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 or fill out the form.

CERTIFIED INDIE CAMPAIGN

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

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

Find Waldo Local 2026 pre-registration closes February 15th.

Sign up for the Indie Press Month 2026 Display Contest by February 27th.

Indie Bookstore Day Planning Guide for your to-do list.

Libro.fm's Golden Ticket for Indie Bookstore Day sign up is open.

2026 Libro.fm Audiobook Listening Challenge

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

MARCH MARKETING ASSET - INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY (3/8): AVAILABLE FEBRUARY 27TH

Click here to download marketing assets.

2026 PROFESSIONAL BOOKSELLERS SCHOOL SCHEDULE IS UP 

Click here for more info.

Live Courses:

- Bookstore Year One - Register Now

- Basic Bookselling - Register Now

- Store & Operations Management - Register Now

- Profitability Master Class - Register Now (4 seats remaining)

- Bookstore Finances - Registration Opens on Feb. 16th

Independent Study Courses:

- Independent Study: Inventory Management - Register Now

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

Vote for the Indies Choice Book Awards!

Nominate a Bookseller by Feb. 19th for ABA’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council

Check out this year’s ABA Board candidates! Mark your calendars: ballots will go out in March.

Register for the March 12, at 3:00 pm ET, webinar "Making Effective Third Spaces: Honing Your Store's Social Impact with Sarah Stein Lubrano."

The 2025 Sales Survey Results Are In!

HOW TO PREPARE FOR ICE RAIDS IN YOUR COMMUNITY

Here are the top 6 things to do to prepare for ICE raids at your store or in your community.

• Educate yourself and make a plan.
• Be prepared to handle an ICE worksite raid.
• Know what to do if Immigration comes to your workplace.
• If you're within 100 miles of a US border, know how your rights/experience may differ.
• Confirm that your employee I-9 paperwork is accurate, complete, and accessible.
• If applicable, create signage with language like "We do not authorize entry for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)" for your front door or window, external signs that say “Private Property," and/or internal signs that say "Employees Only" or “No Entry Without Authorization.” This asserts your Fourth Amendment rights and your rights as a business and signals solidarity to those impacted by ICE in your community. 

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

Click here for more details.

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

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

February 5 at 12pm PT: ShopTalk: Making the Most of Indie Bookstore Day

February 22-26: IGNITE and Winter Institute

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

March 15: 2026 RAMP Summer Guide Bookstore Orders Close

March 22: 2026 NorCal Spring Forum Bookseller Registration Closes

March 31: Indie Bookstore Day 2026 General Participation Form closes

April 25: Independent Bookstore Day

May 18: 2026 SoCal Spring Forum Bookseller Registration Closes

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 - January 30th's General Strike. Here are some CALIBA members that participated:

Reparations Club (Los Angeles)

Café Con Libros Press (Pomona)

Judging by the Cover Books (Fresno)

Mrs. Dalloway’s Literary & Garden Arts (Berkeley)

Wild Sisters Book Co. (Sacramento)

Octavia’s Bookshelf (Pasadena)

Black History Month Displays

2 - Volumes of Pleasure Bookshoppe, in Los Osos, showed off their Black History Month display.

3 - La Playa Books, in San Diego, displayed a few books to celebrate Black History Month.

4 - Fireside Books & More, in Redwood City, is officially one year old. Happy birthday!, 

5 - East Bay Booksellers, in Oakland, announced they are sponsoring the Oakland Review of Books.

6 - Banter Bookshop, in Fremont, thanked a customer for purchasing a ton of books to donate to Prisoners Literature Project.

7 - Once Upon a Bookstore, in Montrose, had a great time celebrating the first annual Friends of Fantasy Day!

8 - Warwick’s Books, in La Jolla, looks to have had a great turnout for Lily King’s book signing.

In the News

• Libro.fm to Fundraise for Binc
• Bookshop.org is now partnering with Spotify to integrate affiliate links to purchase physical books through the streaming service’s app.
• Bookshop.org has struck a major deal with Draft2Digital that will give more than 300,000 self-published authors the ability to sell e-books through the online bookstore.
• And Substack Prisons, Prose & Protest delves into the history of the nation’s first Black bookstore.
• Image of the Day: Lily King at Book Passage
• Cool Idea: Walking Tour for Booksellers
• The Collective Book Studio Launches Tiny Torch Books Imprint

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.

• Get Lit Books & Things - GoFundMe
• Dandar's Games and Books - Give a Hand | GoFundMe
• Northtown Books - Give a Hand
• 2025 LA Fires Resources Page

• Denver Publishing Institute Scholarsh applications due Feb. 6
• RISE+ Booksellers Exchange Program applications due Feb. 15
• Black Bookstore Heritage Grant

• Associate Editor - Chronicle Books, San Francisco
• Editorial Freelancers - Chronicle Books, San Francisco
• Bookstore for Sale - Camino Books, Del Mar

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

Alecia

Supporting Staff

Like in Love with You

Emma R. Alban

9780063428775

Hannah

Executive Director

The Fox Wife

Yangsze Choo

9781250266033

Valentina

Operations Manager

The Everlasting

Alix E. Harrow

9781250799081

Check out CALIBA’s 2026 Reading List!

Hannah Walcher

Executive Director

hannah@caliballiance.org

Valentina Moberg

Operations Manager

valentina@caliballiance.org

Alecia Reddick

Supporting Staff

alecia@caliballiance.org

Support CALIBA

Publishers support CALIBA when bookstores participate.

Bookstore Participation = Publisher Sponsorship = CALIBA = Bookstore Education, Advocacy, Networking +++