CALL FOR BOOKSELLERS

CALL FOR MENTORS

JOIN A CALIBA COMMITTEE

*16 Days Until* Indie Bookstore Day

• AVAILABLE NOW!: Indie Bookstore Day Searchable Map is live on IndieBound
• Now! Early- to mid-April, 2026: All exclusives ship to bookstores
• April 20–24, 2026: Indie Bookstore Day Spirit Week
• Monday, April 20: Silly Sock Day
• Tuesday, April 21: Plaid Tuesday
• Wednesday, April 22: On Wednesdays We Wear Bookstore Shirts 
• Thursday, April 23: Book Character Dress-Up Day + World Book Day!
• Friday, April 24: YOUR store’s Spirit Day
• April 25, 2026, the last Saturday in April: Independent Bookstore Day

Click here for more details

INDIE BOOKSTORE DAY (4/25)

-*NEW* Indie Bookstore Day marketing assets and exclusives product images

-CALIBA Social assets available on site, Mar. 27th

-Shelf Awareness Call for Information: Independent Bookstore Day

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

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

CHILDREN'S BOOK WEEK (5/4-5/10)

*SAVE THE DATE* Children's Book Week - May 4-10, 2026

BANNED BOOKS WEEK (10/4-10/10)

*SAVE THE DATE* Banned Books Week - October 4-10, 2026

CERTIFIED INDIE BOOKSTORE COMPAIGN

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

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

2026 PROFESSIONAL BOOKSELLERS SCHOOL SCHEDULE IS UP 

Click here for more info.

Live Courses:

- Bookstore Year One - Register Now

- Bookstore Finances - Registration Now

Independent Study Courses:

- Independent Study: Inventory Management - Register Now

*COST-EFFECTIVE DEAL* BASIC BOOKSELLING STORE SUBSCRIPTION

For $350, a store can have any number of staff members access the Independent Study version of the Basic Bookselling course, including all 9 recorded classes and handouts, for an entire year. Your Independent Study discount applies to this, which makes the price even lower. Register Now

Wi2026 Session Recordings Are Now Available!

Click here to browse the recordings.

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. 

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

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.

CALCHAMBER'S EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK CREATOR ONLINE TOOL - Buy Now

ABFE TOOLKIT WEBINAR: NAVIGATING BOOKSTORE HARASSMENT, THREATS, AND INTIMIDATION - APRIL 10TH 12PM PST

Join the ABFE Toolkit Webinar: Navigating Bookstore Harassment, Threats, and Intimidation on 4/10 at 12pm PST.

This webinar will cover the resources included in ABFE’s new toolkit, as well as how you can put the toolkit to use in your store. There will also be a guest speaker from PEN America present to cover digital safety!

INDIE BOOK SOCIAL: APRIL 14TH, 10AM PST

Join reps from six awesome indie publishers — Annick Press, Biblioasis Press, Coach House Books, ECW Press, Groundwood Books, and House of Anansi Press — for a mid-day break as they tell you about their favourite upcoming titles and answer your burning questions about their lists.

The Book Social will be held virtually over Zoom on 4/14 at 10am PST. All bookstore staff are welcome! RSVP Here.

BOOKSELLER DRINKS WITH THE INDIES: APRIL 22ND 6PM-8PM

Join your friends at Europa Editions, Grove Atlantic, McNally Editions and Milkweed Editions to sip and celebrate the great work we do together as independent publishers and booksellers. RSVP Here.

Wednesday, April 22, 6-8PM

Standard Deviant Brewing

280 14th St, San Francisco

HR BOOT CAMP VIRTUAL SEMINAR: APRIL 23RD-24TH, 9AM-12:30PM

Managing employees in California comes with high stakes—and little room for error. HR Boot Camp is designed to give you practical, real-world guidance across the full employment lifecycle so you can make decisions with confidence, not hesitation.

Join CalChamber’s employment law experts for this two-day virtual seminar covering essential requirements from hiring to termination, with live instruction, interactive examples, and real-time Q&A. Thursday, 4/23 and Friday, 4/24, 9am-12:30pm, $349 per seat. RSVP Here.

April: Arab American Heritage Month / National Poetry Month / International Customer Loyalty Month / National Stress Awareness Month

April 25: Independent Bookstore Day

May 18: 2026 SoCal Owners' Retreat & Spring Forum Online 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.

Oakland Owners' Retreat and Spring Forum

1. Our first Owners' Retreat is in the books! We had a great day of discussions, learning, and camaraderie.
2. A special picture of Paul Yamazaki of City Lights in San Francisco and Andy Weiner from Abrams. The painting gifted to Paul is from Enchanted Lion’s Fall '26 book Bookstores Around the World.
3. Some fun photos from Sarah George of Bookish Modesto from her author panel at Spring Forum!
4. Look at that haul! Book Society in Berkeley shows off their galley stack from Spring Forum.

Shoutouts

1. Once Upon a Time Bookstore in Montrose wishes you a Happy International Children's Book Day!
2. Happy 3rd anniversary to Underdog Bookstore in Monrovia!
3. Check out these Spring picture books featured on The Reading Bug's (San Carlos) Instagram.
4. I spy a Golden Poppy Award! Brian Selznick shares his framed Award for Run Away With Me

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.

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

• BINC: The Susan Kamil Emerging Writers Scholarship 
• National Association of Black Bookstores offering scholarships to Children’s Institute
• Scholastic’s Diversity and Inclusion Bookseller Scholarship
• Books Across Borders 2026-27 Fellowship Application
• Black Bookstore Heritage Grant

• Editorial Freelancer - Chronicle Books, San Francisco
• College Publishing Sales Representative - W.W. Norton & Company, Fresno
• Publishing Assistant - The Collective Book Studio, Oakland

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

Alecia

Supporting Staff

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil

V.E. Schwab

9781250320544

Hannah

Executive Director

Queen Demon

Martha Wells

978125081250826930

Valentina

Operations Manager

Knock Knock, Open Wide

Neil Sharpson

9781250785480

Check out CALIBA’s 2026 Reading List!

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) — or email Hannah to set up an appointment.

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 +++