FIRST THINGS FIRST:
12/4/2019: B3! Webinar: An Introduction to Bookshop (here)
1/8/2020: B3! Book Club Discusses Brave New Work by Aaron Dignan (rsvp)
1/15/2020: Independent Bookstore Day Catalog is published (here)
2/3/2020: Deadline to place your IBD orders (no late orders this year!) (here)
SIBA Office Hours: Wednesdays from 2:00 - 5:00 PM EST (by appointment in November and December)
In the Land of SIBA Blog
THE BOOKSHOP: AN OPEN LETTER FROM ANDY HUNTER
On December 4 at 2 pm SIBA is hosting a webinar with Andy Hunter, Bookshop founder, and Sarah High, bookseller liaison, to introduce Bookshop and answer questions about how it will partner with and benefit independent bookstores. Hunter has published an open letter on the ABA website to respond to some of the many questions and concerns Bookshop has generated among indie booksellers, especially those with already active and successful ecommerce websites:
"It has been wonderful to see how resilient bookstores have been over the past decade. But I worry about the future when I see Amazon growing from 37.7% of Bookscan’s reported sales in 2015 to over 50% in 2019, and e-commerce’s share of the U.S. retail market growing 14% year-over-year. I believe indies need a piece of online sales to safeguard their future. Some have adapted: approximately 150 stores have websites that reach five figures in annual revenue; about 25 stores reach six figures — but the majority of stores do not.
...I hope that Bookshop can help strengthen the fragile ecosystem and margins around bookselling by providing an alternative to Amazon for socially-conscious online book-buyers."
Read the full letter
Sign up for the SIBA Webinar
 In the first couple weeks of voting, SIBA has already received hundreds of ballots for the 2020 Southern Book Prize, from customers of over 40 SIBA member bookstores. SIBA encourages its members to get their customers involved. The ballot will stay open until February 1 -- plenty of time for everyone to #VoiceYourChoice for the best Southern book of the year. www.SouthernBookPrize.com
SIBA has a developing toolkit of resources to help stores get the most out of the Southern Book Prize voting season:
- Edelweiss Collection: All the finalists in one place for easy reference!
- Ballot Postcard: Because when it comes to placing a vote, some folks just prefer a paper ballot! If you have run out of postcard ballots to hand out to your customers you can download the ballot to print more.
- Ballot embed code: You can place the online ballot directly on your website and encourage your customers to vote without leaving your site.
- Ballot Online: www.southernbookprize.com
- Action Checklist: What to do and when to do it in order to make the most out of the Southern Book Prize for your store.
- Customizable Press Release: Let your local media know that you are a sponsoring partner of the Southern Book Prize, and that their readers have a voice in choosing the best Southern books of the year.
- Social Media Links: All the social media tags, handles and accounts you need to promote the Southern Book Prize finalists. Be sure to tag the author when you are talking about their book.
- Bookseller Reviews: A collection of the reviews your fellow SIBA booksellers have written about the finalist books.
Social Media Graphics: Right-click on any of the images below
to save them to your computer, then upload them to your website, social media or for email and other marketing. SIBA will publish new ones every week.
  
Up to date information can always be found here
Next week on Lady Banks Pick of the Week:
Read more about SIBA's Circle of Sites Program (aka the "banner for dues" program) and find out whether your store is eligible to participate and receive free membership dues.
IN BRIEF
Holiday Hours: Bookazine and Ingram wholesalers have both posted updated holiday hours and service alerts. Plan your holiday ordering accordingly.
Okra Pick is National Book Award winner: Sarah M. Broom's remarkable memoir The Yellow House, a 2019 Summer Okra Pick, has won the National Book Award for Nonfiction. A Spring Okra Pick, Solitary by Albert Woodfox, was a finalist. Watch the ceremony
Midtown Reader Video goes viral: Midtown Reader in Tallahassee, Florida created a wonderfully entertaining and instructive promotional video that emphasizes the power of "Actual Intelligence" over "Artificial Intelligence."
On Lady Banks Bookshelf this month:
Printable versions for your store displays: Hardcover | Paperback | Children's.
Hardcover Fiction
 1. The Dutch House
Ann Patchett, Harper, $27.99, 9780062963673
2. The Starless Sea
Erin Morgenstern, Doubleday, $28.95, 9780385541213
3. Olive, Again
Elizabeth Strout, Random House, $27, 9780812996548
 4. Where the Crawdads Sing
Delia Owens, Putnam, $26, 9780735219090
5. Nothing to See Here
Kevin Wilson, Ecco, $26.99, 9780062913463
Hardcover Nonfiction
1. The Body
Bill Bryson, Doubleday, $30, 9780385539302
2. Talking to Strangers
Malcolm Gladwell, Little Brown, $30, 9780316478526
3. Catch and Kill
Ronan Farrow, Little Brown, $30, 9780316486637
4. Sam Houston and the Alamo Avengers
Brian Kilmeade, Sentinel, $28, 9780525540533
 5. Tell Me a Story: My Life with Pat Conroy
Cassandra King Conroy, Morrow, $24.99, 9780062905628
Special to the Southern List
Books that appear on the Southern Bestseller List, but not on any other region's list
see all
THE BOOKS YOUR COLLEAGUES ARE TALKING ABOUT
 Some of the reviews submitted this week on Edelweiss+ from your fellow SIBA booksellers. SIBA members earn B3! points for every review if they join the SIBA community on Edelweiss. Email nicki@sibaweb.com to be added.
   
9780385541213 The Starless Sea 11/5/2019
"As expected, from the author of The Night Circus, simply magical. Words feel inadequate to capture the experience of reading this. An entirely immersive experience. second to none." -- Tricia Nocti, Reading Rock, Dickson, TN
9781524717667 Shine 11/5/2019
""Shine on!" is the catchphrase of Piper's favorite astronomer, but Piper feels like she will never shine, especially when her dad's new job moves her to a fancy private school. Piper's story is full of heart, science, and doesn't shy away from figuring out who you are. This book was made for middle schoolers."-- Chelsea Stringfield, Parnassus Books, Nashville, TN
9780525538110 On Swift Horses 11/5/2019
"In this mesmerizing debut novel, Shannon Pufahl uses a delicate stroke to paint a vast picture of the 1950s American West through the eyes of Muriel and Julius, two loners connected by an unspoken truth that lingers in the air like dust. They are both filled with a fierce tenacity; Muriel's flame is reserved, slow-burning, while Julius' is rambunctious and wide-spreading. But both are fires, manifesting at their own pace... Written with a piercing beauty and subtle grit, Pufahl has achieved a marvelous feat of lyrical prowess that gives an explosive voice to the quiet queerness of an already often-forgotten time in history. This book left me absolutely breathless from beginning to end. " -- Gage Tarlton, Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill, NC
9781335929099 Every Other Weekend 1/7/2020
"Adam's life has fallen apart. His oldest brother died a few years ago and his parents are still falling apart. His dad has moved away to a run down apartment building that he's rehabbing for free rent. Adam and his other brother come visit him every other weekend, but Adam isn't happy about it. Until he meets Jolene. She's there in a similar arrangement to visit her dad every other weekend. But she has a host of problems of her own. Every Other Weekend has SO much emotion and heart. The "insults" between Adam and Jolene were absolutely perfect. This one had me alternately in tears and laughing. Absolutely recommend this one. -- Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser, Roswell, GA
More bookseller reviews
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Thank you for your interest in SIBA,
Nicki Leone
SysAdmin
nicki@sibaweb.com
Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance
51 Pleasant Ridge Drive, Asheville, NC 28805
803.994.9530
Fax: 309.410.0211
www.sibaweb.com
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