February 14, 2025 Newsletter

February 14, 2025

GLIBA Regional Newsletter: February 14, 2025 REGIONAL BESTSELLERS PUBLISHER PROMOTIONS ARC PREFERENCE FORM JOIN OR RENEW MEMBERSHIP ORGANIZATION NEWS Check out the cover of the 2025 GLIBA Summer Catalog! Booksellers: Order Your Free Summer Catalogs by March 15! Order Summer Catalogs Here >> Just in time for Memorial Day and the unofficial start of summer, this 8-page square catalog is THE summer resource for readers. Don't miss this high-energy compendium of summer titles! Member stores can order 500 FREE catalogs to be shipped direct-to-store at no cost Catalogs can be distributed in-store, at curbside, through store order shipments and delivers, at events, AND through neighborhood partners! Personalize the catalog back cover with a store stamp or label Quantities over 500 may be purchased for $55 per 500 Catalogs are full-color, 8 pages, 7.125" × 7.125" square on thick paper Target date for catalog delivery is May 8 ORDER SUMMER CATALOGS HERE ATTENTION PUBLISHERS! SUBMIT AUTHORS FOR GLIBA'S 2025 SPRING FORUM! SUBMIT AUTHORS HERE! GLIBA 2024 Holiday Catalog Rebate Form If you have distributed the catalog more than once this year please submit a separate form for each distribution. GLIBA reimburses a percentage of each rebate. Once we have calculated and processed your rebate a check will be mailed. Please submit the form and attach all documentation by February 28, 2025. Click the button below for the form. Thank you! GLIBA CATALOG REBATE FORM NEW! Heartland Fall Forum Virtual Office Hours Below are the sessions for the months of February and March 2025: February 18th, 10am & 4pm CST: For Booksellers/Attendees: Author Pitches + Events; Feedback for the Trade Show Floor + Rep Picks March 4th, 10am & 4pm CST: Call for Education Topics! March 18th, 10am & 4pm CST: Call for Education Topics! Click here for the Google Meet link for sessions, or click the button below to the Events page on the GLIBA site. For any questions, reach out to Executive Coordinator February Spikener at [email protected]. Heartland 2024 Rep Picks Survey  Please take this short Heartland Rep Picks survey. This survey is for publishers that have participated in the Heartland Fall Forum Rep Picks event or wish to participate in future Heartland Rep Picks events. This short survey will help us evolve Rep Picks to better meet the needs of of our publishing and industry partners. If you have any questions, please email Executive Director Larry Law at [email protected]. Heartland Rep Picks Survey REGIONAL NEWS Kalamazoo Mourns Dean Margaret Hauck of Michigan News Agency KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Anyone who has driven down Michigan Avenue through downtown Kalamazoo has probably noticed a sign that reads "Michigan News Agency." Opening in 1947, Michigan News Agency is a longtime newsstand and bookstore business that has withstood decades of change in the city. According to family members on social media, the owner and locally-known icon, Dean Margaret Hauck, died on Saturday. Hauck was known for her love of reading and writing, and keeping the community connected through newspapers and magazines. These values were reflected in the large sign at the front of the store that says "Eat Sleep Read Local". Additionally, Hauck made sure the store maintained its reputation of being open seven days a week. In 2019, she told News Channel 3 why the store would remain open even during a blizzard: "You can't be closed, never. We're open everyday of the year," Hauck said. "Staff are sourced so that we are open because that's our reputation--and we live by it." However, customers looking to shop at the store over the weekend noticed an unfamiliar sight: a closed sign on the door with no indication as to when it will reopen. Hauck was so well-known in the community that State Rep. Julie Rogers took to Facebook Sunday to express her condolences. The Book Table (Oak Park, IL) Selling Store Fixtures The Book Table is looking to sell the fixtures in their storefront including bookcases, tables, modular tempered glass display cubes, book easels from Clear Solutions, card racks, display spinners, etc. For inquiries of available inventory, setting up a store visit, and price lists, email Rachel Weaver at [email protected]. Save the Date! Third Annual MI Book Hop Saturday April 26 through Sunday, May 26, 2025 Happy New Year! We hope that your holiday season was successful, rewarding, and not too stressful.  While January is typically a time of rest, it’s also when we are dreaming, scheming, and planning the new year. And for GLIBA Member Stores in Michigan, we’re asking that you include the 2025 MI Book Hop on your calendar!  If you’ve not heard of the MI Book Hop, let us introduce ourselves! MI Book Hop is a volunteer-run Book Hop across Michigan organized and administered by fellow Booksellers. It kicks off on Independent Bookstore Day and runs through Mother’s Day weekend – Saturday April 26 through Sunday, May 26, 2025. MI Book Hop started in 2023 when Laura Harvey from Adventure Ink in Milan pulled a group of interested stores together and started outreach to more stores. GLIBA Director Larry Law has served as a sounding board since its inception and generously donated his time to design our mascot graphic and create our Bingo cards each year. The MI Book Hop became an official GLIBA Committee late 2024. The Hop was created to generate more fun around Independent Bookstore Day and extend the excitement out a little farther and introduce potential new customers to stores. The goal is to make it as easy as possible for stores to participate as well as simple and fun for participants. 2024, the second year of MI Book Hop, showed exponential growth both in stores and customers participating, and we believe our third year will be even better. Participation is easy! Customers pick up a Bingo sheet at participating stores, then visit stores and complete other bookish tasks to get a Bingo or fill their sheet. Stores stamp Bingo cards, collect finished cards, report results, and assist in distributing gift cards to winners. They also share in marketing the Hop by posting on their social media channels and featuring in store emails. There is a small buy-in fee to participate which is used to purchase the grand prize, gift card prizes from winning stores, and commemorative pins. MI Book Hop has a website, and Facebook and Instagram accounts. We also have a Bonfire store. Bingo cards may be viewed on our social media channels for reference. If you’d like to indicate your interest in participating and be included on the 2025 MI Book Hop emailing list, click here! Deadline to apply for participation is March 3, 2025. MIBookHop 2025 Store Registration INDUSTRY NEWS PBS COURSE REGISTRATION INDIE PRESS DISPLAY CONTEST FIND WALDO LOCAL 2025 CHOOSE BLACK-OWNED CAMPAIGN Indie-to-Indie Playlist: Women's History Month Publisher members of the Independent Publishers Caucus have curated a list of titles to help populate and distinguish your Women's History Month displays. View the list in Edelweiss by clicking here! March is Indie Press Month!  $500 display contest and a social media campaign to raise awareness for indie presses and the bookstores that love them! What You Need To Know: COMMIT: To creating an in-store display of Indie Press month titles (available on Airtable and Edelweiss). You are welcome to feature titles outside of this list (we want every bookstore to celebrate in a way that is authentic to them) but we ask that 50% of your display include these promotional titles!  SUBMIT: A picture of your display. All stores, regardless of social media, will be considered for the $500 prize. PROMOTE: Indie Press Month, your display, and indie presses in general on social media. You can post anytime in March, but the first five posts on March 5 will receive $50 in co-op. (Tag us @indiepubs on Instagram). Marketing assets for social, email newsletters, and in-store displays are available.  All of this information and more is available on our Indie Press Month website, so check it out now! We hope you'll celebrate with us and take this opportunity to raise greater awareness for the awesome work indie presses do!  SIGN UP NOW! Books Across Borders Announces Spring Fellows; 2025-26 applications open  Books Across Borders (BAB) has announced their Spring 2025 Fellows to the RISE Bookselling Conference in Riga, Latvia and Salone Internazionale del Libro in Turin, Italy. The RISE fellows include Ramunda Young of Mahogany Books, Washington D.C. and Melissa Taylor of E. Shaver, Bookseller; Savannah, GA. The Salone Internazionale del Libro Torino Fellow is Shane Mullen of Left Bank Books, St. Louis, MO. Books Across Borders aims to connect US booksellers to the international book community through sponsored trips to the world’s premier book fairs. Fellowships include fair attendance, travel expenses and stipend, networking events with international book professionals, the opportunity to report on the event in Shelf Awareness, and participation on a panel of professional relevance or interest to the fellow. BAB fellowships also aim to help raise booksellers’ industry profiles and support their professional development.   Books Across Borders is accepting applications for the Fall 2025-Spring 2026 season starting Wednesday, February 12, 2025. Booksellers interested in diverse and international literature and in fostering relationships with the international literary community are encouraged to apply. Strong consideration is given to booksellers who demonstrate a history of reading and promoting international literature, and who communicate a kinship with Books Across Borders’s mission and values. Fellows are chosen by the Books Across Borders Board of Directors. The application deadline is May 1, 2025. CLICK HERE TO APPLY! Batch for Books Announces Partnerships with Hachette Book Group NEW YORK (February 12, 2025) — Batch for Books is proud to announce a new partnership with the Hachette Book Group that marks a significant milestone in Batch’s ongoing mission to provide bookstores and publishers with a simpler, more efficient way to manage invoices and payments. “This is an exciting milestone for Batch for Books,” said Nathan Halter, US Program Manager. “We are thrilled to partner with Hachette Book Group, whose commitment to supporting Batch underscores their dedication to fostering real, lasting change for independent bookstores. Together, we’re building a stronger future for indie booksellers and the publishing ecosystem.” Batch for Books offers an intuitive, paperless platform that helps independent bookstores streamline invoice management and payment processes. The service is currently trusted by over 450 bookstores across the United States and continues to grow. “These invaluable publisher partnerships reinforce Batch’s dedication to becoming an essential business tool for the bookselling community, delivering significant benefits to both independent bookstores and publishers alike,” said Halter. “We’re thrilled to see Hachette Book Group’s strong support for the indie channel this past year,” said Allison K. Hill, CEO of the American Booksellers Association (ABA). “Their participation in Batch is further proof of their commitment to both the indies and innovation within the book industry, and ABA is grateful for their participation and leadership.” Hachette Book Group expects to be fully integrated with Batch by June 2025. Bookstores interested in signing up for Batch should email [email protected] for more information. Countdown to Independent Bookstore Day 2025 We are just over three months out from Independent Bookstore Day 2025! Get your store ready with the ABA's To-Do List for January. Independent Bookstore Day Planning Guide IBD Key Dates March 31, 2025: Indie Bookstore Day 2025 Participation Form closes. (Stores that didn't order exclusive items can sign up to participate until this date.) April 4, 2025: Indie Bookstore Day Searchable Map goes live on IndieBound Early- to mid-April: All exclusives ship to bookstores April 21–25, 2025: Indie Bookstore Day Spirit Week April 26, 2025: Independent Bookstore Day Children's Book Week Assets Children’s Book Week, established in 1919, is a celebration of books and the connection they bring. This year's celebration will be May 5-11! Assets and more are available from the Children's Book Council. Children's Book Donation Drive The Children's Book Council is organizing a book drive for children of all ages. From board books to YA, if you have some to spare and can ship them to California, there are children in need. Book donations are being received by CALIBA. For donations, please mail to the following address:  Children's Book World Attn: Donation Drive 10580 1/2 W Pico Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90064 BLACK HISTORY MONTH BOOKLISTS Kensington: Black History Month Reads Read Poetry/Andrews McMeel: 5 Must-Read Books to Honor MLK Jr. The New Press: Essential Reading Guide for Black History Month Seven Stories Press: Works of the Black Imagination Haymarket Books: Books on the Struggle for Black Liberation Hachette: Black History, Bold Stories Astra Publishing House: Biographies, Picture Books & Graphic Novels for Kids Ideal for Black History Month Charlesbridge: Celebrate Black Joy Seven Stories Press: Celebrate Black History Month Every Month Sourcebooks: Black Authors, Illustrators, & Content All Ways Black/PRH: Moving Nonfiction by Black Authors Brightly/PRH: Beautiful Picture Books from Black Illustrators Macmillan: Celebrating Black Authors & Creators Drag Story Hour: Amplifying Black Voices Lee & Low: Black History Collections for... Grades K-2, Grades 3-6, Grades 7-12 DONATION LINK HUB SURVEY LINK Send us your store's news to be included in our future newsletters! Send Store News! Professional Booksellers School Links  A Learners' Guide to PBS Independent Study Basic Bookselling Self Guided Basic Bookselling Store Subscription Bookstore Financial Literacy Bundle Upcoming Courses BINC Links  Binc Mental Heath Wellness Program Financial Assistance for BOOKSELLERS from Binc Scholarship Opportunities ABA Links Apply for Winter Institute 2025 Scholarships Take the Annual Membership Survey Now Independent Bookstore Day Planning Guide ABFE: ABA's Free Expression Initiative Indies Take the Gold Campaign Assets Current and Previous ABACUS Data Monthly Marketing Calendars Nominate Someone for the ABA Board Download the Bookseller Resources Poster ABA Event & Program Calendar Indie Next List Deadlines Report Sales to New York Times, Indie Bestseller Lists ABA Affiliate Partnership Offers for Members

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