01.15.26 CALIBA Bookseller News & Information

January 15, 2026

in Bookseller Newsletter,

IN THIS ISSUE

CALIBA PROGRAMS & EVENTS
*JAN. 29TH AT 7PM PST* 2025 Golden Poppy Book Awards Virtual Ceremony

*CLOSES TOMORROW* 2026 Golden Poppy Awards - Committee Member Sign-Up Form

*SAVE THE DATES* 2026 CALIBA Spring Forums & *INTRODUCING* Owners' Retreats

CALIBA COMMITTEES

*WE NEED YOUR INPUT* Education Committee Form

Get Involved! Join a CALIBA Committee

MARKETING ASSETS

February Marketing Assets

March Marketing Assets

Certified Indie Campaign

PROFESSIONAL BOOKSELLERS SCHOOL

AMERICAN BOOKSELLERS ASSOCIATION

*NOW OPEN* Find Waldo Pre-Registration

BECOME A MEMBER TODAY

Dates and Deadlines

Bookseller Shoutouts & In the News

Fundraisers

Scholarships & Grants

Classifieds

CALIBA's Currently Reading

RESOURCES

CALIBA BOOKSTORE MAP

*JANUARY 22ND* OFFICE HOURS WITH HANNAH

CALIBA STAFF

BESTSELLER LISTS

The Los Angeles Times & Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestseller List

The San Francisco Chronicle & Northern California Independent Bookstore Bestseller List

The Independent Press Top 40 Bestsellers List

CALIBA BOOKSTORE MEMBERSHIP

Now's a good time to check your membership status is current. Did you visit the CALIBA site and create a login when the site re-launched in Spring 2025?

MEMBER CORNER

Want to be featured in the Member Corner? Submit your details here. Note: must be a CALIBA Member

TOP 5 BESTSELLERS

Submit your top 5 best sellers in our new "Flying off the Shelves at..." feature in our weekly newsletter! Submit your best sellers list here. Note: must be a CALIBA Member

CALIBA PROGRAMS & EVENTS

GP Virtual Ceremony January 29 at 7pm PST

THE VOTES ARE IN. 2025 GOLDEN POPPY AWARDS CEREMONY CO-HOSTED BY
CJ LEEDE & REX OGLE

Voting has ended for the 2025 Golden Poppy Book Awards! Click here to view the 2025 Golden Poppy Award Finalists. Congratulations to the authors and publishers whose books made the lists! The Virtual Golden Poppy Awards will take place on January 29th at 7 PM PST.

RSVP FOR VIRTUAL CEREMONY

2025 GOLDEN POPPY AWARDS CO-HOSTS

CJ LEEDE (2023 Golden Poppy Award Winner) is a horror writer, hiker, and Trekkie. She is the author of Maeve Fly and American Rapture. Her debut novel Maeve Fly won the Golden Poppy Octavia E. Butler Award and Splatterpunk Award, and earned a Bram Stoker Award nomination. When she is not driving around the country, CJ can be found in LA with her boyfriend and rescue dogs.

REX OGLE (2024 Golden Poppy Award Winner) is the award-winning author of over a hundred books, comics, graphic novels, and memoirs—most notably Free Lunch (winner of ALA/YALSA’s award for Excellence in Non-Fiction) and Road Home (a Micheal Printz Honor and Stonewall Honor book). Under his pseudonym REY TERCIERO, he also re-imagines classics as modern and diverse graphic novels, including Meg, Jo, Beth, & Amy, Northranger (nominated for both Harvey and GLAAD Media Awards), and Dan in Green Gables.

Click here to access Golden Poppy Resources & Supplies.

2% discount from Ingram on Golden Poppy Finalists,

no code needed. Runs through Feb. 11th.

2026 GOLDEN POPPY AWARDS - COMMITTEE MEMBER SIGN-UP FORM CLOSES TOMORROW, JAN. 16TH

We have a few more spots open to build our committees for 2026. Please review the requirements in the 2026 Golden Poppy Committee form (some are new this year!)

Open 2026 Golden Poppy Committees:

Fiction
Nonfiction
Mystery
Romance
Martin Cruz Smith
Middle Grade
Children's Nonfiction
Mirrors & Windows

JOIN A GOLDEN POPPY COMMITTEE

2026 Golden Poppy Book Awards Timeline

Learn about the Golden Poppy Awards History

CALIBA is returning to the Oakland Asian Cultural Center (April 1) and the Pasadena Hilton (May 28) for our Spring Forums featuring lively conversation, education, rep picks, and networking.

AND NEW THIS YEAR, Owners' Retreats (Oakland: March 31 and Pasadena: May 27): owner-specific education the day before our Spring Forums.

CALIBA COMMITTEES

*WE NEED YOUR INPUT* EDUCATION COMMITTEE FORM

The CALIBA Education Committee wants to hear from our bookstore members! Share ideas, topics and/or volunteer as a panelist. No matter your role in your store, we want to hear from you!

Note to Owners — the last question is relevant for the Owners' Retreat.

SUGGEST TOPICS FOR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

GET INVOLVED! JOIN A CALIBA COMMITTEE

Join one of our committees and contribute your insights, passion, and creativity to the future and strength of CALIBA. Most committees require a few zoom calls a year, assisting the office, vetting authors and books for programs, and/or volunteering at in-person conferences. Sign up before committees resume. Click here for more details about CALIBA Committees.

The following committees are seeking members:

Education Committee
BIPOC Booksellers Committee (formerly Mosaic)
Nominating Committee
Publisher Relations Committee
Political Advocacy Committee

Interested in joining one of the committees above? Click here to fill out the form.

MARKETING ASSETS

FEBRUARY MARKETING ASSET - LOVE YOUR PET DAY (2/20):

AVAILABLE JANUARY 23RD

MARCH MARKETING ASSET - INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY (3/8):

AVAILABLE FEBRUARY 27TH

Click here to download past marketing assets.

CERTIFIED INDIE CAMPAIGN

View the public-facing page and download the assets: includes the Certified Independent Bookstore logo, Infographic (below), and more!

PROFESSIONAL BOOKSELLERS SCHOOL

2026 LIVE COURSE & INDEPENDENT STUDY SCHEDULE IS UP

Click here for more info.

Upcoming live courses:

- Inventory Management (12 seats left) - Register Now

- Bookstore Year One - Register Now

- Basic Bookselling - Register Now

- Store & Operations Management - Register Now

- *NEW COURSE* Profitability Master Class - Registration opens 1/26

5% DISCOUNT FOR CALIBA MEMBERS - Independent Study: CALIBAind | Live Courses: CALIBAlive

AMERICAN BOOKSELLERS ASSOCIATION

Nominate a Bookseller for ABA’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council

Take the Holiday Sales Survey by tomorrow, Jan. 16th.

A Top 10 1st Quarter (Q1) Checklist

There's Still Time to Enroll in 2026 Health Coverage by today, Jan. 15th.

Find Waldo Local 2026 pre-registration opens today, January 15th.

ABA's Valentine's Day assets are available now.

The Indie Bookstore Day Planning Guide, provided by the ABA, is full of ideas for Indie Bookstore Day on April 25, 2026, including tips on how to celebrate, marketing strategies, and other important information.

BECOME A MEMBER TODAY

Booksellers

Provisional Bookstore: $100 (online only and prospective bookstores)

Bookstore: $200

Membership Perks:

Free admission to our annual Fall Fest for you and your staff
Free or reduced rates at education and member programs for you and your staff
Subscription to our weekly e-newsletter for you and your staff
Stay up-to-date with industry, Alliance and bookstore news
Bestseller list
Classified ads
Online access to the Rep Directory updated regularly
Inclusion on our Find A Store webpage
Fall Catalog Marketing Campaign produced for you and promoted to drive business to your store
Independent Bookstore Day in conjunction with your ABA membership
Access to exclusive IBD merchandise
A list of current Publisher Promotions
Bookseller Resources
Tools for the Trade
Credit card processing with Gravity Payments

JOIN CALIBA NOW

Click here for more details.

SHOW OFF YOUR CALIBA SPIRIT
Click here to download the Proud Member of CALIBA file (Login required).

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

January: #JanuaryinJapan / International Creativity Month / Financial Wellness Month / National Book Blitz Month

January 21: Books Across Borders: A New Year in Translation at 5pm PST - RSVP Here

January 26: Profitability Master Class registration opens

January 29: 2025 Golden Poppy Awards Virtual Ceremony - RSVP Here

January 31: Friends of Fantasy Day

February: Black History Month / Ramadan (Feb 17-Mar 19)

Late February: 2026 RAMP Summer Guide Bookstore Orders Open / 2026 NorCal Spring Forum Bookseller Registration Opens

March: Women's History Month / National Reading Month / Indie Press Month / Ramadan (Feb 17-Mar 19)

March 31: Indie Bookstore Day 2026 General Participation Form closes

Early April: 2026 SoCal Spring Forum Bookseller Registration Opens

April 25: Independent Bookstore Day

Don't forget to follow and tag us (@caliba_20) to be featured! CALIBA's Media Outlet Resource Doc has info about being featured by Shelf Awareness, USA Today, and Bay City News.

1 - A Seat at the Table, in Elk Grove, celebrated their 4th anniverary with a Good Day Sacramento feature. Happy Birthday!

2 - Moonstone & Mist Bookshop, in Redondo Beach, highlighted a shopper's sweet write up.

3 - Casita Bookstore, in Long Beach, is moving forward with their new space – despite the horrible realities taking place daily.

4 - Wild Plum Books, in St. Helena, is willing spring to come up faster with new store decorations.

5 - Octavia's Bookshelf, in Pasadena, raised $718 for the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles' Literally Healing program.

6 - dym - book & boba shop, in Pasadena, is hosting a Book & Clothing Swap on Jan. 24th.

7 - Once Upon A Time Bookstore, in Montrose, is offering up a safe place for customers to escape into a book.

8 - Word Horde Emporium, in Petaluma, showed off some of their 200+ sticker stock to commemorate National Sticker Day.

In the News

Want to share your personal story or concerns as a small business owner more broadly? Share your OpEd, Think Piece, or Slice of Life story with your local media outlets. CALIBA is building a shared Media List here. Find or add contacts.

FUNDRAISERS

Dandar's Games and Books - Give a Hand | GoFundMe
Northtown Books - Give a Hand
Casita Bookstore - GoFundMe
2025 LA Fires Resources Page

SCHOLARSHIPS & GRANTS

CLASSIFIEDS

*NEW* Sales Assistant - Chronicle Books, San Francisco
*NEW* Associate Editor - Chronicle Books, San Francisco
*NEW* Editorial Freelancers - Chronicle Books, San Francisco
National Trade Sales Manager - Chronicle Books, San Francisco
Bookstore for Sale - Camino Books, Del Mar

VIEW MORE LISTINGS

Have a grant, scholarship, or classified listing for booksellers? Email Alecia to be listed on our site.

CALIBA'S CURRENTLY READING

Alecia

Supporting Staff

Next Level Love

Shameez Patel

9781538768402

Hannah

Executive Director

The Sacred Space Between

Kalie Reid

9780316596138

Valentina

Operations Manager

The Haar

David Sodergren

9781068546389

Check out CALIBA’s 2026 Reading List!

RESOURCES

CALIBA RESOURCES

Pop-Up Tool Kit
SIBA Anti-Racism Tool Kit
Tri-West Summer School Is Out! View past sessions.
Bookseller Mentorship Program | Mentee Sign-Up Form Here (Login Required) Mentor Sign-Up Form Here ((Login Required)
Join the CALIBA Edelweiss Community - Email Valentina
The Brown Bookshelf
Anti-Censorship Resources
Panorama Picks - Books in Demand at US Libraries
Become a participating bookstore with Little Free Library. Email Lexie Neeley to get involved!
CALIBA Media Outlet Resource Doc

Complete resource list.

ABA LINKS

BOOK INDUSTRY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION LINKS

PROFESSIONAL BOOKSELLERS SCHOOL LINKS

5% DISCOUNT FOR CALIBA MEMBERS - Independent Study: CALIBAind | Live Courses: CALIBAlive

INDIE TO INDIE LINKS

BOOKSTORE MAP

This map shows our current bookstore members.

Don't see your store on the map? Check your information on our website, then contact Alecia to update the map.

JOIN US ON DISCORD

Email Valentina to join.

Current CALIBA bookseller membership required.

HOUSEKEEPING

We're working hard to make your life easier with membership tips & tricks:

How to set up auto-pay for dues.

JANUARY 22ND - OFFICE HOURS WITH HANNAH

Join our monthly office hours (fourth Thursdays) to co-work with Hannah! Have a question, idea, or comment about a CALIBA program? Office hours are a great chance for you to check in directly with your Executive Director. Click here to register for a morning session (9-10am) or afternoon session (2-3pm).