Based on our booksellers' conviction that you can never have too many good books, Read This Next! is adding a bimonthly Kids list for 2024. Along with the monthly list of five titles for adults, every two months Read This Next! will highlight six books for young readers which have been receiving exception buzz and enthusiasm from Southern indie booksellers.

The January 2024 Adult List is an eclectic collection of literary fiction, cautionary tales, found love, and writerly advice. Read what booksellers have to say here

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

What SIBA Booksellers have to say:

Last Call at the Local by Sarah Grunder Ruiz
An enthralling, and wonderful story about two people who have issues of their own working through them and still living life on a daily basis. It also takes place in Ireland, what's not to love about that?
– Mandy Harris from Angel Wings Bookstore in Stem, North Carolina

1000 Words : A Writer's Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round by Jami Attenberg
1000 Words is a guide for writers, but I think anyone interested in reading would truly enjoy this one. I loved the features from some of my favorite authors.
– Jessica Nock from Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

Only If You're Lucky by Stacy Willingham
This book paints a tale where you can believe given the right circumstances anyone can resort to the most extreme actions of self-preservation. This is not a heart lifting book of survival, more a spine chilling book of survival.
– Jackie Willey from Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler
The Tusks of Extinction hurt me, inspired me, and taught me. Nayler's conservationist novella reaches into depths of human empathy and bares it all for examination. Nothing so short has ever made me cry so much.
– Isabel Agajanian from Oxford Exchange in Tampa, Florida

Come and Get It by Kiley Reid
Come and Get It has everything I love about Kiley Reid (her ear for dialog is unparalleled, and she does realistic social cringe so. well.) with an added layer of tenderness towards her characters -- most of which are a whole entire aggravating MESS -- that blew me out of the water. I did NOT expect to be sobbing at the end, but sobbing I was.
– Kat Leache from Novel, Inc. in Memphis, Tennessee

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

The January/February Kids List is all about being yourself and making a difference, and includes books for all ages, from picture books up to young adult stories.

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

Here is why Southen indie booksellers love them:

Like So by Ruth Forman, Raissa Figueroa (Illus.)
With gorgeous illustrations, this is a sweet story about the love between a grandmother and child. This one will tug at your heart strings!
– Jessica Nock from Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina

José Feeds the World by Marta Álvarez Miguéns (Illus.), David Unger
This book highlights the power of one person's idea and the way one can mobilize and inspire many. This would be a great book to share with a young reader who has questions about why disasters happen and what we can do to help those affected.
– Kate Storhoff from Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

How the Boogeyman Became a Poet by Tony Keith, Jr.
A truer than most story written in verse like it should be. Tony relates how he became the first person in his family to become openly gay and a university graduate. It is a moving story of his trials and tribulations.
– Judith Lafitte from Octavia Books in New Orleans, Louisiana

We Got the Beat by Jenna Miller
Jordan is not sporty and her nemesis has just been named captain of the volleyball team. Could it get any worse? This fun, sweet YA romcom was a delight to read!
– Jennifer Jones from Bookmiser, Inc. in Marietta, Georgia

The Wild by Yuval Zommer
This book is absolutely gorgeous. It is a gentle introduction to the concept of why conservation is important. Perfect for Earth Day readalouds.
– Jill Hendrix from Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

Both lists, with full reviews from SIBA booksellers, will be published at The Southern Bookseller Review on January 1st. Current Read This Next! books can be found here.

And books on past lists make an interesting and unusual "best of the year" reading list for book clubs choosing their picks for the new year.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 11, 2023

TWO SIBA BOOKSELLERS RECEIVE NANCY OLSON BOOKSELLER AWARD

(Asheville, NC) SIBA is very pleased to announce the recipients of the 2023 Nancy Olson Bookseller Award, honoring the memory of the legendary bookseller and founder of Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, NC. Es Davis of Golden Fig Books in Durham, North Carolina and Alex McLeod of The Haunted Book Shop in Mobile, Alabama will each receive a $2500 cash award in recognition of their work bringing books to readers.

The 2023 Nancy Olson Bookseller Award Recipients

The Award selection committee includes SIBA Executive Director Linda-Marie Barrett, Nancy Olson's husband Jim Olson, and long-time bookseller Sarah Goddin who worked with Nancy Olson at Quail Ridge Books. The committee noted that the 2023 selection process was especially difficult thanks to the high number of nominations of deserving booksellers.

Sarah Goddin said, "I never realized how excruciatingly painful [the selection process] might be! We had such a difficult choice because there are too many amazing booksellers in the SIBA territory. I also have to hand it to those writing the nominations, who were exceptionally eloquent."

Jim Olson also said, "Nancy would be thrilled with our selections as both Es Davis and Alex McLeod exemplify her love of bookselling and putting the right book in the hands of a customer."

SIBA Executive Director Linda-Marie Barrett said, "It was heartwarming to read the nominations submitted for booksellers across SIBA territory. Our communities are much richer for their presence and constant hard work connecting readers with books, and those in need with resources like housing, meals, medical assistance, counseling, and more. Thank you to our anonymous donor for an award that honors the great Nancy Olson, and truly makes a difference in a bookseller’s life. Congratulations to our winners, Es Davis and Alex McLeod!"

About the Nancy Olson Bookseller Award

The Nancy Olson Bookseller Award was created by SIBA in cooperation with an admirer of the late legendary bookseller in recognition of her tireless support of writers, especially new writers. An award in her memory of $2500 is given in December to two SIBA booksellers who are not store owners.

For more information about the Nancy Olson Bookseller Award, visit sibaweb.com.

SOUTHERN INDIE BESTSELLER LIST
For the week ending 12/3/2023

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

CALIBA Joins RAMP Holiday Catalog Consortium
CALIBA, the California Independent Booksellers Alliance, will join SIBA, NAIBA and GLIBA as part of the RAMP consortium in 2024. RAMP is responsible for creating summer and holiday print and consumer catalogs for all the participating regional booksellers associations. The addition of CALIBA to the group gives RAMP a coast-to-coast reach. Read more at RAMPbooks.com

CALIBA seeking Executive Director
The California Independent Booksellers Alliance is seeking a new executive director. This is a full-time, work from home position paying between $65-80k, commensurate with experience and skill set. More info

Indie Bookstore Lunch Drawing from Books Forward
Books Forward is supporting indie booksellers by buying lunch for their teams during the busy holiday season! How it works: Enter your local/fave indie bookstores in our drawing, and winners will receive lunch for their team in December. Nominations close November 30. Enter here.

Ten Southern Booksellers Receive Scholarships to Winter Institute:
On Behalf of ABA from the Scholarship application process:
Jasmine Atkins, Birdsong Books (Locust Grove, GA) Judith McClellan, Horton's Books & Gifts (Carrollton, GA) Luis Correa, Avid Bookshop (Athens, GA) Diana Dominguez, Más Libritos Bookstore (Springdale, AR) Vanessa Nicolle, Femme Fire Books (Jacksonville, FL) Courtney Ulrich Smith, Underbrush Books (Rogers, AR) Kristen Rochelle, The Lazy Daisy Bookshop (Jacksonville, NC) Tayler Simon, Liberation is Lit (Columbia, SC) Sonyah Spencer, Urban Reader Bookstore (Concord, NC)
On Behalf of BINC: Alissa Redmond, South Main Book Company (Salisbury, NC)
Read more

Romance is in the holiday air with the December Read This Next! list. There is a definite "love and adventure" theme to these most-buzzed books of the month.

Every month Read This Next! highlights new books that are receiving exceptional, and exceptionally enthusiastic, buzz from Southern indie booksellers. Each of the selected books has several enthusiastic cheerleaders among Southern indie booksellers. SIBA always makes a point of putting the store excitement and buzz around these books in front of their publishers, raising store visibility with the industry.

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

What SIBA Booksellers have to say:

Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura
This is the romance I've been yearning for, one that fills all my needs for a romance novel version of Romancing the Stone, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and Indiana Jones.
– Preet Singh from Eagle Eye Book Shop in Decatur, Georgia

Second Chances in New Port Stephen by TJ Alexander
The perfect mix of heartwarming holiday charm and queer romance...The characters made my heart ache, they made me laugh, and they gave me the warm fuzzies that come from knowing there are wonderful, genuine, and kind people in the world.
– Emily Lessig from The Violet Fox Bookshop in Virginia Beach, Virginia

Airplane Mode : An Irreverent History of Travel by Shahnaz Habib
I found this to be some of the most moving travel writing I've read in recent years -- it's funny, witty, sometimes scathing, but it's also deeply sincere, personal, and imbued with a love of the world and the people who inhabit it.
– Kate Storhoff from Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Betting on You by Lynn Painter
The perfect slow-burn full of page defying chemistry, witty banter, crazy hijinks, and a whole lot of heart! ...Painter also does an excellent job of exploring themes of anxiety, change, and friendship. It's When Harry Met Sally for a new generation!
– Emma Tara from E. Shaver, bookseller in Savannah, Georgia

Didn't See That Coming by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Kiki is forced by her parents to transfer to a top school for her final year. She is able to escape into gaming where, because of the massive amounts of abuse, she's been playing as a male player. But she's made a great friend in game. When she realizes that her friend actually goes to her new school, she must find out who he is. Didn't See That Coming is both hilarious and heartbreaking while being a fantastic read.
– Jennifer Jones from Bookmiser, Inc. in Marietta, Georgia

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

SIBA is seeking an enthusiastic person to join the SIBA team as Sales Coordinator.

The position's responsibilities include presenting and selling SIBA promotions to our industry partners and new markets. This role will work closely with the SIBA team to support and enhance programming initiatives and meet sales goals.

Desired Experience:
Experience as a bookseller at an independent bookstore, or in publishing is a plus. An understanding of the bookselling industry and of the relationships between publishers, independent booksellers, and readers is vital. As is an understanding of sales trends in the indie book market. Excellent in-person and virtual communication skills required.

Hours per week: 10-15
Salary: $20/hr
Location: Remote with an ability to travel for conferences. Travel is paid for by SIBA.

To apply, send resume to lindamarie@sibaweb.com

For the second year SIBA is partnering with New York Times bestselling author Sarah McCoy, (Mustique Island) to award The McCoy Grant for any unpublished southern women or nonbinary booksellers who harbor ambitions to be published writers.

Two grants of $1,500 each will be awarded to be used toward craft development (writing classes, retreats, conferences, travel), work-related materials (notebooks, laptops, software, research, etc.), childcare, bills, or any other financial obstacle.

"There’s something so magical about people responding to the stories I tell," said 2023 grant recipient Kendra Gayle Lee, owner of Bookish Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia. "Receiving the Sarah McCoy grant felt like a huge vote of confidence from the Universe."

McCoy created the grant because of her own experience as a struggling young writer. "I’ve dreamt of being able to do an initiative like this since I was in graduate school teaching young writing students during the day to pay for my own MFA creative writing courses at night. While my weekends went to grading papers, studying, and writing, I also took on a weekend job with flexible hours to navigate the bills that seem to never stop piling up. I swore then that when I could, I would do my best to help other writers in similar financial straits."

Applications are currently open and will close on March 21, 2024. Recipients will be announced in July and awarded at SIBA's Town Hall Meeting at the 2024 New Voices New Rooms conference in August. To be eligible, the applicant must be an unpublished southern woman or nonbinary bookseller living in one of the states in SIBA territory: Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, and Mississippi, and must have a novel, memoir, essay collection or poetry collection in progress.

Full eligibility criteria and grant application

"If you’re a hoper, a dreamer, a story stoker opening your laptop and a 99¢ can of tuna fish on the coffee table for dinner while you do the work that really lights your fire… then you’re a kindred spirit," says McCoy. "That was me, too. Still is on many nights. You are not alone. $1,500 won’t magically transform everything, but it’s enough to buy a loaf of bread to go with that tuna. I’m grateful to partner with the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA), an organization dedicated to literacy, diversity, and creating a world where all stories are given equal voice and respect. Thank you for being our bookseller champions!"

Read more about the McCoy Grant

SARAH McCOY is the New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of the novels Mustique Island,  Marilla of Green Gables, The Mapmaker’s Children, The Baker’s Daughter, a 2012 Goodreads Choice Award Best Historical Fiction nominee, The Time It Snowed in Puerto Rico, the novella “The Branch of Hazel in Grand Central and Le souffle des feuilles et des promesses(Pride and Providence).  Her work has been featured in Newsweek, Lit Hub, Real Simple, The Millions, Your Health Monthly, Huffington Post, Writer Unboxed, and other publications. She hosted the NPR WSNC Radio monthly program “Bookmarked with Sarah McCoy" and previously taught English writing at Old Dominion University and at the University of Texas at El Paso.

Profile by Candice Huber, SIBA Membership Coordinator

Blacksburg Books is a shop in downtown Blacksburg in Virginia offering new and used books, locally-made drinks, snacks, and crafts, and a community space to browse, meet with friends, and find engaging new things to read and think about. In November 2020, owner Laurie Kelly mentioned in a local Facebook group that she was planning to open a bookstore in town, and the positive response was overwhelming. The bookstore opened its doors in August 2021.

Store Manager Ellen Woodall said that the best thing about being a bookseller is making recommendations! Ellen said, “The process of asking [customers] about their likes and dislikes, hobbies, interests, and then finding them the PERFECT book is one of the best things in the world.”

Blacksburg does some really fun community projects. In their Community Poetry Project, they pick a different topic each week and ask customers to write a few lines in a notebook at the store. At the end of the week, they consolidate and edit those lines into a poem! They just published a book of the first year of poems. They also do “Field Trip Fridays,” where they take a selection of books and snap photos of them at another local business, then post on social media. This is a way to highlight some of the other local spots in town as well as show off their favorite books. They have also donated over 300 new books to the Appalachian Prison Project!

About SIBA, Ellen said, “The Southern Booksellers (sic) Review is super helpful to me when I'm ordering for the store. It's great to discover books that weren't on my radar and read what other booksellers liked about them.”

You can follow Blacksburg Books on Instagram @blacksburg_books or on Facebook. Visit their website at https://www.blacksburgbooks.com/.

Call for Nominations: Nancy Olson Bookseller Award Increases Prize to $2500

Deadline to Nominate is end of day, Friday, December 1, 2023

Recipients will be announced on December 9, 2023

The late Nancy Olson was a legendary bookseller, a first-class wit, a remarkably gentle soul, and a tireless supporter of writers, especially new writers looking for a chance in the publishing world.  Simply put, she was one of the best folks to ever work in the book business, and her Quail Ridge Books was—and is—a literary institution.   An admirer of Nancy’s, in conjunction with SIBA, awards two $2500 gifts in her memory in December, a $500 increase over past years. 

All SIBA booksellers—but not owners—are eligible for the awards. Writers, readers, and/or storeowners may submit a name and any helpful information via email to SIBA at lindamarie@sibaweb.com.  Individual booksellers may also nominate themselves.  While the emails should explain why a particular nominee deserves to be selected, there are no hard and fast rules or requirements or guidelines for the submissions—the hope is to simply honor Nancy and recognize special booksellers.  The winners will be selected from these nominations by Sarah Goddin from Nancy’s Quail Ridge Books, SIBA’s Linda-Marie Barrett, Nancy’s husband Jim, and the donor of the gifts.

Celebrating 25 Years of Great Taste in Southern Literature!

This week SIBA announced the finalists for the 2024 Southern Book Prize (SBP), and opened voting for the 2024 Winners. Read the press release and see the finalists.

The SBP ballot, which is open to the public, is now live at the link above and already votes are coming in. SIBA received several hundred votes, representing customers from over 50 SIBA bookstores, within the first 12 hours of the announcement. And because the last question on the ballot is "Say something nice about your local bookstore" we are also receiving some wonderful expressions of indie bookstore love:

"My local bookstore has the friendliest staff and the sweetest bookstore cats!" (E. Shaver Booksellers, Savannah, GA)

"When I go there, I feel like I’m in a Hallmark movie" (Greene Books, Athens, AL)

"New Dominion Bookshop makes Charlottesville, VA just a little bit brighter every day."

"Virginia Highlands Books (Atlanta, GA) is cozy and amazing. Exactly as a bookstore should be."

SIBA will share these comments as they come in, so be sure to follow us on Instagram to see them.

One of the goals of the Southern Book Prize program is to encourage readers to engage with their local bookstore around the question of what are "the best Southern books of the year." SIBA has created some tools to help stores make the most of the Southern Book Prize:

Embed the SBP ballot on your store website:
Bookstores can add the ballot directly to their websites and direct customers there to vote. Email nicki@sibaweb.com for the embed code, which works just like adding a YouTube video to your site.

Edelweiss collections of the finalists:
Fiction | Nonfiction | Children's & Young Adult

Automatic SBP discount at Ingram:
Ingram is offering an extra 2% on all the SBP finalists through December 11, 2023.  The discount will be automatically applied, no code necessary.

In-store signage:
Shelf Talker | SBP Fiction Flyer | SBP Nonfiction Flyer | SBP Children's and YA Flyer | SBP Finalists Poster

What booksellers have to say about the finalists:
All the SBP finalists have been bookseller favorite hand sells. Read what your fellow booksellers have to say about current and past finalist books on The Southern Bookseller Review.