The American Booksellers Association has confirmed that it is closing its White Plains, N.Y., office. In an announcement in Bookselling This Week, the ABA said that the association will not renew its lease when it expires February 29 and will become a “permanently remote organization.”
In the announcement, ABA said that closing the office will lower its carbon footprint, save money, and allow it to hire a more diverse staff. The organization added that the closing will have no impact on its current staff.
“ABA has been been operating the same for four years now and the office closing doesn't change the way we've been working,” said ABA CEO Allison Hill. “We work remotely. We meet with publishers on the phone, on Zoom, and in person.”
Over the last three years, the ABA has hired staff members across the country rather than limiting its hiring to people who live in the New York City metropolitan area. Employees now live in 10 states, ABA reps said.
With the pending White Plains closure, beginning February 1, ABA's mailing address will be 600 Mamaroneck Ave., Suite 400, Harrison, N.Y. 10528. Also as part of the closing, ABA is talking to a university about taking possession of its physical archives.
The ABA has maintained an office in the New York City area since its formation in 1900, with its first offices in Manhattan before it moved slightly north to Westchester County, where it has moved locations a number of times.
