Check out some highlights from this year's Heartland Fall Forum in Minneapolis, MN.
 Congratulations to Kate McCune, who has won the Voice of the Heartland Award, given by the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association and the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association to "outstanding individuals who uphold the value of independent bookselling and who have made a significant contribution to bookselling in the Midwest."
There are few sales reps that more fully embody this, and have garnered more respect, in this industry than Kate McCune. Her advocacy on behalf of the books published by Harper Collins is legendary- best on display in her rep pick presentations, and her Edelweiss markups. After working as a bookseller for many years, Kate McCune began repping for Harper Collins in 2002, and has served on the board of Binc since 2014. Additionally, McCune, who lives in Ann Arbor, has been a cheerleader for Above the Treeline and Edelweiss since the early days and says it’s always “been fun to jump on my bike and go to their offices when they need a guinea pig.” Kate has received warm and enthusiastic endorsements from so many colleagues in the industry. Kelly Estep, manager and buyer at Carmichael’s Bookstore, Louisville KY, says, “A sales appointment with Kate is more like a lovely visit with a friend. She knows her stores so well that when she says "buy more" or "don't skip it" you listen and trust her. She knows Edelweiss inside and out (deserving of a separate award, in my opinion) and always helps navigate. She comes to every appointment with the best books for my staff based on what she knows each of them reads, the best current articles and radio pieces to listen to about books, technology and the future, and always brings a few pointers from other stores in the region. She understands the time constraints, work, and ultimately the love we all put into our stores and has great respect for the booksellers in our region. I treasure our conversations about bookselling, but even more, the stories we share and the wisdom I glean about travel, teenagers, music, aging parents, and navigating our modern world. Pamela French, Executive Director of Binc, writes “Kate joined the Binc board in January 2014. She has served on the program committee the entire time and has been instrumental in helping Binc determine both the second phase of our strategic plan, and how Binc moves into the future. She has made more introductions and connections for us than I can count. She is an advocate for booksellers with a capital A. I'd be thrilled to sing her praises to everyone. Johanna Hynes, field sales manager at IPS, notes, “although the very job description of a rep is to create buzz and hype around every book one is asked to sell, Kate is among the most rare of us who retains her authenticity and authority in her recommendations. She conveys the interests and hopes of the publisher, without ever compromising her reputation as a gifted and honest reader. My professional mantra for many years has been, “WWKD?” and it has never failed me once. McCune will receive the award during the book awards dinner on Wednesday, October 3, during the Heartland Fall Forum. On Friday August 3rd the GLIBA and ArtBar hosted an evening of authors, booksellers, publishers, artists and literary themed art at Two Brothers Roundhouse in Aurora, IL. Thank you so much to everyone that attended. We kicked off the evening with author readings while a literary themed art show exhibited throughout the night. A huge thank you to Melanie Benjamin, Peter Coviello, Jessica Hopper, Siobhan Thompson and Sung Yim. As well, thank you to University of Texas Press, Penguin Random House, Delacorte Press, Featherproof Books, Perfect Day Publishing and Ghost City Press. It was a wonderful night and we will have more events like this soon! I had a wonderful time visiting Robin and Forever Books in St. Joseph, MI. Such beautiful store. You feel like you are on vacation walking up and down the aisles of books. One of the many highlights was bookstore puppy, Poppy! My duties as your Executive Director of GLIBA include taking your cute animals for walks when the store gets busy. - Larry
Forever Books 312 State St, St Joseph, MI 49085 foreverbooks.net Instagram @foreverbooks.stjo I visited the beautiful This is a bookstore & Bookbug in Kalamazoo, MI. Both stores overflow with warmth, personality, impeccable design, knowledgeable staff & most importantly well curated books. Did I mention they serve beer from local Michigan breweries?? Joanna & Derek are killing it! VISIT THIS BOOKSTORE! - Larry
This is a Bookstore & BookBug 3019 Oakland Dr, Kalamazoo, MI 49008 Instagram @bookbugkzoo bookbugkalamazoo.com Visited the fantastic Lowry's Books and More in Three Rivers, MI. Picked up some art supplies & a book about Native Americans. The phrase, “You could get lost in there” applies here. I know this because I literally got lost in their twice. It was wonderful. - Larry
Lowry's Books & More 22 N Main St, Three Rivers, MI 49093 lowrysbooks.com  Had a wonderful time at the pre-publication party for Nina Barrett's absolutely stunning book The Leopold and Loeb Files. Party complete with prohibition era drinks, finger foods and a stunning view of the Chicago Sunset. If you haven't seen this book in person you need to. It is gorgeous.
More on the book: "In The Leopold and Loeb Files, author Nina Barrett returns to the primary sources--confessions, interrogation transcripts, psychological reports, and more--the kind of rare, pre-computer court documents that were usually destroyed as a matter of course. Until now, these documents have not been part of the murder's central narrative. This first-of-its-kind approach allows readers to view the case through a keyhole and look past all of the stories that have been spun in the last 90 years to focus on the heart of the crime." Announced during Spring Forum to celebrate you, the new Indie Bookseller, BookExpo and the GLIBA invite you to participate in our Introduce an Indie program. This program was built to recognize and to support the importance of new booksellers in the greater book community. We’d like to thank you for everything you do by giving you the chance to win a $400 AMEX gift card to be used to pay for your travel as well as a room at the official ABA hotel, The Wyndham New Yorker. Please answer the questions below. Eighteen lucky winners will be selected and will be notified via email and phone. ENTER HERE >
Thank you to all the booksellers, the ABA, publishers, reps and authors that made it out to Detroit and attended this year's Spring Forum. You are the reason it is a success. We host these events to build relationships, give voices to books and bring some needed attention to the Great Lakes region. We could not do it without you- Thank you! Huge thank you to Ingram Publisher Services, Penguin Random House, Harper Collins, Phaidon, Independent Publishers Group, Miller Trade Book Marketing, Fujii Associates, Sourcebooks, Abraham Associates, Binc, MIBA, Carrie, Javier from Book Table and every bookseller that joined us for the Great Midwest Rep Night in Chicago last night. A special thank you to Baker & Taylor and Tim Golden for sponsoring the event. We were bursting at the seams with booksellers and it was sublime. The Rep presentations were stimulating, fun and dynamic. I am definitely biased but they were some of the best talks I have heard in a while. Booksellers were onboard and energized the entire night. This was my first event as the new ED of GLIBA I am so excited for more nights like this. It was wonderful. Thank you to everyone that attended - Larry
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