The response to SIBA's guided Zoom tour of The Southern Bookseller Review on Wednesday was generally very enthusiastic. 77 booksellers and publishers attended the event. Here are some of the questions that came up:

Is The Southern Bookseller Review a site for booksellers, or for everyone?

SBR is a consumer-facing website, for readers and the people who (hopefully) shop at indie bookstores. The site promotes the reviews booksellers post on their own sites, in the newsletters, in their staff picks sections, and to Edelweiss, and makes them easily shareable to a wider audience.

Are only new books reviewed on SBR?

No. For the launch SIBA focused on publishing reviews of fall and winter titles, since those would likely be in stock at stores. But going forward, the most important criteria for choosing what to publish is that a bookseller really liked the book. Backlist titles will be included.

How will publishers know that reviews of books have been published?

SBR has a strong social media strategy in place, and shares reviews on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The reviewing store, the author, and the publisher are all tagged when the review is shared.

What tags should stores use when they share SBR reviews?

The official tags are #SouthernBooksellerReview and #TheSouthernBooksellerReview

How can a publisher or author get their book reviewed on SBR?

SBR only publishes reviews by SIBA booksellers. The best thing to do is to ask booksellers to read and post a review of your book. Making digital and print review copies available to booksellers is key step. Review copies can be offered through Edelweiss, or via SIBA's "Galleys & Giveaways" and "eBlast" promotions.

Do book reviews have to be posted on Edelweiss to appear in SBR?

No. SIBA recognizes that not every book can be found in Edelweiss's platform. Booksellers who have a book not listed there, or who don't use Edelweiss, can submit reviews via the SBR Review Submission Form.

What is "Read This Next!"? Are you still publishing the Okra Picks?

Okra Picks have been re-branded as Read This Next!, a selection of 12-15 books each season. They are no longer required to be Southern, but they must show exceptional and enthusiastic early buzz from SIBA booksellers. Books are no longer nominated, but selected based on the reviews booksellers have posted.

Do you only publish reviews after the books have been released?

No, SBR will publish reviews of books that aren't out yet, in the interest of encouraging pre-orders for titles that are generating a lot of early buzz among booksellers.

How are bookstores added to the store directory? Can I update my store's information there?

The bookstores listed in the directory come from SIBA's own member list of southern bookstores. If you see something inaccurate about your listing, you can email SIBA to have it corrected. The most important thing stores can do is to check their own account with SIBA to make sure the information we have for you is accurate.

How often are new reviews published?

Daily! Booksellers are the most avid of avid readers, so SIBA plans on publishing 10-25 book reviews each week.