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. Read the press release.
Goals: To generate book sales, raise the visibility of SIBA booksellers, and establish independent booksellers as a knowledgeable and trusted source for book recommendations for every kind of reader, with every kind of reading taste.
The Southern Bookseller Review website contains multiple opportunities for advertisers to promote their books:
Above-the-fold leaderboards on the home page and the Read This Now/Next and Bookseller Directory subpages.
Sidebar blocks on the Read This Now/Next and Directory subpages.
The SBR Shelf: Six books that are promoted on the Read This Now/read This Next and Bookseller Directory subpages, in social media, and in the SBR newsletter.
Footer Half-banners on all site pages.
All banners are designed to be responsive and and visible in mobile environments. As is standard practice on SIBA's reader-targeted promotions, banners on SBR will click through to SIBA member stores for purchase.
The Southern Bookseller Review weekly newsletter showcases recent book reviews published on the SBR website which reflect the wide range of reading interests of SIBA booksellers and their customers. 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.
Promotional opportunities for The SBR Newsletter:
One header spot at the top of the edition.
In-line leaderboard banners (four total).
The SBR Shelf.
Bookseller Buzz: a story feature for books with multiple bookstore reviews.
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.
The Southern Bookseller Review Guide for Publishers
The Southern Bookseller Review website and newsletter are built to be mobile responsive and highly social media-friendly. SIBA has a social media strategy in place for sharing store reviews and profiles, and driving
traffic and sales to reviewing stores. With an average of 40-60 booksellers representing 25-30 bookstores posting nearly 100 book reviews each week, SBR has an unequaled
potential to put books of all kinds in front of Southern readers. Let bookseller enthusiasm work for your books!
Social Media Promotional Opportunities SIBA has a social media strategy in place to share selected store reviews each day. Which books are chosen is at the discretion of SIBA staff. Publishers can reserve a "social media push"
for a reviewed title to ensure it will be shared, and can included some limited extra content with the review, such as an embedded interview video.
Featured Books All book reviews published on the SBR website and in the SBR newsletter are submitted by Southern
booksellers. SBR selects reviews for publication with a view towards demonstrating the range of reading interests of Southern booksellers and book lovers, and to amplify under-represented voices and communities. Publishers and individual authors: reach out and engage Southern bookellers about reviewing your titles!
Some simple steps to take:
Join SIBA. An industry membership in SIBA comes with access to SIBA's bookstore mailing list.
Consider running an eblast to SIBA booksellers to offer review copies. Booksellers don't write reviews of books they haven't read,
so getting review copies into their hands is important. Eblasts have been shown to be the most effective method of reaching interested booksellers.
Offer ARCs in your Edelweiss listing. Again, booksellers can't review what they can't read!
Does SBR only want reviews of new books? No. Backlist is acceptable, as long as it is in print. SBR is weighted towards books that are available and stores can sell.
Does SBR publish multiple reviews of the same book? Yes, as long as the reviews come from different bookstores. They will not be published simultaneously. Publishing schedules are designed to showcase the range of bookstores and the range of genres. Multiple reviews of a book will be scheduled
to publish at different times so they don't all appear at once.
Do reviews have to be submitted via Edelweiss? No. There is an SBR Review Form for booksellers who don't want to use Edelweiss. All review submissions must come from a SIBA bookstore.
Do you notify publishers when their books are reviewed on SBR? Because of the volume of reviews submitted, SIBA is not able to directly notify publishers when their books are reviewed.
Can a publisher request a specific review to be published? Yes. Email nicki@sibaweb.com for specific requests.
Are self-published books eligible for review on SBR? Yes, as long as they are available via standard industry channels at industry standard terms, and as long as a bookseller submits a review.
Can books be submitted directly to SBR for review? No. SBR only publishes reviews by SIBA booksellers, so all reviews must come via a bookstore.
Are there any sponsorship opportunities for SBR? Yes! Contact Linda-Marie at lindamarie@sibaweb.com to create a sponsorship suited to your needs and budget.
