores have the resources they need in support of their right to freedom of expression and that legal and regulatory policies reflect the interests of independent bookstores. All of ABFE's work will be done in a manner that demonstrates a commitment to antiracism, equity, access, and representation. In instances where bookstores' free expression concerns are outside of this focus, ABFE will connect bookstores with coalition partners that are best suited to address their specific needs.

Donate to ABFE

Anyone can contribute to ABFE's projects. Your support helps us create education and resources for booksellers to advocate for the right to read. It also helps us mobilize independent booksellers and their customers to act in their common interest and for the greater good of readers. And it helps fund our ongoing lawsuits against unconstitutional book ban laws that attack booksellers, readers, and their allies.

Contribute to ABFE

The ABA Right to Read Handbook

The ABA Right to Read Handbook: Fighting Book Bans and Why It Matters is a comprehensive guide to resisting the epidemic of book censorship through local organizing and engaged citizenship. The Handbook is designed for the potential advocate who may only have a few hours to spare each month. It identifies the causes, actors, motivations, and strategies of groups attempting to ban books across the country. It offers step-by-step guides for voting in a school board election, understanding a school board's policies, contacting elected officials, and more. It features interviews with free expression advocates and state-by-state profiles of local advocacy organizations. Finally, the content is organized into a playbook that will allow concerned readers to begin defending the right to read as soon as book bans arrive in their community.

Available for preorder!

Order on ipage   Buy on Bookshop
Must be logged in 

Details:

• Available on IngramSpark and through Ingram’s distribution network

• Suggested retail: $18

• No returns

• All profits support ABFE’s efforts against book bans

• Publication date: September 16th, 2024

Banned Books Week 2024

Banned Books Week kits are sent annually to participating stores and include materials to decorate your store and educate customers about the freedom to read. Supplies are limited and are fulfilled on a first-come, first-served basis. We ask that each bookstore branch fill out its own form. Online-only stores and international stores are NOT eligible to receive kits.

This year’s Banned Books Week kit includes bookmarks and buttons; a poster and stickers, sponsored by Ingram; and caution tape for creating an eye-catching display.

Anyone can use our digital BBW kit assets for 2024 to support the right to read on social media! Find those assets here.

Finally, wear your support for the right to read with our Banned Books Week 2024 apparel, featuring this year's theme.

The ABA Right to Read Toolkit for Booksellers

This free online pamphlet is a bookseller's guide to fighting book bans and literary censorship. It features interviews, how-tos, and explainers on many aspects of the book ban crisis.

Coalitions and Organizational Partners

ABFE believes that the only way to stand against book bans is to stand together. ABFE is grateful for the support and efforts of its partners, including:

• Authors Against Book Bans. ABFE works with Authors Against Book Bans on a number of projects, including facilitating book donations, organizing nationally against book bans in school districts and state legislatures, and more. From AABB's website: "We, a collation of writers, illustrators, anthology editors and contributors, and other book creators, stand united against the deeply unconstitutional movement to limit the freedom to read. We unequivocally support the availability of diverse voices on our library shelves, in our schools, and in our culture. We pledge to band together against the oppression of literature, to speak when our voices are silenced, to go where our bodies are needed, and to fight as one to ensure this freedom.

• Banned Books Week Coalition. ABFE actively participates in the Banned Books Week Coalition (BBWC), attending the coalition’s monthly meetings and providing input on the annual event. Each year, ABFE compiles materials (largely sourced from the BBWC) to create and distribute Banned Books Week Kits to participating independent bookstores. 

• Free Expression Network (FEN). ABFE participates in FEN, an alliance of free expression organizations formed by the National Coalition Against Censorship. FEN is first and foremost an information sharing group with members digitally sharing information and outreach between quarterly meetings. ABFE utilizes its membership in FEN to stay informed about future free expression issues that may affect bookstores.

• Kids' Right to Read Project. ABFE coordinates with the Kids’ Right to Read Project (KRRP) — a part of the Youth Free Expression Program of the National Coalition Against Censorship — as a resource for bookstores faced with First Amendment challenges in their local schools and libraries. ABFE is regularly in communication with KRRP about booksellers’ free expression concerns. When bookstores come to ABFE about book challenges in their local schools and libraries, ABFE connects bookstores directly with KRRP. KRRP then works with bookstores to craft and send letters to their local schools and libraries. In addition, ABFE co-signs KRRP letters to schools and libraries on a case-by-case basis as long as the letters are in line with ABA’s current Ends Policies and ABA's commitment to antiracism, equity, access, and representation. To see letters that ABFE has co-signed as part of KRRP, click here.

• Media Coalition. ABFE is a member of the Media Coalition, an association that protects the First Amendment rights of producers and distributors of media, such as books, movies, and magazines, through its legislative advocacy and in the courts. ABFE attends the Media Coalition’s monthly meetings to learn about potential legislation, lawsuits, and amicus briefs of interest to bookstores. Consistent with ABA’s current Ends Policies, ABFE only signs statements/memos, lawsuits, or amicus briefs that are directly related to bookstores’ needs and that are consistent with ABA's commitment to antiracism, equity, access, and representation. As a result, ABFE’s current work with the Media Coalition may, in some cases, represent a narrowing of ABFE’s work.

• Unite Against Book Bans. ABFE is a proud member of Unite Against Book Bans, a national initiative to empower readers everywhere to stand together in the fight against censorship. ABFE participates on UABB's Policy and Legislative Subcommittee, Steering Committee, and supports UABB in any other way it can.

2024 Supporters to Date 

ABFE is grateful for its affiliate and publisher support:

• Come from the Heart

• Barnes and Noble, Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin Random House, Scholastic, and Simon & Schuster.

• Independent Bookstores (Thank you to ABA Members who donated to ABFE when they renewed their membership dues. Your support helps make ABFE’s work possible, and conveys the value of this work to ABA.)

Contribute to ABFE

Free Expression Resources

Below are ABFE’s resources for bookstores. These resources are monitored for updates annually or sooner, if deemed necessary. Many of these resources are templates that can be customized by bookstores.