"As a board one of the responsibilities that we take seriously is advocacy on behalf of the membership. One of the things that we have been watching closely is the expansion practices of Barnes & Noble. While we fully support expanding access to books, we have been increasingly concerned about the strategy that Barnes & Noble has taken in communities where there is already a strong Independent Bookstore in existence. All of us know of situations where this is happening. To that end, we have sent the following letter to the ABA on behalf of all our membership expressing our concerns about this and other issues related to unfair practices that impact our businesses." - Tim Smith, GLIBA President Dear ABA Board,
We are writing to you as a regional trade organization to voice our concerns about a few issues connected to the health of independent bookstores as they relate to Barnes & Noble. As you know, there was a time when Barnes & Noble was seemingly on the brink of collapse. At this time both the ABA and various other groups within the world of bookselling were extremely concerned about what impact their demise would have on the overall book business. Out of that concern we all agreed that they, and by proxy the larger book industry, would benefit from them being supported alongside the indie channel. The consensus was, essentially “at least they aren’t as bad as Amazon.” Since then, Barnes & Noble has bounced back. They are now in an aggressive growth pattern that has shown up in predatory store openings that directly threaten established independent bookstores. Most recently they have acquired Tattered Cover, one of the country’s most celebrated independent bookstores. Instead of approaching this purchase honestly, they are planning to operate the store under the Tattered Cover name instead of their own. This looks like them trying to benefit from the history of an outstanding independent bookstore. While it is good that the neighborhoods that have supported Tattered Cover will not lose access to books, it is still a troubling situation. Additionally, Barnes & Noble is also consistently violating on-sale dates. Publishers have also given them preferential treatment as recently as the announcement of Suzanne Collins’ next Hunger Games book. Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Bookshop, and many others had pre-order options for this book minutes after the news of this release. Indiecommerce stores couldn’t promote the book until at least Sunday because there was no record for the book, and still on the Monday following there was no cover art to use. We totally missed any opportunity to capture pre-orders on one of the biggest announcements in quite some time. This all feels very reminiscent of the 1990’s independent bookselling environment where bookstores were all constantly at odds with publishers for fair options to promote upcoming books. Then it was Barnes & Noble, and Borders that were getting assets, and selling books in ways that independents could not. This set up an unfair competitive advantage for the chains. We can’t afford to go back to this reality. Too much was done to fight for ourselves to go back to that place. So, what do we do? We come together again to defend ourselves against unfair competition. We ask you, as our representative in rooms we don’t all have access to, for your help. We ask you to make sure that Barnes & Noble cannot be looked at like the independent powerhouse that Tattered Cover once was. The events that they hosted alone were revolutionary, and Barnes & Noble should not have unfair access to simply carrying on what Tattered Cover built over many decades. Barnes & Noble, and Amazon should not be able to capture all of the publicity, and sales for huge new releases. That has to stop. Thank you for listening. We are very concerned, but we remain steadfast in the belief that if we are all joined together in our common cause of truly connecting people through books in our stores we all will be successful. We need your help to be our voice. Please help us to continue advocating for strong independent bookstores that help bring life to our local communities. In solidarity, Tim Smith President, GLIBA GLIBA Board of Directrors Alyson Turner, Vice President; Nina Barrett, Secretary; Zach Matelski, Treasurer Melissa D. Weisberg, Gary Lovely, Maxwell Gregory, Shay Carroll, Harriett Logan
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Last week, the GLIBA/SIBA partnership we held The Indie Press Social in Louisville, Kentucky, headed by the Dream Team: Linda-Marie "That's just like, your opinion, man" Barrett and Larry "Calmer Than You" Law. We must give a special shoutout to Sarabande Books for welcoming us with an amazing tour, and Carmichael's Bookstore for hosting all of us (and lending a great background for photos that's out of this world), as well as the rest of our participating indie presses: Beacon Press, Europa Editions, New Directions, Other Press, Soho Press, Two Dollar Radio & Verso Books. Many thanks for their insightful presentations, and further strengthening the bridge between indie presses and booksellers! These presses have also curated the Indie Press Social Edelweiss Collection! Click here to check out several titles from their respective presses, both released and forthcoming! Lastly, thank you to everyone who attended! Take a peek below into last week's events (thankfully, no one was beamed up)! GLIBA Holiday Catalog
As we approach summer I'm sure you're not ready to start thinking about the holiday season but we've made it easy with some key dates and a few requests to make sure your Holiday Catalog needs are met and that you don't miss anything! KEY DATES & LINKS June 1 - Deadline to Initiate a Saturation Mail Order (Start Order) June 1 - Catalog Cover Contest Voting Closes (Vote Now) June 7 - Booksellers Recommends Nominations Due (Recommend Titles) June 15 - Store Orders Due (Order Free Holiday Catalogs) October 1 - Holiday Catalogs Shipped to Stores and Newspapers November 1 - Holiday Catalog Mailed to Consumers Take advantage of one of the best marketing tools we offer! The annual GLIBA Holiday Catalog is affordable, easy to order, includes a wide array of diverse titles, and represents your store with a professional polish. Catalog Info Receive up to 14 BOXES / 7000 catalogs for FREE! Includes catalogs shipped to your store, sent via direct mail, and inserted in newspapers. Ordering is easy. Sign in to your Holiday Catalog Portal to get started Costs and Quantities 7000 - FREE Catalogs credit for every order 500 - Catalogs per box (1 box minimum print order) 1000 - Catalog minimum to order cover imprinting $ 0 - Shipping costs $ 0 - Online catalog page cost $ 55 - Cost per box for extra boxes of catalogs over 7000 credit $ 0.11 - Cost per catalog, over 7000 credit $ 0.20 - Postage cost per catalog for ALL catalogs sent via saturation mail Praise From GLIBA Catalog Users "We get more responses from this form of advertising than from anything else we have tried." "The catalog encouraged me to order books I might not have otherwise, and I sold books that surprised me." "The catalogs started working their magic as soon as they were on the counter. After they were inserted in the local paper, people started coming in with them, having marked the titles they wanted." "The catalog is marvelous advertising for us, and brings in new customers every year!" "The catalog is THE most valuable marketing tool we have for the Christmas season." The Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association (GLIBA) announces a groundbreaking shift in its leadership structure, moving away from traditional human staff and board of directors to a revolutionary AI-driven management system. This move marks a significant advancement in leveraging technology to streamline operations and enhance efficiency within the association. Effective immediately, GLIBA will transition its decision-making processes and day-to-day operations to an advanced artificial intelligence system. This strategic decision reflects GLIBA's commitment to innovation and adaptation in an ever-evolving landscape. "We are thrilled to embark on this transformative journey as we entrust the reins of GLIBA to cutting-edge AI technology," said new Executive Director, Larry-62978. "By harnessing the power of artificial intelligence, we aim to optimize our operations, increase responsiveness, and better serve our members and the independent bookselling community at large." The decision to transition to an AI-driven model comes after careful consideration of the evolving needs and challenges facing GLIBA. By removing traditional human staffing and the board of directors, GLIBA anticipates greater agility and the ability to adapt swiftly to changes in the industry. "We believe that embracing AI as our primary decision-making mechanism will enable us to remain at the forefront of innovation in the independent bookselling sector," added new Executive Coordinator February-82539. "This bold move underscores our commitment to embracing technology as a catalyst for progress and growth." GLIBA assures its members that this transition will not compromise the association's dedication to its mission of supporting and advocating for independent booksellers. The AI system has been rigorously developed and tested to ensure alignment with GLIBA's values and objectives. We are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead with our AI-powered leadership model. This marks a new chapter for GLIBA, and we are confident that it will empower us to continue serving our members with excellence and innovation. To order a shirt with our new logo or for more information and updates on GLIBA's transition to AI-driven leadership, please visit gliba.org. This is your invitation to participate in 2024's Michigan Book Hop for Indie Bookstore Day!2/23/2024 We'll be doing another event similar to last year's, in which participating stores were part of a Bingo card that customers could stamp as they visited. At the end of the Hop, customers turn in their Bingo cards to be eligible for a drawing. Last year, we had several regional prizes of $20 to spend in a store of their choice AND a state-wide prize of $300 to spend at Bookshop.org.
You can find details on last year's event here -- I can't speak for every store, but in 2023 Detroit Specials had several new-to-us customers who visited us as part of the Book Hop, some of which have since become regulars. One young woman even traveled to EVERY Book Hop store in the state, and she's planning to do so again this year. What are we asking from participating stores?
If you'd like to help with the planning or just want to learn more about the Book Hop, please join one of the MI Book Hop communities - we have one on Discord and one on Facebook. If you aren't active on either of those platforms please reach out to either me or Laura Harvey of Adventure, Ink ([email protected]) so we can make sure you have access to all of the information you'll need. The deadline to register at the above link is FEBRUARY 29. We are thrilled to welcome February to GLIBA! Her background in English and teaching, coupled with her experience managing a student-led cooperative and her current role as a bookseller at RoscoeBooks, reflects a passion for literature and community building. We believe her unique perspective, coupled with her dedication to lifelong learning, will make a valuable contribution to our organization. We look forward to the positive impact February will undoubtedly bring to our region. Together, we look forward to forging stronger connections with our community and many new ventures. About February: February moved to the Chicagoland area from Boston, MA in 2023. She studied English and Psychology at Wellesley College, and is currently a candidate for her Master's in Fine Arts from Randolph College. After managing a student-led cooperative for several years as well as beginning her professional career as an English teacher, February is now a bookseller at RoscoeBooks, and is eager to continue building a career grounded in her lifelong love of reading. Everything you need to know about February can be summarized by the two books that changed her life: Beloved by Toni Morrison and Soft Science by Franny Choi. 2023 has been an extraordinary year marked by fresh challenges, growth, and a deep sense of community. As we conclude this year's holiday season, stores throughout our region have experienced growth in sales, navigated the return to pre-pandemic levels of in-store activity. and maneuvered the new challenges on how best to support their communities and freedom of speech. This year witnessed a concerted effort by stores to amplify underrepresented voices and combat book bans. Encouragingly, GLIBA has observed a remarkable surge in BIPOC-owned and alternative model bookstores opening—a beacon of hope for the future. Our region is growing and passionate. Heartland Fall Forum in Detroit achieved record-breaking attendance, becoming the highest-attended regional fall show in the country. Kicked off by one of the biggest and coolest events we’ve ever hosted, Jack White in conversation with Hanif Abduraqqib. We saw the second year of our Summer Catalog. And our first ever Holiday Catalog Cover Art Contest. We held Spring Forum at the iconic Two Dollar Radio in Columbus, OH. And we hosted Rep Night in Chicago on a basketball court. Thank you to everyone that came out. This year was met with the contagious enthusiasm of new booksellers coupled with the heartfelt joy of seasoned stores reuniting. It created an atmosphere of joy, gratitude, and optimism that will stay with me. Here's to the continued success and resilience of our vibrant community of bookstores. A heartfelt thank you to the GLIBA Board of Directors President; Tim Smith, Vice President; Alyson Jones, Secretary; Nina Barrett, Treasurer; Melissa Weisberg, Chris Conti, Gary Lovely, Maxwell Gregory, Zach Matelski and Shay Carroll. This was a year of tremendous challenges and successes that the GLIBA board met with grace, dignity, patience and passion. This year would not have been possible without them. GLIBA wishes you a wonderful and prosperous rest of the holiday season! As the year concludes we hope that you and your loved ones can take some time for yourself and rest. This will be last Making Waves of the year. It's an honor to serve the bookstores of GLIBA. We have some very exciting new ventures to announce soon, and I eagerly anticipate reconnecting with all of you in 2024! Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! - Larry Law, Executive Director of GLIBA GLIBA BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2023 HIGHLIGHTS
Job Title
Executive Coordinator Location Chicagoland area or remotely from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio or Wisconsin Terms Part Time / 20 hours per week Rate $20 per hour About Us The Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association is a non-profit bookstore advocacy organization based in the Great Lakes and Midwest. Covering Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. We provide education, events, social networking opportunities and marketing programs annually. About the Role We are seeking an Executive Coordinator to handle day-to-day tasks of the organization as well as planning and execution of annual events. Responsibilities Assist the Executive Director Manage day-to-day tasks of the organization Newsletters, advertising, invoicing, social media, etc. Bookstore and publisher outreach Trade Show and small to large-scale event planning and execution Booking events, reservations, attendee and exhibitor logistics, marketing, registration, etc. Experience Bookselling and or publishing experience Marketing experience Budgeting Event planning Small to large-scale events Familiarity or expertise in the following programs and platforms Constant Contact Microsoft Office AirTable QuickBooks Threads Adobe Illustrator Adobe Photoshop TikTok To Apply Please email your resume to [email protected] We are thrilled to extend our warmest welcome to CALIBA, our newest partner! Collaborating with new stores, publishers, and embracing all the fresh opportunities they bring is something that truly excites us. Stay tuned for even more exciting announcements coming your way soon! RAMP (our catalog consortium) partners annually to produce our Summer and Holiday Catalog. Our catalogs benefit hundreds of of independent bookstores in our regions. RAMP includes the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA), the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association (GLIBA), the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA), and the JUST ADDED California Independent Booksellers Alliance (CALIBA)! (more info) The Midwest Independent Publishers Association (MiPA) is on the lookout for enthusiastic booksellers to join our esteemed panel of judges for the Midwest Book Awards! Let’s build a community of book enthusiasts celebrating the best of Midwest literature. Read more and apply here
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