CALL FOR BOOKSELLERS

CALL FOR MENTORS

JOIN A CALIBA COMMITTEE

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

Independent Study Courses:

- Inventory Management - Register Now

- Basic Bookselling Store Subscription - Register Now

Wi2026 Session Recordings

National Book Ban Bill - Download Assets

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

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 20-25: Independent Bookstore Spirit Week

April 22: Earth Day

April 25: Independent Bookstore Day

May: National Small Business Month / Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month / Jewish American Heritage Month / Short Story Month

May 3-9: National Small Business Week

May 5-11: Children's Book Week

May 15: CALIBA Board of Director ballots will be sent to bookstore principal members

May 27-28: SoCal Owners' Retreat & Spring Forum

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 - Dandar’s Boardgames and Books, in Arcata, is back in action! 

2 - Vroman’s Bookstore, in Pasadena, hosted Terry Crews for a book signing last week. 

3 - Warwick’s, in La Jolla, hosted a book discussion with Emma Straub (owner of Books are Magic).

4 - Linden Tree Books, in Los Altos, helped Ann Liang sign 300+ pre-orders of her new release in store. 

5 - The Quirky Crow Bookshop, in San Ramon, highlighting Autism Awareness Month with a book display, this month and every month. 

6 - Green Apple Books, in San Francisco, showing off a joyful display to celebrate the launch of Artemis II. 

7 - Copperfield’s Larkspur, is in full bloom with their colorful flower display.

8 - The Book Jewel, in Los Angeles, is helping customers celebrate the mothers in their lives.

In the News

• Cool Idea: Verbatim Books' Read Out Event
• Skylight Books Opening Second Store in Los Angeles
• Forbidden Fiction Bookshop Comes to Oceanside, Calif.
• Salty Pages Comes to Cambria, Calif.
• Image of the Day: Tayari Jones at Kepler's
• Pew Survey Finds Readers Still Prefer Print Books
• Book Industry Coalition Opposes Federal Book Banning Effort
• Center for the Art of Translation to Open Literary Space in San Francisco
• Shop Around the Corner Books, Redding, Calif., Relocating
• ABA Promises IBD 2026 Will Be ‘the Largest Celebration Yet’
• Image of the Day: Book Passage Presents Michael Pollan

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 closes April 22nd
• Books Across Borders 2026-27 Fellowship Application
• Black Bookstore Heritage Grant

• *NEW* Licensed Publishing Director - Chronicle Books, San Francisco or New York
• 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

Divine Rivals

Rebecca Ross

9781250857439

Valentina

Operations Manager

House of Hunger

Alexis Henderson

9780593438480

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 +++