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Posted By Wanda Jewell,
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
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Dear Friends and Colleagues:
Booksellers are unique people who possess equally the rugged individualism of the entrepreneur and a citizen-steward mindset when it comes to our towns, organizations, and communities. Our perspectives can provide insight into the transformation necessary to reemerge from the COVID-19 crisis stronger people that are part of stronger groups.
Ahead of our regularly scheduled May meeting, the SIBA Board would like to invite all members to share the concerns, thoughts, and challenges facing you as members. We would also ask you to bring, if you have them, any contributions of insight or solutions you have found to problems related to this new reality, things that are providing you comfort and inspiration right now, and any ideas you have to share with our organization and our industry for the future. The format will be open. We encourage you to bring your perspectives.
The constantly-changing information regarding this ongoing pandemic and our various states' policy changes surrounding it are causes of fear and insecurity and we are all facing daily, even hourly, personal and community uncertainties. The sudden onset of an increased amount of difficult, important decisions to make and conversations to have is overwhelming for many of us.
The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance is an amazing community of booksellers and entrepreneurs that share together in the best of times and uplift each other during the worst. The SIBA Board of Directors invites all members (owners and managers, we encourage you to also invite your staff members) to participate in a town hall forum on Friday, April 17th from 1-3 PM EDT to begin a discussion designed to determine what we can all do for each another right now, in this incredibly difficult time, and going forward.
See you at the Town Hall,
The SIBA Board of Directors
Town Hall Forum Link (active 4/17 from 1-3 pm)
Submit your questions or ideas ahead of time here
  
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Posted By Linda-Marie Barrett,
Monday, January 13, 2020
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Gwyn Ridenhour of Matchbook Marketing is designing a new collaborative project between Matchbook and SIBA to promote SIBA book prize winners. The Shop South program will incorporate these book prize promotions into bookstore websites, and where possible, link them to online sales pages. Matchbook is a marketing firm dedicated solely to independent bookstores, and currently works with 65 stores around the country to provide print materials and newsletters, logo and branding creation, website design, and email management. For more information, go to www.WeLoveBooksellers.com
Gwyn will present a preview of the Shop South program at the following March Madness Bookseller Events:
If you'd like to attend one of these events, please register here.
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Posted By Linda-Marie Barrett,
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
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Edelweiss announced the release of their new âEdelweiss +Communitiesâ this week. This allows groups of users with similar interests or functions to share reviews, collections, nominations, and more. If you are a bookseller member of SIBA, you most likely are already in our community. SIBA provided Edelweiss a list of our membership, which they used along with their own list of SIBA Edelweiss users to create the SIBA community. However, if you do not see SIBA among your communities, please join us. You can find SIBA in the list of available communities to join.
You can access the communities set up tool by clicking on âpeopleâ in the top menu, beneath the search bar. Clicking on âpeopleâ directs you to the âcommunities set up tool,â which you can click on for more information beyond the list of available communities to join.

One important change is the removal of the âSend to SIBAâ option with reviews. You can still share your reviews with SIBA by choosing the SIBA community box, along with any other community youâre including in the review share. By sharing with SIBA, your reviews count as Okra Pick and Southern Book Prize nominations, earn you B3! points, plus potential inclusion in our newsletters to booksellers and our industry partners, on our consumer-facing ARTS site, in Lady Banks newsletter, and more. Youâre also alerting other SIBA booksellers to the books youâre loving and recommending in your store, which helps everyone stay on top of whatâs new and noteworthy. When SIBA booksellers get behind a book, it becomes a regional and, often, national bestseller. So, letâs stay connected in the SIBA âcommunityâ on Edelweiss and make great things happen. If you have any problems joining the SIBA community or accessing "Communities" on Edelweiss, please contact us. We're here to help you!
  
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Posted By Linda-Marie Barrett,
Monday, July 23, 2018
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 A Stellar SIBA Revival in Southern Pines! On Friday, July 20, booksellers from McIntyreâs Books, Quail Ridge Books, and The Country Bookshop gathered for a SIBA Bookseller Revival.  SIBA Board member Kimberly Daniels Taws presented with Josh Floyd of IngramSpark, giving an overview of how bookstores are utilizing Ingram Sparksâ services in various ways. Kimberly and her team shared their experiences working with local authors, and their approach to publishing with IngramSpark. They help local authors publish their own work, or publish for them. Their services include project management, local expertise, and quality book production. The Country Bookshop has published two authors under their imprint, with plans for more. They also offer authors resources to DIY. 
Ingram Sparksâ Josh Floyd explained how his program works in bookstores across the country in ways similar to Kimberlyâs, from being a part of a program offered to authors, to becoming the printer for a bookstoreâs imprint. He praised Eagle Eye Book Shop of Decatur, GA for their success with offering marketing services to authors.
Josh also offered samples of store and business-branded journals, produced by IngramSpark, and an example of a calendar that stores could replicate if they wanted to do a store or community calendar. 
Booksellers spent the afternoon brainstorming for next yearâs Independent Bookstore Day, NC-Piedmont Style. Look for some great things to happen for the twelve indie stores participating! Praise from attendees: "This revival session was jam-packed with good information. My coworker felt we picked up more in that short period that was useful to our store going forward than any other education we participated in this year. It was intimate enough that we felt we had meaningful participation and had opportunities to ask questions/ hear from our fellow booksellers. In short, we look forward to attending our next one!â--Keebe Fitch, McIntyre's Books, Pittsboro, NC "I thought the revival was terrific. Â Josh gave a really valuable presentation on using Ingram Spark for setting up a bookstore publishing program. Having Kimberly's first-hand experience with it made it even more useful. I couldn't scribble notes and ideas down fast enough. Equally valuable was the opportunity to network with a few other stores in our area. With inspiration from Josh's presentation and the ability to brainstorm on the spot we were able to flesh out a whole campaign for promoting our stores, NC authors, and Independent Bookstore day through next year! Something that would have taken months of emails otherwise and wouldn't have been half as good (or fun). Thanks to SIBA for giving us this opportunity - and to Ingram for a great program, continued support - and lunch!â--Sarah Goddin, Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NC  "Thank you to everyone who came to the revival. We missed those of you who couldnât join us! Josh did a fantastic job representing IngramSpark, a company that is truly changing the game of what is possible for our stores.â --Kimberly Daniels Taws, The Country Bookshop, Southern Pines, NC
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IngramSpark
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Posted By Linda-Marie Barrett,
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
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How SIBA Members can Get Books to Refugee Children
We reached out to DC Books to Prisons to see how SIBA could support 2,000 Libros, a project to free the minds of our country's youngest prisoners - immigrant children in detention centers. 2,000 Libros is seeking new and gently-used Spanish-language and bilingual books for early to mid-level readers. They enthusiastically agreed to act as an intermediary between SIBA bookstores and detention centers. Hereâs how you can help:
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Bookstores interested in participating please contact Kristin Stadum at 2000libroscampaign@gmail.com for information on shipping, downloadable flyers, and to be part of the official campaign.
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Participating bookstores can add the 2,000 Librosâ wishlist to their site, to encourage customer purchases for donation. Hereâs how the wish list is set up by Politics & Prose on their site.
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Bookstores needing assistance with shipping costs to detention centers might consider adding that element to their fundraising efforts.
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If you are an author, industry affiliate, or consumer friend of SIBA, contact your local independent bookstore and let them know about this campaign. Itâs easy for them to participate, and your donated purchase also supports the bookstore.
Still have questions? Please contact lindamarie@sibaweb.com.
For more information on 2,000 Libros, please visit the project's Facebook page or read any of these articles:
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Posted By Linda-Marie Barrett,
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
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If you need a better reason than "itâs hot and sales are slow and I want to see my bookselling friends" to come to the SIBA revival at The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines on July 20, then here it is: we made more on the $2,000 in retail sales of Proof (a book we published) in June 2018 than we did in the $5,000 retail sales of Range Bucket List in June 2017. Thatâs why Iâm inviting you all to come, as youâll meet the man who knows all about this stuff, Josh Floyd of Ingram Spark, and some of the people whoâve helped us get this little publishing venture (shakily) off the ground. There are a lot of variables in the numbers above so weâll examine them and take a look at the talent needed and costs that go into making these books and these sales possible. I especially encourage North Carolina bookstores to attend as we will spend lunch brainstorming for North Carolina's Map/plan for IBD 2019. Also... our town is really something special. Within two blocks of our store youâll find two yoga studios, an ice cream shop, a cheese shop, a wine shop, an outdoor goods shop, a toy shop, a running shop, a guitar shop, a yarn shop, a theater called The Sunrise, a pizza parlor, a tack shop (horse stuff and cool leather things), some GREAT restaurants, lots of clothing boutiques, the best park in the world, a store that sells chic purses famous nationwide and made by military spouses, two coffee shops, and a growler company. Five blocks away youâll discover The Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities, the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame, and the Southern Pines Brewing Company. Did I mention that all these are independent, locally owned, or a non-profit? Come to the revival, check out our town, and see how easy it is to increase your margins and your offerings. Shoot me an email if you have any specific questions about directions or the town or specific concerns within (or outside) of our topic that you want to discuss. Please rsvp lindamarie@sibaweb.com to let us know youâre coming. Look forward to seeing y'all soon! Kimberly 
140 NW Broad Street Southern Pines, NC 28387 910.692.3211 (store) 910.690.1370 (cell)
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Posted By Linda-Marie Barrett,
Monday, June 11, 2018
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Â
Don't Miss Out on These Scholarships to the SIBA Discovery Show!
SIBA is committed to helping every bookseller who wishes to attend The Discovery Show find a way to come. Every year financial assistance is made available through the generous support of publishers and organizations who recognize what a vital resource the show is for stores. After all, stronger bookstores mean better sales for their books. This year SIBA has the following financial assistance and scholarship opportunities available.
The Macmillan Bookseller Professional Development Scholarship
In partnership with the Binc Foundation, The Macmillan Bookseller Professional Development Scholarship aims to encourage a greater number of individuals from underrepresented groups to choose and/or continue careers in bookselling. This scholarship will allow up to one bookseller to attend their regional trade show. Deadline is July 1. Click here to apply for the scholarship.
Binc Scholarship
Based on financial need, this scholarship is available for a bookseller who has not been to SIBA in recent years because they have been unable to afford it. Â Write a letter of need & desire and email to wanda@sibaweb.com.
The Reba & Dave Scholarship Fund
Open to any bookseller, this scholarship allows ten bookstores, each with up to two booksellers, one hotel room for three nights, and two allpass tickets to the meals at the show. Includes up to $300 in  travel expenses.
Write a letter of need & desire and email to wanda@sibaweb.com.
The Pat Conroy Scholarships, sponsored by Penguin Random House
Two scholarships are designated for booksellers who have never attended a SIBA Discovery Show. This scholarship is in keeping with the Penguin Random Houseâs fifteen-year tradition of supporting educational programming for booksellers at the event. Â The 2 scholarships will cover up to $1,000 of the winnerâs travel, hotel, and meal expenses for the Discovery Show. To be eligible, a bookseller must be a full-time employee of a SIBA-member bookstore, working at any level or capacity.
To apply, the nominated bookseller should fill out the information below, and email it to wanda@sibaweb.com:
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YES! I have never been to SIBA and I would love to go.
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Name
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Address
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E-mail address
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Bookstore: where do you work? How long have you worked there and what is your current role?
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Make Pat Conroy proud! Please write a short (two paragraphs is ideal) description of why you love being a bookseller and what you hope to get out of SIBA.
Scholarship winners will be announced before September 1.
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Posted By Wanda Jewell,
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
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Over 80% of SIBAâs bookstore members report to the New York Times Bestseller List, review books on Edelweiss, submitting to IndieNext, publishers, and SIBA plus maintain an extensive local media list. Over 90% report to the ABA Indie Bestseller List.
Combined our southern bookstores support over 1100 book clubs across the south reaching thousands of southern readers. The themes for these book clubs run the gamut and include: Â Adult, Children, YA, YA for adults, Signed 1st Edition Clubs, Teen, Black Feminist Fiction, Sci Fi, Political, Mystery, Classic, Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, International Literature, Womenâs Voices, âMonday Morningâ, Romance, Spanish, Small Press, Social Justice and many more.
SIBA stores combined have over 500,000 Facebook friends, over 300,000 Instagram, and over 200,000 Twitter followers. In addition, SIBA and her stores email nearly 500,000 readers regularly. SIBAâs social network reach is 22,000 on Facebook, 5000 on Twitter, and 1000 on Instagram making the total reach of SIBA and her stores well over one million!
Over 60% of SIBA bookstores attend the SIBA Discovery Show sending more and more booksellers every year increasing attendance by 10% on average since 2014.
We can carry this momentum forward into the future and imagine a day where we determine to send a message out to our million+ southern readers!
Â
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read this!
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Posted By Linda-Marie Barrett,
Friday, March 30, 2018
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Call for 2019 Conroy Legacy Award Nominations! |
Dear SIBA booksellers,
Now is the time to nominate your choice for the 2019 Conroy Legacy Award. This award represents a âLifetime Achievementâ. The Conroy Legacy Award honors the example of beloved author Pat Conroy and recognizes writers who have achieved a lasting impact on their literary community. Recipients have the following attributes:
- Support for independent bookstores, both in their own communities and in general.
- Writing that focuses significantly on their own home place.
- Support of other writers, especially new and emerging authors.
The Conroy Legacy Award is given to one writer in SIBA territory per year. A juried panel of SIBA member booksellers will choose among nominated writers to determine the yearâs winner.
Although it is not necessary for a nominated writer to have a new book out in the award year, nominated writers must be living, and must have books in print. Nominations must come from SIBA member bookstores. The Legacy Award provides an opportunity for its member stores to recognize writers who have been important in their community.
Both a donation to the Pat Conroy Literary Center and a donation to a literary entity close to the heart of the writer will be made in the name of the Legacy Award recipient.
Nominations close on April 30th. Nominate your choice today!
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conroy legacy award
pat conroy southern book prize
SIBA
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southern book prize
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Posted By Raney Simmon ,
Thursday, October 16, 2014
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As this is my first experience being an intern, I can say for sure one of the things I did not expect to do within my first month with SIBA was go to the SIBA trade show in Norfolk, Va. Caitlin Thigpen, a good friend of mine at Columbia College, is also an intern with SIBA and attended the trade show with me. Before going to the trade show, however, Caitlin and I helped Mrs. Wanda Jewell, our supervisor, with getting prepared. We printed out badges, organized tickets, and scheduled author interviews. Then before we knew it, the trade show began. To say I was excited is an understatement. I was exuberant at having the opportunity to collect galleys of books not yet released. I was also ecstatic because I was able to interview authors about their upcoming books.
One of the most enjoyable experiences for me attending the trade show was meeting all of the authors I was going to be interviewing. I was happy that I was able to interview authors about their new books. As a book worm, I have always wanted to talk to authors about their books and pick their minds as to what inspired them to write their stories. Being at the trade show, I was given that opportunity and found out a lot about the books I would be reading as well as the authors I interviewed. Participating in the Civil War photo booth with the two sisters I interviewed about their book, Sisters of Shiloh, Kathy and Becky Hepinstall was also a lot of fun. During the whole photo process, they provided me with a lot of entertainment and really knew how to make me smile.
Seeing that there were so many people at the trade show who also had a passion for books really made me happy. I enjoyed my time at the trade show. I gained some hands-on experience as both SIBA intern and reporter that I would not get anywhere else. And I received free books as well, which is a big plus for me.
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