Resources, statistics, opportunities, and inspiration 
​for independent booksellers

Top of Mind for April 5 - 11, 2021

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• SIBA's nationwide "21-day Equity Challenge" kicks off with a keynote event on Monday, 4/5 at 7pm featuring author Ben Philippe (Sure, I’ll Be Your Black Friend) and Luis Correa, Operations Manager at Avid Bookshop. The Equity Challenge will officially begin on 4/12 and continue through May 2. Read more here.​
  
  
• Regional Associations begin their Spring Programs this week:
  • PNBA & CALIBA present "Spring Fest West" on April 5-6
  • NEIBA presents its "Spring Forum" on April 7-8
  • MPIBA presents "SpringCon 2021" on April 8-9
  • GLIBA's "Spring Forum" will take place on April 13-15
  • MIBA's "Spring Forward" will take place on May 5-6
    
    
• A Universe of Wishes Reading Series is a free virtual event series bookstores can promote to their customers to support We Need Diverse Books. Bookstores that are interested in bringing the free A Universe of Wishes virtual book club to local educators, students, and readers of all ages can share the Eventbrite registration link and utilize the marketing materials available for download on BookWeb.org. The first event is April 7 at 2pm Eastern. Read more here.
  
  
• ​Independent Bookstore Day is Saturday, April 24. The ABA and IBD are launching the #bookstoreshoutout campaign on April 6, and are encouraging bookstores to create posts and amplify others' to get readers and customers involved. Read more here.
  
  
• Registration for the book industry's two new industry events, Publishers Weekly's US Book Show on May 25-27, and Edelweiss Bookfest on June 8-9, are both open and both cost $35 for booksellers (early bird discounts are available). Read a side-by-side comparison of the events here.​​

About The Independent Bookseller

​I founded The Independent Bookseller™ in 2018 as a way to make some of the resources I'd built for myself available to booksellers all over the country.To be clear, I am not "The Independent Bookseller" -- that would be you, for whom this site is dedicated. This is a website for and about booksellers.

The resources, content, and opinions found on The Independent Bookseller™'s website, social media pages, and weekly newsletter are intended to be purely supplemental and complementary to the work of all book industry associations, publications, and service providers, without which nothing on this site or in this industry would be possible. If you have any questions about the methodology behind anything on this site, please contact me.

Robert Martin

Founder/Director

​​Robert Martin is the executive director of the Independent Booksellers Consortium. He has worked as the director of operations for the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association and managing editor for Rain Taxi Review of Books. Before working in the book industry he was the senior editor for Masterplans, a business consulting firm that guides entrepreneurs through the startup process. He is a writer, musician, backpacker, and father.

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