GALLEYS & GIVEAWAYS
Welcome to SIBA's Galleys & Giveaways—our alert of review copies and resources available to booksellers. To help you harvest a great crop of Southern literature, SIBA and participating publishers are giving away the galleys and other materials below to southern indie booksellers on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you are interested simply email the publisher to request a copy. Supplies are limited, so act quickly!
Liked what you read? Let everyone know!
- Nominate for the next season of SIBA's Okra Picks!
- Nominate for the next Southern Book Prize!
- Send nicki@sibaweb.com your review for the Lady Banks newsletter
- Submit to IndieNext
- Review on Edelweiss+ (be sure to click the "SIBA" option in the review box)
N.B. These are review copies only, and not for resale.
Eat. Sleep. Read. Southern.
Confound It (Dreamwalker Mystery #5), by Maggie Toussaint
Camel Press / 6/1/2018 / $16.95 / Paperback / 9781603815956
"A complex, multifaceted read that holds many satisfying twists and turns even for the staid detective story reader. Confound It will prove hard to put down and surprising right up to its final revelations." —Midwest Book Review
"In her fifth Dreamwalker novel, Maggie Toussaint pairs a tricky murder plot with her amazingly original supernatural setting…a dream come true for fans of paranormal mysteries." —Leigh Perry, Author of the Family Skeleton Mysteries
"Toussaint's deft writing makes Baxley leap off the page."—RT Reviews
While hosting out-of-town guests at her Georgia home, Dreamwalker Baxley Powell helps investigate a suspicious fire. One of her guests, close friend and fellow dreamwalker Deputy Sam Mayes, accompanies her to the scene.
A meth cook is dead, and when Baxley visits her beyond the Veil of Life, she determines the woman was murdered. Baxley pities Mandy Patterson, a single mother with aspirations for her teenage son Doodle. Unconcerned about the death of a criminal, the authorities pursue the drug-supply chain angle. Baxley worries about Doodle and vows to find his mother's killer.
As the case grows more baffling, Baxley struggles against her attraction to Sam. Although her husband is missing and declared dead, she doesn't feel free to love again until she's sure of his fate.
Two suspects have the strongest motive, but Baxley believes they are pawns in a deeper game. Unless she can stop them, the world will never be the same.
"Full of surprises and borders on the fantasy or paranormal genre…witty and thought provoking!" —Ind' Tale Magazine
"I didn't want the experience to end…this book earned a place on my bookshelf to be read again and again." —Karla Brandenburg
To request a review copy: aubrey@epicenterpress.com or maggietoussaint@darientel.net
MEET THE BOOKSELLER: LYN ROBERTS, SQUARE BOOKS
Name: Lyn Roberts
Store and location: Square Books, Oxford, Mississippi
website || facebook || twitter || instagram
Number of years as a bookseller: 30 years
Best part about being a bookseller: Books and people and inhabiting that sweet spot where the two meet each other.
What book(s) are you reading:
Aaron Thier, THE WORLD IS A NARROW BRIDGE.
Favorite handsell of 2017: Hannah Tinti, THE TWELVE LIVES OF SAMUEL HAWLEY
Best thing you did this year at your store:
Lots of good things happened in 2017. Our state has two tax-free holidays each year, one for back to school and the other is a "2nd Amendment" sales tax holiday on guns and ammunition. We began lobbying for a "1st Amendment" sales tax holiday and offer a discount to offset the sales tax on the same weekend as the gun sales tax holiday. It's a positive way to show what is important to us and start a conversation.
Social Media Stats (FB likes, Twitter followers, etc)
Facebook: 10k |
Twitter: 12k |
Instagram: 9.1k
What are some ways you work with your community?
We try to get books to kids. We send authors to the schools when we can and we work with the Lafayette County Literacy Council and other groups to bring an author into town to speak to the 1st and 5th grades. Every student in the county in those grades will receive a free copy of that author's book to keep.
Top priority going into 2018:
It's the same priority every year---be better. That means continuing to provide staff with all the tools they need to be informed about books and make sales. It means reaching out to our community on an individual and group level. It means updating our website so we can give customers the best online experience and encourage them to come to the store. It's having the best curated inventory. It means having strong relationships with authors in our local community and in the larger book industry community. It means fostering healthy relationships and open communication lines with publishers.
Favorite SIBA programming benefit:
I really appreciate the community and access to the combined knowledge of so many booksellers, so the listserv is my favorite.
THE BOOKS YOUR COLLEAGUES ARE TALKING ABOUT
Submitted this week on Edelweiss+ using the "send to SIBA" option. Thanks to Avid Bookshop, Fiction Addiction, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe, McIntyres Books, Page 158 Books, Square Books, The Story Shop, and Union Avenue Bookshop.
9781573247436 Protest Kitchen 10/1/2018
"I love the way the book combines recipes with recommended actions for people who want to make a change."
9780440000785 Vox 8/12/2018
"An absolute must read for Fans of Station Eleven, The Handmaid's Tale and When She Woke, Vox may ironically be the discussion-starter of the season."
9781524733377 The Price You Pay 7/10/2018
"When this book is over you will want to take a shower for putting yourself on the side of the despicable miscreant. . .Funny thing is...it won't stop you from eagerly devouring every page of this one."
9781524732813 The Impostor 8/28/2018
"A perfect mix of Javier Marias' compulsive need to unpeel a topic and Emmanuel Carrere's introspective, self-reflective non-fiction."
9780525515029 Small Spaces 9/25/2018
"A deliciously creepy middle-grade novel that will inspire under the covers flashlight reading."
More bookseller reviews
If your store does not have an Edelweiss+ account and needs help setting one up, contact Linda-Marie
The Macmillan Booksellers Professional Development Scholarship, a program sponsored by the Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation and Macmillan Publishers to provide professional development to booksellers traditionally underrepresented within the industry, is returning for 2018.
Each scholarship will cover the cost of travel, lodging, and meals for one bookseller to attend their regional trade show. Nine scholarships are available – one for each regional independent bookseller association. To be eligible to apply for a scholarship, a bookseller must have worked in a bookstore as a regular full or part-time employee for a minimum of 90 days. The bookstore must be a member in good standing of one of the regional trade associations. The applicant will answer three brief essay questions and the winners will be selected by a panel composed of Binc board members, booksellers, bookstore owners, and publishers. 
