05.21.26 CALIBA Publisher News & Information

May 21, 2026

in Publisher Newsletter,

**No newsletter next week, we will hopefully see you at the Pasadena Spring Forum!**

IN THIS ISSUE

CALIBA ANNOUNCEMENT

CALIBA Office Closed May 26th-29th

CALIBA PROGRAMS & PROMOTIONS

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

*Call for Sponsors Closes May 31st*

2026 Tri-West Summer School

*Book Submissions Due June 19th* July Social Media: Paperback Book Day

*Reserve Ad Space by June 20th* 2026 Winter Catalog for Bookstores

*Submit Your CA Authors' Titles by June 19th* 2026 Golden Poppy Awards

SCHOLARSHIPS & GRANTS

INDUSTRY NEWS

A Goodbye Toast for Kathleen
and A Great Good Place for Books
on May 31st

BECOME A MEMBER TODAY

Dates and Deadlines

Bookseller Shoutouts

In the News

Fundraisers

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

CALIBA ANNOUNCEMENT

The CALIBA Office will be closed Tuesday-Friday, May 26th-29th while we travel and host the Owners’ Retreat & Spring Forum in Pasadena.

CALIBA PROGRAMS & PROMOTIONS

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

*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 R oom & Prom otions | Sponsorships

Click here for more details.

*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!

BECOME A SPONSOR TODAY

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

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

POETRY

ROMANCE

GLENN GOLDMAN: CA LIFESTYLE

GLENN GOLDMAN: COOKING

MARTIN CRUZ SMITH AWARD: EMERGING DIVERSE VOICES

FINAL SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS 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

BOOK YOUR PROMOTION NOW

*RESERVE AD SPACE BY JUNE 20TH* 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.

Reserve ad space for your Fall/Winter titles in our 2026 Winter Catalog Today!

SCHOLARSHIPS & GRANTS

Macmillan Booksellers Professional Development Scholarships

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

INDUSTRY NEWS

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

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

JOIN CALIBA NOW

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

*EXTENDED* May 29: Fall Fest Exhibitor Interest Form, Rep Picks Interest Form, and Call for Authors Form Closes

May 31: Tri-West Summer School Sponsorships Close

June: Pride Month / Audiobook Appreciation Month

June 19: Juneteenth / 2026 Golden Poppy Awards Submissions Close

June 20: 2026 Winter Catalog Ad Space Reservations Closes

June 21: Father's Day

June 26-29: ABA Children's Institute

1 - Ember & Ink, in Hermosa Beach, is soft opening today!

2 - Once Upon A Time Bookstore, in Montrose, is turning 60 this year!

3 - Underdog Bookstore, in Monrovia, received the LGBTQ+ Pride Month proclamation from Monrovia’s City Council. Congrats!

4 - Judging by the Cover, in Fresno, has officially moved out of their Chinatown location.

5 - Builders Booksource, in Berkeley, celebrated happy bike to wherever day with bike books.

6 - Bookshop Santa Cruz has a Junior Bookseller Program to give young readers a behind-the-scenes look at the magic of bookselling this summer.

7 - AANHPI Month

Bookshop Benicia

Vroman’s Bookstore (Pasadena)

Zibby’s Bookshop (Santa Monica)

8 - Grad Season

Noe Valley Books (San Francisco)

Mrs. Dalloway’s (Berkeley)

Peninsula Book Collaborative (Daly City)

In the News

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

FUNDRAISERS

A Great Good Place for Books - GoFundMe
LibroMobile - Donate
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

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

VIEW MORE LISTINGS

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

CALIBA'S CURRENTLY READING

Alecia

Supporting Staff

One & Only

Maurene Goo

9798217181162

Hannah

Executive Director

Midnight Library

Matt Haig

9780525559498

Valentina

Operations Manager

Evil Genius

Claire Oshetsky

9780063466487

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