Web-versions, resources, and special offers are now available

The Web-versions of the SIBA holiday catalog is now available to stores to post on their websites. We think they look very nice! See a demo version

You earn 5 B3! points for posting the holiday catalog on your site.

What SIBA is doing to help:
The catalog will be promoted at AuthorsRoundtheSouth.com (ARTS) starting the week of Thanksgiving. Stores with active ecommerce will rotate as the click through destination for each of the books. The catalog titles are also featured in the Lady Banks newsletter as a "gift guide" and the gift guide itself is featured between Thanksgiving and the New Year on the ARTS Facebook page and on the Lady Banks Bookshelf. In short, SIBA will be making a concerted effort to drive traffic to the websites of stores that ordered the catalog.

New for 2018: SIBA B3 Webinars!
Designed to provide booksellers with more opportunities to improve different areas of their business. Our webinars last for one hour and include Q & A time with the presenter. We encourage owners, managers, and frontline booksellers to attend. We always welcome your suggestions for future topics. Email Linda-Marie Barrett to reserve your space.

Creating Community: Developing and Maintaining an Authors in Schools Program with Jamie Rogers Southern: Wednesday, January 10 at 2pm

Jamie Rogers Southern of Bookmarks will discuss how to develop an Authors in Schools program to increase your brand awareness with teachers, parents, and young readers in your community. An Authors in Schools program allows you to work with local and visiting authors who can give presentations, lead workshops, and otherwise speak about their books that tie in with ongoing curricula.

Inventory Activism with Kimberly Daniels and Erica Merrell: Wednesday, Feb 14 at 2pm

Join SIBA Board Members Erica Merrell of Wild Iris Books and Kimberly Daniels of The Country Bookshop as they explain how inventory can be a powerful force when serving customers. Come learn how to best fill this customer need, walk away with title recommendations, and share your success stories. Whether your customers are looking to make changes in social, environmental or local issues, find out how the activist mantra of thinking global, acting local can increase customer engagement and revenue for your store.

November 15th is the deadline to submit a propsal for the upcoming EUREKAsiba talks.

In the spirit of discoveries worth sharing, SIBA invites proposals for 11-18 minute TEDx Talk format presentations on a given topic of interest to booksellers. We'd like proposals about a great idea. Ideas can be new or surprising, challenge a belief your audience of booksellers already has, or an idea with a compelling new argument behind it. We will choose ten EUREKA talks. This call should be considered by booksellers, authors, publishers, sales reps, and other industry professionals. We'd love to hear from you. Proposals are due November 15. Send proposals to Wanda Jewell

Important information for participating stores

The American Booksellers Association is partnering with Penguin Random House for a special giveaway in celebration of Indies First on Small Business Saturday, this year November 25. Between November 15 and November 26, Twitter and Instagram users who tag a U.S. independent bookstore and use the hashtag #ShopIndiesFirstSweepstakes will be entered to win $1,000 worth of books from Penguin Random House.

Full details here

Small Business Saturday Display materials available

For small businesses looking to promote Small Business Saturday, American Express' Shop Small Studio is providing a variety of marketing materials to help business owners attract and engage with their customers: More information here | Shop Small Studio DIY

How does your store present itself to publishers when you are looking to have an author come to the store for an event? The competition can be high, and publishers are careful about how they spend their marketing dollars. Savvy stores create a resume of sorts for publicists that will help them see at a glance the strengths of their store and their ability to host a successful author event.

Here's a link to an event pitch sheet developed by The Bookwom in Colorado -- use it as a model to create your own store "event pitch sheet." It will also be a useful exercise in assessing your store's strengths as well as places you can improve in you own event programs.

More at the Peer Brain Trust

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Is your membership current?

Renew here | Booksellers Benefits Package