LXD Case Study Collection
Reimagining Professional Development for Independent Booksellers
Role: Director of Education
Organization: American Booksellers Association
Years: 2022–2025
Focus Areas: Learning Design · Experience Design · Service Design
Tools: Google Workspace, Calendly, Zoom, Drupal, Monday.com, Swoogo, SurveyMonkey
Team: Led a three-person Education team; collaborated with Event Logistics, Marketing, Membership, and the Executive suite.
Independent bookstores face a unique challenge: owners and staff wear many hats, often without access to formal professional development. During my time at ABA, I set out to design learning experiences that not only built skills but also created connection and confidence for booksellers doing complex, people-centered work.
What began as small experiments—like a shared template library or a virtual management book club—grew into an interconnected suite of programs. Each initiative addressed a different challenge—streamlining operations, fostering peer learning, or building management capacity—but together they formed a comprehensive learning experience ecosystem for booksellers.
My design approach was rooted in learning experience design (LXD):
Identifying where booksellers needed both knowledge and confidence.
Creating accessible, user-friendly tools and programs.
Building structures that encouraged reflection, practice, and community.
In each initiative, the goal was always the same: empower booksellers with the skills, networks, and resources they needed to sustain their businesses and thrive as professionals.
Jump to:
Session Design & Presentation
Small Business Training for Independent Bookstores
Discover
Each year, regional bookseller conferences drew a wide mix of attendees — from frontline staff to store owners — looking for practical, relevant education. Through conversations with booksellers, analysis of past conference feedback, and consultations with regional association directors, I identified persistent gaps in training. Topics like financial fluency, crisis preparedness, and cash flow management surfaced repeatedly as areas where stores needed clarity, actionable strategies, and confidence.
Define
Working closely with ABA’s executive suite, I proposed and refined a short list of training subjects aligned with both member needs and industry trends. For example, in 2023, a year marked by climate-related disasters and increased harassment of bookstores, we prioritized a session on crisis preparedness. In 2024, as many stores reported cash flow struggles, a financial stability workshop took center stage. Each session was designed to serve a broad audience, bridging the needs of owners, managers, and frontline staff, while highlighting ABA’s resources like the ABACUS Benchmarking Report and Right to Read Toolkit.
Develop
I collaborated with internal and external SMEs — from seasoned booksellers at ABA to frontline booksellers who had firsthand crisis experiences — to ensure content accuracy and relevance. To make complex or difficult subjects more engaging, I used a narrative structure, weaving in real bookstore stories and humor where appropriate. Instructional design principles guided the format: content was chunked for retention, supported by clear visuals, and accompanied by resource guides and templates. Deliverables included slide decks, worksheets, and recorded virtual encores in both video and podcast form for post-conference access.
Deliver
Over three years, I presented these sessions in person at regional conferences across the country, followed by live virtual encores to extend reach. The trainings consistently ranked among the top-rated sessions at each show, and feedback highlighted their clarity, practicality, and engaging delivery. One session moment even sparked long-lasting conversations: after I emphasized that fire extinguisher training is legally required, booksellers brought it up with me for years afterward. One store owner even invited me to walk through his space before opening to determine the best placement for fire extinguishers — a small but vivid sign of knowledge turning into action.
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Presented in-person at the 2024 Regional Bookseller Trade Association Conferences in Washington DC, Boston, Pasadena, Portland, and Denver, followed by virtual encore presentation.
The true key to being in control of your business is to be in control of your cash. A bookstore’s financial stability is dependent on far more than just profitability, and cash flow determines your store’s ability to cover day-to-day expenses, such as purchasing inventory, paying suppliers, and meeting operational costs. In this session, ABA discusses cash flow tools briefly then guide stores through ten essential steps to improve your store’s cash flow, financial stability, and long-term resilience.
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Presented in-person at the 2023 Regional Bookseller Trade Association Conferences in Washington DC, Portland, San Francisco, Providence, Denver, and Detroit, followed by virtual encore presentation.
Join ABA Director of Education, Kim Hooyboer, as we review some of the top crises stores have experienced this past year. From cybersecurity threats to a car driving into the store, we will provide resources and tips to prepare for and, when possible, avoid these crises at your store. Topics will include: fire, flood, and natural disasters; protesters, break-ins, and ransomware, credit card fraud, and more. Throughout the session, we’ll explore ways to respond to these crises, prioritize employee communication, and mitigate the risk of these events occurring at your store. Think of this session as insurance and take this time to invest in protecting your business. -
Presented in-person at 2022 Regional Bookseller Trade Association Conferences in New Orleans, Tacoma, Denver, and St Louis, followed by virtual encore presentation.
A bookstore’s profit and loss statement (P&L) is a critical tool for evaluating a store’s overall performance. Join ABA staff on a walk-through of a bookstore P&L statement as we lay a groundwork for understanding bookstore financials, decode individual line items to identify opportunities for improved profitability, discuss how to use ABA’s ABACUS Report, and consider ways to share financials with staff in a meaningful and cooperative manner. -
In-conversation partner for the plenary opening keynote at the ABA Children's Institute 2022 in Phoenix.
Join activist and author Karen Walrond (The Lightmaker's Manifesto) for a keynote conversation on how booksellers can maintain their spark while continuing to work for change in their communities and the world at large. By identifying tools and practices that can help booksellers define and refine their missions without succumbing to burnout, Walrond's opening keynote is sure to kindle conversations that will resonate through the entirety of Ci10.
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Panel presentation for the 2021 PNBA Fall Conference.
Has your store experienced a lot of changes over the past 18 months? You’re not alone! Navigating the rapid growth, weekly pivots, and evolving staff needs has been a challenge unique to our times. If you’re trying to make the organizational adjustments to meet a bigger buying demand, and all the other tasks that come with rapid change and sales growth, this session is for you. Our experienced panelists will share tips and tricks for efficient frontlist and backlist buying, delegating tasks and organizing staff, time management, and best use of a small space.
Speakers:
Kim Hooyboer, Third Place Books Seward Park, Seattle, WA
Sylla McClellan, Third Street Books, McMinnville, OR
Sarah Hutton, Village Books, Bellingham, WA
James Crossley, Madison Books, Seattle, WA -
Virtual panel presentation for the 2020 PNBA Fall Conference.
Bookstores provide a limited number of options for career advancement, so professional booksellers who are moving up in their careers will eventually take on roles in staff management. While booksellers become skilled at inventory, customer, and financial management, career booksellers are regularly promoted into staff-management positions without any formal training or resources. This session will focus on the basics of managing people, including developing talent among staff, offering productive performance reviews, and dealing with challenging personality dynamics.
Moderator:
Kim Hooyboer, Third Place Books - Seward Park in Seattle, WA
Speakers:
Kim Scott, author of Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity and Just Work: Get Shit Done, Fast & Fair
Laura DeLaney is co-owner of Rediscovered Books in Boise, ID
Ariana Paliobagis is owner of Country Bookshelf in Bozeman, MT
Robert Sindelar is the Managing Partner at Third Place Books in Seattle, WA -
Virtual panel presentation for the 2020 Association of University Presses Annual Meeting and Conference.
With independent bookstores across the nation temporarily closed and turning to curbside pickups and online orders and deliveries due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever for university presses to learn what they can do for independent bookstores amidst this crisis by getting to know the owners and employees of their local and regional shops. These mutually beneficial relationships can not only help indie bookstores through this tough time but can also help presses improve their books, titles, covers, event pitches, and overall publishing programs. This session will also explore questions such as whether bookshop.org is beneficial to indie bookstores and what the industry might look like in five years.
Moderator: Molly Spain, Assistant Editor, TCU PressSpeakers: David Goldberg, Sales Manager, The MIT Press; Jeff Deutsch, Director, Seminary Co-op Bookstore; Andrew Berzanskis, Senior Acquisitions Editor, University of Washington Press; Kim Hooyboer, General Manager, Third Place Books, Seward Park
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Virtual education session presented for the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association in 2020.
Join Kim Hooyboer from Third Place Books, in conversation with Amanda Hooyboer, an RN currently working in Puerto Rico for a community-based Covid19 response as the Infection Prevention and Control nurse for Doctors Without Borders (known in most of the world by their French name Médecins Sans Frontières). The discussion will focus on basic principles of infection prevention and aims to provide education and support as we all adapt and find ways to sustain community spaces.
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Panel presentation for the 2018 PNBA Fall Conference.
How do the economics of carrying an independently published book work for indie booksellers? What should indie booksellers know about the distribution and logistics hurdles that independently published and small press authors face when bringing their books into the world? How can booksellers help to make their shelves more accessible to indie authors, especially those from often-marginalized communities? How can we all work together to make readers happy, and to make a living while we’re at it?
Panelists: Kim Hooyboer, Third Place Books, Seattle, WA; Vlad Verano, VertVolta Press, Seattle, WA; Laura Stanfill, Forest Avenue Press, Portland, OR; Cynthis Frank, Cypress House, Fort Bragg, CA; Anastacia-Renee´, Seattle Civic Poet and author of (v,), Forget It, and Answer(Me). -
Panel presentation for the 2017 PNBA Fall Conference.
As community-focused businesses, bookstores are uniquely suited to engage customers across cultural divides. Join author Anne Broyles, author and bookseller Rosanne Parry, bookseller Kim Hooyboer, and librarian Coi Vu as they discuss practical ideas for booksellers, librarians, and authors about how to invite and involve ethnic, religious, bilingual and non-English speaking, and immigrant communities into bookselling and literary events.
Anne Broyles is the author of Arturo and the Bienvenido Feast and Priscilla and the Hollyhocks, among other books for young readers.
Rosanne Parry is a bookseller at Annie Bloom's Books in Portland, OR, and the author of several Middle Grade and YA novels, including The Turn of the Tide and The Heart of a Shephard.
Coi Vu is Systemwide Programming Coordinator at Multnomah County Library.
Kim Hooyboer is the Manager of Third Place Books Seward Park, co-Founder of Indies Forward, and co-host of the industry podcast Drunk Booksellers. -
Presented in-person at the American Booksellers Association's Children's Institute 2017.
Between the burden of student debt and rising cost-of-living expenses, making ends meet may seem like an impossible task. Booksellers who have successfully made bookselling their lifelong career will discuss how to make a budget, how to manage a bookseller salary, and how to make use of personal finance tools.
Speakers:
Kim Hooyboer, Third Place Books (Seattle, WA)
Justus Joseph, Elliott Bay Book Company (Seattle, WA) -
Nobody goes into bookselling expecting to get rich. But with the rise of student debt and the general cost of living, it has become increasingly difficult (particularly for younger booksellers) to justify staying in the career we love. But don’t lose hope! In this session, we’ll discuss how to use budgets and personal finance tools to negotiate living on bookseller salaries. Presenters will be Richael Best of Elliott Bay Book Company and Kim Hooyboer of Elliott Bay Book Company and the Drunk Booksellers podcast.
Conference Speaking Engagements
Bookstore Resource Library
Job Aids, SOPs, and Templates
Discover
Across the industry, booksellers regularly voiced the same frustration: too much time spent reinventing the wheel. Whether drafting a consignment agreement, onboarding a new staff member, or preparing a daily checklist, store leaders were recreating documents that others had already built — with limited ability to share or adapt them across the field. This duplication of effort was a significant drain on efficiency and often led to uneven processes between stores.
Define
I identified a clear opportunity to reduce this friction through a shared solution. The challenge was not simply to compile documents, but to design a scalable, user-centered resource system that would serve stores of every size and business model. The resources had to be customizable, sustainable, and easily accessible — not static PDFs that created extra work.
Develop
To meet this need, I created the Bookstore Resource Library, a collection of editable job aids, SOPs, and templates built in Google Docs and Sheets. This approach gave members:
Easy customization via editable templates rather than locked PDFs.
Real-time updates to keep documents current without repeated uploads.
Accessible, adaptable tools for immediate use in diverse contexts.
Each resource was structured with clarity, adaptability, and cognitive load reduction in mind — allowing busy booksellers to quickly implement or adjust without starting from scratch.
Deliver
The library launched with resources spanning critical bookstore functions, including:
Operations (daily checklists, emergency action plans, business continuity planning).
Personnel & Policies (onboarding checklists, fair treatment policies, performance plans).
Buying & Inventory (consignment applications, order forms, invoices).
Financial Management (ABACUS benchmarking resources).
Events & Marketing (event safety guidelines, calendar handouts, planning guides).
The Bookstore Resource Library became an industry support system, streamlining workflows and empowering stores to focus more on books and community than on paperwork. By leveraging collaborative technology and shared expertise, the library turned recurring individual pain points into a collective solution that continues to evolve with the industry’s needs.
BookED
Designing the Bookstore Education Podcast
Discover
Independent booksellers juggle demanding schedules, often making it difficult to attend or revisit live training. Conference recordings had value, but access was inconsistent, and members repeatedly asked for more flexible ways to engage with content. Through analyzing past conference feedback, tracking member education usage, and conversations with booksellers, I identified a clear need: learning opportunities that could fit into the margins of their day — during receiving shifts, commutes, or personal time.
Define
To meet this need, I proposed packaging education in podcast form, which would offer easy, on-demand access and broaden ABA’s reach beyond event attendees. I collaborated with the executive suite to frame BookED as more than just a conference archive — it would be a year-round content channel highlighting ABA resources, bookseller voices, and industry advocacy. Together, we defined an editorial calendar that balanced education, marketing, and advocacy, ensuring both consistency and variety.
Develop
I coordinated with videographers, event staff, and panelists to capture clean conference audio, then edited and mastered files in Audacity, recorded introductions, and packaged episodes with clear metadata for discoverability. Beyond conferences, I built cross-departmental collaborations to diversify programming, combining:
Conference sessions, rotating into backlog recordings when new content ran out.
Indies Introduce author interviews, recorded in partnership with ABA’s program manager and bookseller committees, creating new promotional opportunities for authors, bookstores, and the program.
Recordings from new virtual education series I initiated (monthly lightning talks, business book club, and content with industry partners).
Advocacy-focused episodes led by ABA’s ABFE manager, spotlighting bookstores and community members fighting censorship and defending the right to read.
Deliver
I launched BookED across major podcast platforms via Libsyn, managing syndication and scheduling consistent weekly releases. The result was ABA’s first evergreen audio channel, extending conference impact, elevating cross-departmental initiatives, and strengthening member engagement throughout the year. By design, BookED was accessible, flexible, and human-centered — meeting booksellers where they were and turning fragmented training moments into a cohesive educational resource.
Book Biz Book Club
Iterating Professional Learning for Booksellers
Discover
In the early days of the pandemic, bookstore owners and managers were balancing urgent personnel challenges, operational uncertainty, and the physical and emotional safety of frontline staff. Many had shelves stacked with aspirational business titles but little time or structure to engage with them. A virtual book club created accountability that transformed those unread books into practical learning while also fostering a support network among peers. Early feedback was clear: booksellers weren’t just seeking new skills—they wanted a trusted cohort to navigate the real work of running bookstores together.
Define
I launched the Book Biz Book Club as a virtual learning community for bookstore leaders—primarily owners and managers. Originally conceived as a management-focused group, it quickly became a place for candid conversation about personnel management, operations, and the realities of HR. The goals were twofold:
Professional development through structured reading lists I curated.
Cohorting and connection, allowing managers to compare notes, trade best practices, and build lasting peer networks.
The intent was to create a low-barrier way for busy managers to learn while building a trusted network.
Develop
The program moved through multiple iterations, each responding to engagement data and attendee feedback:
Grassroots beginnings: While managing Third Place Books, I facilitated a panel on personnel management with fellow bookstore owners from across the PNW and Kim Scott, author of Radical Candor. The response was so strong that we decided to keep the momentum going, and the Management Book Club was born. What began as informal conversations quickly became a vital space for managers to feel less isolated and more supported during the pandemic.
National expansion: After joining ABA, I scaled the club, first running regional groups, then consolidating into a monthly nationwide discussion. The mix of manager-led facilitation and open dialogue gave the program a repeatable structure while still leaving room for authentic connection.
Iterative adjustments: As Zoom fatigue set in, I alternated topics—one month on personnel management, the next on broader operational skills like project management or customer service. This sustained engagement while diversifying value.
Pivot to interviews: Attendance data suggested more booksellers were reading along than attending live—a dynamic I recognized from in-store clubs. To address ROI while preserving value, I piloted a quarterly format with author interviews. The first, with Seth Godin, became a BookED feature, giving members fresh, high-profile content.
Deliver
The iterative approach delivered several outcomes:
Sustained engagement: Even as virtual attendance waned, shifting to recorded interviews allowed booksellers to continue developing professionally while preserving the built-in accountability that comes with a shared reading list.
Content strategy insights: Testing multiple formats clarified how to balance live connection with scalable, recorded programming.
Human connection: Despite attendance challenges, the club still forged meaningful bonds. Managers who first met virtually later traveled to visit one another’s stores, showing the power of cohorting even in a digital format.
The Book Biz Book Club became both a professional learning tool and a strategic experiment. It demonstrated that while live virtual cohorts offer unmatched connection, hybrid or recorded formats can extend reach and impact—insights I carried into future programming design.