Linda-Marie Barrett / Executive Director:
Reading: The Booklover’s Library by Madeline Martin. A bookish book for a bookish sort like me! Against the backdrop of WWII in Nottingham, England, a former bookseller, Emma, begins work at Boots’ Booklover’s Library and her world and heart open up to new possibilities. A cozy read with depth that I’d recommend to for any booklover, especially those interested in learning more about the British experience during this time.
Listening: To wind and rain for days, and to our furnace kicking on for the first time since spring. The seasonal transition has begun in earnest.
Watching: As the clock ticks down to the newest season of the Great British Baking Show, I bide my time enjoying Under the Vines, a big-hearted series set in New Zealand wine country, and Signora Volpe, a crime series set in the beautiful Italian countryside.

Candice Huber / Membership:
Reading: In between books right now - just finished The Nightmare Before Kissmas, which was absolutely delightful! My next read is Bored Gay Werewolf by Tony Santorella for my international queer SF/F book club.
Listening: I am only one hour away from finishing Fourth Wing! I'm listening to the dramatized audiobook version, and it's SO well done with a full cast. I'm not sure I would enjoy it as much if I was reading it on paper.
Watching: Still the usual - Big Brother, Only Murders in the Building, Snowpiercer. And, in my quest to watch influential shows from the 90s/00s, I have just started The West Wing.

Nicki Leone / Communications:
Reading: I'm back to skipping between three books. The Volcano Daughters by Gina María Balibrera for fun. Re-readingSummer Will Show by Sylvia Townsend Warner for book club. And, because I sadly never got around to it before he died this week, Yalo by Elias Khoury. It's the novel of his I've been avoiding because it is a deep dive into violence and coming of age in a world at war. But I'm feeling braver now, so I am determined to read it through.
Listening and Watching: The sound of the mitre saw, the power drill, and the hammer, and a careful eye on where I was putting my fingers during my first attempt at a home repair project.

SP Rankin / Website Administrator:
Reading: Books and Bookers: I finished The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden, which just made the 2024 short list--the first time for a Dutch author. It's billed as a twisty, Highsmith-ish psychothriller but I found it to be a deeply personal story of history, justice, and desire which seemed twisty enough for me. I'm at the tail end of Anne Enright's The Wren, the Wren (the winner of the 2023 prize), which weaves together family history, poetry, and absolutely stellar storytelling.
Listening: A couple of years ago, Andrew Bird set Emily Dickinson's poem "I Felt a Funeral, in my Brain" to music and then got Phoebe Bridgers to sing it with him and the result is about as perfect as you think it would be.
Watching: In a fit of nostalgia (yes, I am that old), episodes of Bewitched--Darren 1.0 of course. However, Team Endora now and always.

Andrea Richardson / Sales:
Reading: First Do No Harm by the delightful Lt. Joe Kenda for an event this weekend.
Listening: I'm almost caught up to current on Handsome and am sad that I'll have to wait a week between episodes now!
Watching: I have gotten fully sucked into Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Please discuss it with me.

SIBA Banned Books Week Toolkit

SIBA's 2024 Banned Books Week Toolkit is now available. This kit is designed to be useful to SIBA booksellers not only for their Banned Books Week plans, but in responding to book challenges in their communities. It includes links to important resources, marketing materials and templates created by SIBA, and a special section on using Decide For Yourself -- the ongoing project to highlight SIBA bookseller reviews of books that are challenged or banned.

Get your SIBA Banned Books Week Toolkit

NVNR Recap: Budgeting for Booksellers

The Budgeting for Booksellers session at NVNR was SRO (standing room only)! The presenter was Candice Huber, owner of Tubby and Coo's Traveling Bookshop, who is also the Membership and Social Media Coordinator for SIBA and an instructor for the Store and Operations and Event Management tracks of the Professional Booksellers School.

The session provided some practical tips on budgeting, guided booksellers on how to look at financial information, and gave some examples and action steps that could be taken quickly. Among the topics covered were:

Distinguishing "Wants" versus "Needs"
The former being things which, if cut, will not hurt your business whereas the latter are required for your business to survive. Savings and paying yourself, Candice emphasized, are Needs.

Categorizing expenses and aligning them with your goals
In particular, it is recommended that your expense categories include the categories used by the ABACUS survey: Payroll, Occupancy, Operations, Cost of Goods Sold.

Setting realistic spending and revenue goals
Always set a maximum spending amount for each category, and be conservative. Regularly check your plan against your real expenses and adjust accordingly.

See the slideshow handout

The Budgeting for Booksellers session was developed from the Bookstore Finances Module of the The Professional Booksellers School. The 2024 curriculum is over, but booksellers can sign up for their Bookseller Financial Literacy Bundle as part of the PBS Independent Study program.

SIBA stores: use the code "SIBAis" to receive a discount.

SOUTHERN INDIE BESTSELLER LIST
For the week ending 9/8/2024

Edelweiss Collections:
(sort by "Catalog Order" to see each list according to rating)

Hardcover Fiction | Hardcover Nonfiction | Trade Paperback Fiction | Trade Paperback Nonfiction | Mass Market | Children's Illustrated | Children's Interest | Children's Series

SIBA Banned Books Toolkit

SIBA is preparing a toolkit of resources to support our booksellers promoting Banned Books Week (Sept 22-28) to their customers. Our toolkit will include links to important resources and marketing materials from the American Library Association, ABA, ABFE, and SIBA’s Peer Bookseller Resource Library.

Also included in the toolkit are links to SIBA’s Southern Bookseller Review (SBR) “Decide For Yourself” feature in our SBR newsletter and social media. Decide For Yourself is an ongoing series highlighting banned and challenged books with positive reviews from SIBA booksellers. We’ll provide Canva templates to create your own Decide For Yourself flyers, bookmarks, and shelf-talkers for Banned Books Week, and beyond, to bring continued attention to these important books and the issue of book bans and challenges.

Request your SIBA Banned Books Week Toolkit

ABA Right to Read Handbook

Publishing on 9/16, just in time for Banned Books Week, the ABA's Right to Read Handbook is a 150-page consumer facing title including an accessible history of book censorship, explainers on the current crisis, how-tos for organizing in your community, and interviews with activists, authors, booksellers, and parents. To help determine whether the handbook will work with your displays or is right for your store, buyers can request a DRC in advance.

Request your Right to Read Handbook

Current Newsletter: Read This Next! September: What Booksellers Want Everyone to Read

Bookstores with reviews in this week's newsletter:

• Catherine Pabalate, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
• Charlie Monroe, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
• Adam Fall, Underbrush Books in Rogers, Arkansas
• Angela Redden, Reading Rock Books in Dickson, Tennessee
• Amanda Grell, Pearl’s Books in Fayetteville, Arkansas
• Charlie Marks, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia
• Joshua Lambie, Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia
• Morgan Holub, E. Shaver, bookseller in Savannah, Georgia
• Jamie Southern, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
• Kala Saxon, M Judson, Booksellers in Greenville, South Carolina
• Jackie Manginelli, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia
• Stephanie St. John, E. Shaver, bookseller in Savannah, Georgia
• Raegyn Oliver, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee
• Monie Henderson, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi
• Morgan DePerno, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
• Wendy, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Book Buzz Feature: The Pairing by Casey McQuiston
I wrote The Pairing to be a bit of every decadent thing. I wanted it to overflow with flavors and pleasures and lush details. This is a love story about things that taste better together. Food and drink, art and sex, gender and transformation, laughing and crying, pleasure and need, European travel and bisexuals, falling apart and coming back together. It’s about maximalism, about soul mates who needed time apart to grow into the perfect partners for each other. It’s quite a bit about being slutty abroad. And I had the time of my life drowning myself in cookbooks, art history lessons, and French poetry so I could write it. –Casey McQuiston, Letter to Readers

Decide For Yourself Banned Book Feature:
Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera
Juliet is Puerto Rican, lesbian, and mostly just trying to figure herself out. She hopes that an internship with Harlowe Brisbane, renowned feminist author, will help. In a new city, all the way across the country from everything and everyone she knows, Juliet has a chance to learn about herself. Her inner thoughts are snarky and amusing, but also honest and relatable. Juliet Takes a Breath is a wonderful coming-of-age story for the modern era.
― Wendy, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

NEW REVIEWS | SUBSCRIBE | SUBMIT A REVIEW | FOR PUBLISHERS

SOUTHERN INDIE BESTSELLER LIST
For the week ending 9/1/2024

Edelweiss Collections:
(sort by "Catalog Order" to see each list according to rating)

Hardcover Fiction | Hardcover Nonfiction | Trade Paperback Fiction | Trade Paperback Nonfiction | Mass Market | Children's Illustrated | Children's Interest | Children's Series

The Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation is now accepting applications for the Carla Gray Memorial Scholarship for Emerging Bookseller-Activists. The winning bookseller will be awarded a year-long scholarship for professional development, which includes travel and hotel to attend Winter Institute 2025, travel and hotel to attend their 2025 regional fall tradeshow and a $1,000 stipend to fund a community outreach project. The deadline to apply is Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, at 5 p.m. EST. New eligibility requirements and the application can be found at https://www.bincfoundation.org/carla-gray/.

The kids featured in the September and October Read This Next! Young Readers list don't just sit by when something seems wrong. These stories feature kids who are learning to stand up for others, for themselves, and for what they think is right. As Lisa Yee Swope from Bookmarks comments about When Black Girls Dream, "This is a book that makes you feel stronger just by reading it."

RTNext! Kids Bookseller Resources:
Edelweiss Collection | Flyer | Flyer Front (image)

Read is why Southen indie booksellers love these books:

The Sherlock Society by James Ponti
How much trouble can four tweens and a senior citizen get into in a summer? A lot, as readers discover in The Sherlock Society! It turns out that investigating Al Capone and contemporary thieves does come with some risks! --Monie Henderson, Square Books, Oxford, Mississippi

Taxi Ghost by Sophie Escabasse
Armed with new ghost friends, medium powers, and some unexpected assistance, Adèle finds herself in the middle of a fight to save her city from predatory real estate developers. Sounds a bit wacky, but I promise you, you're gonna love this one. -- Jamie Kovacs, Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

The Beautiful Game by Yamile Saied Méndez
In this delightful middle-grade read full of attitude, Val is forced to dig deep, figure out who she is as a teammate, friend, and daughter, and- most importantly- learn to play like a girl. --Morgan Holub, E. Shaver, Bookseller, Savannah, Georgia

When the World Tips Over by Jandy Nelson
The correct word does not exist for how incredibly beautiful this story is. Jandy Nelson's talent for creating characters that feel like your own peers (even at the age of 26) is completely unmatched. --Abbie Cyr, Sassafras on Sutton, Black Mountain, North Carolina

Bog Myrtle by Sid Sharp
This creepily-cute and razor-sharp fable has all the old-school deadly morality of the Brothers Grimm. A challenging (in both content and vocabulary), dark, yet adorable picture book for fans of Jon Klassen’s The Skull. --Megan Bell, Underground Books, Carrollton, Georgia

When Black Girls Dream Big by Tanisia Moore, Robert Paul (illus.)
Tanisia Moore has mixed powerful affirmations with the strength of examples of those who have gone before. This is a book that makes you feel stronger just by reading it. --Lisa Yee Swope, Bookmarks, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Current Read This Next! books and what SIBA booksellers have to say about them can always be found at The Southern Bookseller Review

The SIBA Board of Directors has announced the slate for the 2024 Board Elections. Two seats are coming open, held by Janet Geddis of Avid Bookshop, who is completing her second term, and Julia Davis, The Book Worm Bookstore, who is seeking re-election.

In addition, the board will be expanded by two seats to increase member representation, as set out in SIBA's newly revised bylaws, approved in the spring.

The slate:

Julia Davis, The Book Worm Bookstore, Powder Springs, GA
Rayna Nielsen, Blue Cypress Books, New Orleans, LA
Cristina Nosti, Books & Books, Coral Gables, FL
Lucile Perkins-Wagel, Blinking Owl Books, Fort Myers, FL
Melissa Taylor, E. Shaver, bookseller, Savannah, GA
Nicole Yasinsky, Novel., Memphis, TN 

Voting is open now and will close on September 19, 2024. Each SIBA bookstore that is a current member has one vote. VOTE HERE

Stores can log in to check their membership status and contact nicki@sibaweb.com if they have questions about their account.

JULIA DAVIS

Bio:
Julia R. Davis (she/her) was elected to the SIBA Board in 2021 and is currently serving as SIBA's President. In that capacity she has guided the organization through major changes, included the adoption of SIBA's revised bylaws in 2024. She was born and raised in New York. She spent over 15 years in the legal profession with 7 of those years managing law firms. Davis took ownership of The Book Worm Bookstore, located in historic Downtown Powder Springs, Georgia, in November 2020 when the former owner retired. Ms. Davis’ passion for promoting self-love and literacy has become the foundation that The Book Worm stands on.  The store's motto is "Where love is shared as much as stories!"

Julia also hosts a series of children’s events, appropriately titled “I Love ME!” designed to encourage children to love themselves as they are. In February 2014, Ms. Davis published her first children’s book “I Love me because….I’m DIFFERENT.” Currently, there are eight published picture books, one Chapter Book, and various self-love items in the continually growing I LOVE ME! Book Series.

Statement: 
It has been an honor to serve on the Board these past 3 years. During that time we have been able to update our Bylaws to help us expand our membership to be more reflective of the diversity of this growing community of booksellers. The SIBA team continues to work hard in providing programming to help our community grow, remain diverse, and continue to stand out. We still have some work to do and I would love to continue another term to help our industry and region grow well beyond what the world expects of the bookselling community.

RAYNA NIELSEN

Bio:
Rayna Nielsen’s formal training is in travel and tourism but her lifelong career is bookselling. She began her bookselling career in her home state of Florida then continued after moving to Louisiana in 2005. She has spent over a decade as a bookseller at independent bookstores in New Orleans, including her current position as Event Specialist at Blue Cypress Books. She is the creator and host of Book Banter, a virtual event series and she currently serves as President of the Independent Bookseller Association of Greater New Orleans.

Statement:
I am passionate about independent bookselling and would be honored for the opportunity to celebrate and grow the world of independent bookselling in the South by serving on the SIBA board.

CRISTINA NOSTI

Bio:
Cristina Nosti is Director of Events and Programming at Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida. She programs and helps to market over 600 events a year. As a Latina-identified person, her approach is community-centric and interdisciplinary and stems from her background in the arts. Before coming to Books & Books, Cristina worked as Development Director for the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami. She was the Executive Director of the Cuban Museum of Art & Culture, in the early 90s, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Oscar B. Cintas Foundation to award fellowships in the arts to creators of Cuban descent. She has also worked as General Manager of Miami Dade College’s Department of Cultural Affairs and as Author Liaison for Miami Book Fair. She has also worked in Hollywood, California as a reader of screenplays and in the television industry (her father was a pioneer of Spanish-language programming in the United States). She lives in Coral Gables, Florida with her partner, the ghost of their beloved dog and lots and lots of books.

Statement:
It’s all about paying it forward. After working for Mitchell Kaplan for 22 years, I think I’ve learned a thing or two about the art of bookselling. Now, I’d like to share what I know with others and try to make a difference in our industry, especially for a future generation of booksellers. I think I have a lot to give and I would be proud to serve.

LUCILE PERKINS-WAGEL

Bio:
Hey y’all! I’m the owner of Blinking Owl Books in Fort Myers, Florida, a US Air Force veteran, and a queer Florida swamp witch! I absolutely adore talking about books with anyone who’s willing (especially the spicy and/or spooky ones), and I feel incredibly honored every day to be able to share stories with others for a living!

Statement:
Indie booksellers are genuinely some of my favorite people in the whole wide world! I would absolutely relish the opportunity to be able to give back to the Southern bookselling community, and would be honored to be able to offer the SIBA board my unique perspective not only as a Florida bookseller, but also as someone who has worked as a frontline bookseller, an assistant manager, and now an owner who does *all of the things* at her own store!

MELISSA TAYLOR

Bio:
Melissa Taylor is a bookseller with over 20 years of industry experience. She is currently the co-owner of E. Shaver, Bookseller which was named Best Bookstore in the South by the readers of Southern Living and is also included in the book 150 Bookstores You Need to Visit Before You Die. She is the cohost of the podcast Pull Your Shelf Together and serves on the Binc Finance Committee. She lives in Savannah with her husband (a former bookseller) and their two rescue dogs.

Statement:
I would like to serve on the SIBA board because I strongly believe in the work that SIBA does to help booksellers. I think that my knowledge and experience could help other booksellers face the challenges in our industry. As a board member, I would also like to address larger issues in our industry like making bookselling sustainable.

NICOLE YASINSKY

Bio:
Nicole Yasinsky is currently the Marketing Manager at Novel in Memphis,TN. She started her bookselling journey at Davis-Kidd Booksellers way back in the late 1900s, and immediately knew that she had found her people. This was before bookstores had the internet, in a time when they were fighting to keep up with big box stores, and before anyone knew exactly what a Jeff Bezos was, or how he would impact the world of bookselling and bookstores for years to come.

Her bookselling career has spanned 26 years, 3 different indie bookstores (in the exact same spot!), a whole lot of challenges, and sparked a life-long love affair with the book industry. About half of her years were dedicated to running the Children's Department, before a shift in gears to head up the Marketing team, and eventually helping put together a whole new bookstore (Novel) after the liquidation of The Booksellers at Laurelwood in 2017.

Statement:
In my time as a bookseller, I have seen the innumerable benefits of SIBA membership -- the free exchange of knowledge, the dedication to helping bookstores of all kinds, and the strength of a community that knows we are all connected and that our industry is its best when we help each other succeed. It would be an honor to serve on the SIBA board to further my commitment to our region and our industry by rolling up my sleeves and getting to work to show up for booksellers in the South.