​On Friday August 2nd GLIBA and ArtBar hosted an evening of authors, booksellers, publishers, artists, the public and literary themed art at Two Brothers Roundhouse in Aurora, IL. Thank you 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 Carol Anshaw, Joelle Charbonneau, Mikki Kendall, Renée Rosen, Peter Robertson, Laura Ruby and Michael Zapata.

In addition thank you for the support from Atria Books, HarperTeen, Viking, Berkley, Gibson House Press, Balzer + Bray, Hanover Square Press, Penguin Random House and HarperCollins and Two Brothers Roundhouse

It was a wonderful night and we will have more events like this soon!

It's time to celebrate! We have states throughout the Great Lakes Region participating in bookstore tours this Saturday for Independent Bookstore Day.

Again, this year GLIBA has partnered with CHIBA for the #ChiLoveBooks Challenge.

Chicagoland proves itself to be a dream destination for book lovers and readers of all ages! 30 stores in the greater Chicago area—from Lake Forest to Beverly, and Naperville to the Loop—are collaborating on a third annual #ChiLoveBooks Challenge, which encourages book lovers to indulge in bookstore tourism by visiting 10 or more stores in a single day!  
 
The annual challenge is being held again on Independent Bookstore Day, which is a one-day national party celebrating indie book stores on the last Saturday in April. To begin their trip, readers can pick up a #ChiLoveBooks passport and their first stamp with an initial purchase of $25 or more from the store of their choice. 

In addition to the passport this year we have built a website to host all #ChiLoveBooks info including a list of participating stores, a map to schedule your route and event listings around Chicago on Independent Bookstore Day! Check it out here - www.chilovebooks.com

Sandra and I are so excited to be participating again this year. You can check out our store by store visit throughout the day this Saturday on Facebook and Instagram. - Larry

We had an unbelievable GLIBA Rep Night in Chicago! Booksellers from all over the midwest joined us. A huge thank you to Baker & Taylor and our publishing partners for sponsoring the event. We had over 50 booksellers and 10 reps. We heard from Bridget Piekarz from Penguin Random House, Bruce Miller from Miller Trade Book Marketing, Sandra Law and John Mesjak from Abraham Associates, Cathy Schornstein from HarperCollins Publishers, Aaron Howe from Independent Publishers Group, Betty Redmond from Ingram Publisher Services. Chris Conti from Phaidon, Heidi Weiland from Sourcebooks. Eric Heidemann from Fujii Associates and Lauren Moseley from Algonquin Books. As well, we were THRILLED to host author Elliot Ackerman. It was an amazing night and it helped to invigorate and further foster our bookselling community. Thank you to everyone that came out! Photo credit it to Tarin Butterfield, and an awesome photographer and bookseller at Harvey’s Tales in Geneva, IL.

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."
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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.

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
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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
​Facebook
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
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lowrysbooks.com