05.14.26 CALIBA Publisher News & Information

Publisher Newsletter,

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IN THIS ISSUE

UPCOMING DEADLINES & EVENTS

*Cover Contest Closes Tomorrow* 2026 Winter Catalog for Bookstores

June Social Media - Book Submissions Due Tomorrow

*Extended Submissions Deadline - May 29th* 2026 Fall Fest: Exhibitors, Call for Authors, and Rep Picks Interest Forms

2026 Pasadena Owners' Retreat & Spring Forum Schedule

CALIBA PROGRAMS & PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

*Sponsorship Interest Form Open!*

Fall Fest Bookstore Tour

*Call for Sponsors Closes May 31st*

2026 Tri-West Summer School

2026 Golden Poppy Awards: Submit Your Titles by California Authors Today!

July Social Media - Book Submissions Due June 19th

INDUSTRY NEWS

A Goodbye Toast for Kathleen and A Great Good Place for Books

BECOME A MEMBER TODAY

Dates and Deadlines

Bookseller Shoutouts

In the News

Fundraisers

Scholarships & Grants

Classifieds

CALIBA's Currently Reading

Resources

Housekeeping

CALIBA Bookstore Map

CALIBA Staff

BESTSELLERS LISTS

The Los Angeles Times & Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestseller List

The San Francisco Chronicle & Northern California Independent Bookstore Bestseller List

Independent Press Top 40 Bestsellers

Indie Next List & Kids' Indie Next List

BLK Bestsellers list - April 2026

UPCOMING DEADLINES & EVENTS

2026 Winter Catalogs for Bookstores

*COVER CONTEST CLOSES TOMORROW, MAY 15TH*
2026 WINTER CATALOG FOR BOOKSTORES

Why invest your ad dollars in RAMP catalogs?

RAMP provides stores with myriad ways of ordering catalog titles, promoting them creatively, and selling them across multiple channels. From stock checklists and Edelweiss collections to POS materials, eCommerce templates, and assorted digital graphics.

*NEW DESIGN THIS YEAR* Winter Catalog titles are front and center with stores from the day you book your ad, leaving indie booksellers to do what they do best: match books with readers.

Click here for more info about RAMP.

JUNE SOCIAL MEDIA - BOOK SUBMISSIONS DUE TOMORROW, MAY 15TH

Booksellers have voted - and they would like to promote Juneteenth (6/19) . Submit your Juneteenth-related titles for our social media assets by May 15th. Limit to 1 title per publisher. Spaces limited. Price: $100

*EXTENDED SUBMISSIONS DEADLINE - MAY 29TH* EXHIBITOR INTEREST FORM, REP PICKS INTEREST FORM, CALL FOR AUTHORS, SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

CALIBA is meeting at the DoubleTree by Hilton Mission Valley San Diego for two days of lively conversation, education, rep picks, and networking on Monday-Tuesday, September 14th-15th.

DUE MAY 29TH: Exhibitor Interest Form | Rep Picks Interest Form| Call for Authors

DUE JULY 10TH: Galley Room & Promotions | Sponsorships

Click here for more details.

CALIBA Spring Forum Pasadena Conference Schedule

2026 PASADENA OWNERS' RETREAT & SPRING FORUM SCHEDULE

CALIBA is meeting at the Pasadena Hilton for a day of lively conversation, education, rep picks, and networking at the Owners' Retreat, on Wednesday, May 27th, and the Spring Forum, on Thursday, May 28th.

CALIBA PROGRAMS & PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Have more promotion ideas or special events booksellers would find useful? Send in your ideas here.

Fall Fest 2026 Bookstore Tour

*SPONSORSHIP INTEREST FORM OPEN!* FALL FEST BOOKSTORE TOUR

We will have a bookstore tour on Sunday, September 13th. There will be a select number of seats available for vendors and publishers to purchase. Special invites will be sent to our participating vendors and publishers closer to the event. Guarantee your spot by becoming a Bookstore Tour Sponsor today!

*CALL FOR SPONSORS CLOSES MAY 31ST* 2026 TRI-WEST SUMMER SCHOOL

Bookseller Summer School, presented by CALIBA, MPIBA, and PNBA – and open to all booksellers from any region – is a series of FREE, virtual summertime sessions offering professional development and networking opportunities all summer long, no travel required! 

Golden Poppy 2026: Book Submissions

2026 GOLDEN POPPY AWARDS: SUBMIT YOUR TITLES BY CALIFORNIA AUTHORS TODAY!

We are specifically requesting the following category submissions. Click here for more info.

WE SUGGEST PUBLISHERS SEND REVIEW COPIES

Fall titles & final submissions by June 19th

JULY SOCIAL MEDIA - BOOK SUBMISSIONS DUE JUNE 19TH

Booksellers have voted - and they would like to promote Paperback Book Day (7/30). Submit your latest paperback releases for summer reading lists by June 19th. Limit to 1 title per publisher. Spaces limited. Price: $100

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Agate Publishing Academy

INDUSTRY NEWS

A Great Good Place for Books

A GOODBYE TOAST FOR KATHLEEN AND A GREAT GOOD PLACE FOR BOOKS

Come say goodbye to Kathleen Caldwell as she ends her long, illustrious career as bookseller extraordinaire and owner of A Great Good Place for Books. This is for book industry people: reps, booksellers, publishers, etc. There'll be cake and bubbly. Official toast will be around 3:45.

A Great Good Place for Books

6120 La Salle Ave, Oakland, CA

Sunday, May 31st @ 3-4:30 pm

Please RSVP: Carolyn@mrsdalloways.com

BECOME A MEMBER TODAY

Proud Member of CALIBA window decal

Publishers, Sales Reps & Book Industry Professionals (Non-voting)

Individual: $150

Small House & Commission Groups: $250 (up to 3 sales reps)

Large House: $550 (up to 6 sales reps)

Membership Perks:

  • Discounted admission/exhibit space to our annual Fall Fest
  • Free or discounted rates at education and member programs
  • Subscription to our weekly e-newsletter & bestseller list
  • Stay up-to-date with industry, association and bookstore news
  • Access to our online Rep Directory
  • Post your job openings in our classifieds

Click here for more details.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

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

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

June: Pride Month / Audiobook Appreciation Month

June 19: Juneteenth

June 21: Father's Day

June 26-29: ABA Children's Institute

CALIBA Bookseller Shoutouts
CALIBA Bookseller Shoutouts - May 14, 2026

1 - Wild Sisters Book Co., in Sacramento, is opening a second bookstore! 

2 - TBR Books, in Claremont, shares why they chose to be a Romance bookstore.

3 - Pages: A Bookstore, in Manhattan Beach, thanks the PRH team for visiting their store on their SoCal tour.

4 - Tía Chucha's Centro Cultural, in Sylmar, will give away 1,000 free new books during their Celebrating Words Festival on May 30th!

5 - Petunia’s Place, in Fresno, is giving away boxes of middle grade, young adult, and adult books for their local little free libraries to claim.

6 - Avid Reader Davis is showing off some pretty great clues for their trivia night theme.

7 - Camino Books, in Del Mar, highlights a selection of books for Mental Health Awareness month.

8 - The Pleasant Pheasant Bookstore, in Woodland, has a very pretty springtime book display.

In the News

Don't forget to follow CALIBA (@caliba_20)!

FUNDRAISERS

SCHOLARSHIPS & GRANTS

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

CLASSIFIEDS

  • Editor - Silver Dolphin & Studio Fun, San Diego
  • Designer - Silver Dolphin & Studio Fun, San Diego
  • Copy Editor - VIZ Media, San Francisco
  • Licensed Publishing Director - Chronicle Books, San Francisco or New York

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

CALIBA'S CURRENTLY READING

Alecia

Supporting Staff

The Fake Divination Offense Sara Raasch 9781250428790

The Fake Divination Offense

Sara Raasch

9781250428790

Hannah

Executive Director

Midnight Library  Matt Haig 9780525559498

Midnight Library

Matt Haig

9780525559498

Valentina

Operations Manager

For Human Use Sarah G. Pierce 9780316586535

For Human Use

Sarah G. Pierce

9780316586535

Check out CALIBA’s 2026 Reading List!

RESOURCES

Click here for a complete list.

HOUSEKEEPING

ADDRESS CHANGE AND BANK UPDATE

California Independent Booksellers Alliance (CALIBA), has changed our address and bank. We request that all ACH payments be deposited in our new account. For our updated W-9 and ACH instructions, please email Valentina Moberg at valentina@caliballiance.org.

CALIBA

266 Wood St Unit 404

Livermore, CA 94550

CALIBA Bookstore Map

CALIBA BOOKSTORE MAP

This map shows our current

bookstore members.

CALIBA Merchandise

CALIBA STAFF

Hannah Walcher

Executive Director

hannah@caliballiance.org

Valentina Moberg

Operations Manager

valentina@caliballiance.org

Alecia Reddick

Supporting Staff

alecia@caliballiance.org

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