Several of SIBA's staff mention below that they are currently reading -- and loving -- Camille Dungy's new memoir, Soil: The Story of a Black Mother's Garden.
Soil is one of the titles that will be featured in May's Special Edition of The Southern Bookseller Review which is dedicated to "Nature and the Environment." Upcoming Special SBR issues include:
Having staff reviews featured in SBR's newsletter is a good way to raise your store's visibility. SBR regularly shares store reviews as part of its social media strategy to promote Southern Indie bookstores. Authors and publishers are tagged when we do. Many of those same authors and publishers also receive the newsletter, which is SIBA's fastest-growing publication.
Booksellers can submit reviews in one of two ways:
The Southern Bookseller Review launches thematic monthly issue
The Southern Bookseller Review is a reader-targeted website and weekly newsletter showcasing book reviews and staff picks from Southern indie booksellers. Reviews come from store websites, newsletters, social media, and submissions to Edelweiss Plus, the book industry platform for marketing and ordering new titles. Since SBR was first delivered in January 2021, the newsletter's readership has grown almost twenty percent. Bookstores are using their posted reviews as "staff picks" on their own store websites.
This year SBR is launching a monthly thematic "special edition" of the newsletter, featuring bookseller reviews of books around a specific topic. The February edition "Celebrating Black Voices" released February 18, generating an open rate of over 50%,, and a click through rate of 28%.
Reservations are now being accepted for future Special Editions:
March: Women's History (sold out!)
April: Poetry Month
May: Motherhood
June: Pride Month
July: Summer Reads
August: Cooking/harvest
Sept.: National Hispanic Heritage/Latinx Voices
Oct: Spooky!
Nov: Regional Holiday Reads
Dec.: Winter Reads
Each edition is published mid month, on the Friday of the week of the 15th. To be eligible for inclusion, a book must have a positive review from a SIBA bookseller, and must be available at industry standard terms. Pre-orders are accetable. Cost for inclusion is $399 per review.
SIBA promotes six new books every month to readers, the customers of our member stores, in our Southern Bookseller Review (SBR) Bookshelf promotion. These titles appear at the top of our weekly SBR newsletter, which has a circulation of over 60k. We also feature them on our SBR facebook page, with buy links promoted to our 15,000 Facebook friends, and on our Instagram and Twitter accounts. A different member store is featured with the titles every week. We give SIBA member stores a heads up on each month’s featured titles, to encourage in-store and online displays.
For publishers looking to promote their new titles out to readers across the South, the SBR Bookshelf is our greatest value because of high visibility and engagement across multiple platforms. Contact us for more information or to get your titles on “The Shelf” in coming months.
Coming up in March
Bad Girls at Samarcand by Karin Zipf, LSU Press
The Baddest Girl on the Planet by Heather Frese, Blair
Sing Me Forgotten by Jessica S. Olsen, Inkyard Press
Five Ways to Fall Out of Love by Emily Martin, Inkyard Press
The Shell Collector by Nancy Naigle, Waterbrook Press
In the Shadow of the Moon: America, Russia, and the Hidden History of the Space Race by Amy Cherrix, Balzer + Bray
SIBA promotes six new books every month to readers, the customers of our member stores, in our Southern Bookseller Review (SBR) Bookshelf promotion. These titles appear at the top of our weekly SBR newsletter,
which has a circulation of over 60k. We also feature them on our SBR facebook page, with buy links promoted to our 15,000 Facebook friends, and on our Instagram and Twitter accounts. A different member store is featured with the titles every week.
We give SIBA member stores a heads up on each month’s featured titles, to encourage in-store and online displays.
For publishers looking to promote their new titles out to readers across the South, the SBR Bookshelf is our greatest value because of high visibility and engagement across multiple platforms. Contact us for more information or to get your titles on “The
Shelf” in coming months.
Coming up for February:
The Kindest Lie by Nancy Johnson, William Morrow & Company
'Til I Want No More by Robin W. Pearson, Tyndale House Publishers
And Then She Vanished by Nick Jones, Blackstone Publishing
Cormorant Lake by Faith Merino, Blackstone Publishing
Annie Laura's Gift by Milinda Jay, Mercer University Press
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.
Posted By Nicki Leone,
Thursday, December 31, 2020
The response to the launch of The Southern Bookseller Review has enthusiastic. The subscriber list increased by 5% within the first couple days of the announcement.
An important component of SBR is a strong social media strategy, designed specifically to raise the profiles of SIBA member stores by sharing their reviews of books. SIBA has welcomed Lucy Perkins-Wagel onto the team as its Social Media Coordinator to manage SIBA's and SBR's social media.
As we move into the New Year, SIBA booksellers and members witll see some further changes as we complete the launch:
Okra Picks is now Read This Next! A selection of seasonal forthcoming books with exceptional bookseller excitement and buzz. See the 2021 Winter Read This Next list in this newsletter.
Lady Banks Bookshelf is now the SBR Shelf: Six books per month, promoted to readers, and click through links to purchase at a SIBA member store.
AuthorsRoundtheSouth.com will redirect to The Southern Bookseller Review website, the new home of SIBA's reader-targeted programming, including the Southern Bestseller List, The Southern Book Prize, and the SBR Newsletter.
The STARS Bookstore Directory will now live on the The Southern Bookseller Review website. All requests for the old site will automatically redirect to the new location.
Don't forget! On January 6 at 2 pm, EST SIBA will be hosting an orientation of The Southern Bookseller Review website and newsletter. We'll take people through the site and discuss how booksellers and publishers can make the most of the new program. REGISTER
SIBA promotes six new books every month to readers, the customers of our member stores, in our Southern Bookseller Review (SBR) Bookshelf promotion. These titles appear at the top of our weekly SBR newsletter, which has a circulation of over 60k. We also feature them on our SBR facebook page, with buy links promoted to our 15,000 Facebook friends, and on our Instagram and Twitter accounts. A different member store is featured with the titles every week. We give SIBA member stores a heads up on each month’s featured titles, to encourage in-store and online displays.
For publishers looking to promote their new titles out to readers across the South, the SBR Bookshelf is our greatest value because of high visibility and engagement across multiple platforms. Contact us for more information or to get your titles on “The Shelf” in coming months.
Posted By Nicki Leone,
Thursday, December 17, 2020
On January 6 at 2 pm SIBA will be hosting an orientation of The Southern Bookseller Review website and newsletter. We'll take people through the site and discuss how booksellers and publishers can make the most of the new program.
The mission of SBR is to raise the visibility of SIBA bookstores and booksellers in the industry and within their own communities by focusing on booksellers as an invaluable and trusted resource for book lovers of all kinds. SBR replaces several of SIBA's
previous consumer-targeted programs, including Lady Banks Commonplace Book, Authors Round the South, and the STARS Directory and Calendar.
Topics will include:
how reviews are submitted and chosen for publication
how stores are added to the bookseller directory
SBR's social media strategy
how booksellers can use SBR to promote their store
Posted By Nicki Leone,
Thursday, December 10, 2020
Updated: Wednesday, December 9, 2020
Introducing The Southern Bookseller Review:
A Book for Every Reader
(December 10, 2020) The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance is excited to announce the launch of The Southern Bookseller Review, a website and weekly newsletter focused on reviews from Southern indie booksellers. The Southern Bookseller Review (SBR) introduces a new approach to SIBA’s commitment to outreach and advocacy for its bookstore members with their customers, potential customers, and the general reading public. Designed to showcase the wide range of southern readers’ literary tastes
and interests, SBR is the evolution of several long-standing, consumer-facing SIBA programs: Authors Round the South, Okra Picks, and The Lady Banks Commonplace Book newsletter.
At the heart of SBR are book reviews by SIBA booksellers of the books they are most excited to hand-sell. Reviews come from store websites, newsletters, social media, and submissions to Edelweiss Plus, the book industry platform for marketing and
ordering new titles.
“Indie booksellers know that getting the right book at the right time into the hands of the right reader is life-changing,” says SIBA Executive Director Linda-Marie Barrett, “The Southern Bookseller Review is a unique and beautiful vehicle for
making these connections happen. We are providing a thoughtfully curated selection of book reviews and more, from across our territory, that highlight the diverse literary tastes of our booksellers and their delight in bringing these books to readers
everywhere.”
Indie booksellers put their reputations on the line when they recommend a book to their customers, who are not screen names and avatars, but their neighbors and friends. Readers know that the recommendations they receive from their local bookshop
are informed, sincere, and trustworthy. And because booksellers are the most avid of avid readers, their enthusiasm for the books they love is irresistible. Nancy Olson, the late beloved owner of Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, NC once told Angela Davis-Gardener
“I just want to stuff books down their throats!” SBR is built on bookseller excitement and the belief that independent booksellers are experts in the art of “You’ve got to read this!”
Posted By Nicki Leone,
Thursday, December 10, 2020
Updated: Wednesday, December 9, 2020
A Bookseller Guide to The Southern Bookseller Review
The Southern Bookseller Review website and weekly newsletter feature reviews from Southern indie booksellers and showcases the wide range of
literary tastes and interests of Southern readers. SBR is the evolution of several long-standing, consumer-facing SIBA programs: Authors Round the South, Okra Picks, and The Lady Banks Commonplace Book newsletter.
SBR Reviews come from store websites, newsletters, social media, and submissions to Edelweiss Plus, the book industry platform for marketing and ordering new titles. You can read the press release here.
The SBR Website
The new home of SIBA’s reader-targeted programming, the SBR website includes:
Read This Now! A searchable database of bookseller reviews, tagged by subject, store, and interest
Read This Next! A seasonal list of featured forthcoming books receiving extra bookseller buzz
A searchable directory of Southern independent bookstores, with links to their store reviews
The Southern Bookseller
Review weekly newsletter replaces the personal missive-style of Lady Banks’ Commonplace Book as a reader-targeted newsletter. SBR is focused on bookseller reviews that demonstrate the wide range of reading interests and literary culture in their communities.
Reviews include a mix of new books, forthcoming books, backlist discoveries, reading lists, and bookstore-centric features such as bookseller profiles or store community initiatives and partnerships. All books are linked back to the reviewing store
for purchase. The primary goal of the newsletter is to emphasize Southern independent booksellers as a source for good and trustworthy recommendations of what to read next, for every kind of reader.
Mobile Responsive and Social Media Friendly
The Southern Bookseller Review website and newsletter are built to be mobile responsive and highly social-media friendly. SIBA is rebranding its own reader-targeted social media accounts to SBR and has added a social media coordinator to its staff
to share SBR reviews and raise the visibility of reviewing stores.
Timeline:
In 2021 SIBA will convert its Lady Banks mailing list to The Southern Bookseller Review. Click here to subscribe to now.
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Several of SIBA's staff mention below that they are currently reading -- and loving -- Camille Dungy's new memoir, Soil: The Story of a Black Mother's Garden.
Reservations are now being accepted for future Special Editions:
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