05.29.25 CALIBA Bookseller News & Information

May 29, 2025

in Bookseller Newsletter,

Winter Catalog. LAST CHANCE: Saturation Mailing Order Deadline is JUNE 1ST.

IN THIS ISSUE

CALIBA Office:

*VOTING CLOSES TODAY, MAY 29TH* CALIBA Board of Directors

CALIBA Programs:

*LAST CHANCE: DIRECT MAIL ORDERS CLOSE SUNDAY, JUNE 1ST* 2025 Winter Catalog

-Vote for your favorite catalog cover by Sunday, June 1st!

*ON THURSDAYS* Office Hours with Hannah Continue Next Week

Tri-West Summer School is Back!

Marketing Assets:

2025 Summer Reading Guide

CALIBA Marketing Assets for Bookstores

Professional Booksellers School:

*2 SEATS REMAINING* Your Brand/Your Story: Advanced Display & Marketing Course

Read to Lead: From To-Do to Done

Grants & Scholarships:

*LAST CHANCE TO APPLY* Macmillan Professional Development Scholarship

*DUE JUNE 15* SCBWI Impact and Legacy Fund Independent Bookstore Grant

ABA Announcements:

ABA's 2024 Annual Report

*REQUEST KIT BY JUNE 15TH* Banned Books Week

Dates and Deadlines

Bestseller Lists

Classifieds

CALIBA Currently Reading

Bookseller Resources

NEW MEMBER CORNER

Welcome to CALIBA, wallflower bookshop!

Owner: Alecia Reddick

Planned opening: January 2024

About Our New Member: Wallflower Bookshop is a haven celebrating diversity and inclusion in literature. We are interested in highlighting marginalized voices and breaking stereotypes. Our aim is to elevate underrepresented stories and the experiences of "wallflowers" in books. We currently offer a collection of romance, sci-fi, fantasy, horror and banned books!

CALIBA STAFF

Hannah Walcher

Executive Director

hannah@caliballiance.org

Valentina Moberg

Operations Manager

valentina@caliballiance.org

Alecia Reddick

Supporting Staff

alecia@caliballiance.org

JOIN CALIBA'S DISCORD!

Email Valentina to join.

Current CALIBA bookseller membership required.

CALIBA BOOKSTORE MAP

This map shows our current bookstore members.

Don't see your store on the map? Make sure to update your information on our website

or contact Alecia.

CALIBA OFFICE

CALIBA BOARD OF DIRECTORS: VOTING CLOSES TODAY, MAY 29TH

On the ballot: Mary Williams, President (Skylight Books, Los Angeles); Katerina Argyres, Vice President (Noe Valley Bookstore, San Francisco); Zack Dubuc, Treasurer (Book Passage); Claire Bone, Board Member (Wild Sisters Book Company, Sacramento); Mark O'Neal, Publishing Rep (Karel/Dutton Group); and Leslie Jobson, Publishing Rep (Ingram Content Group).

One vote per bookstore (owner/designated proxy only). Deadline to vote is May 29th.

VOTE NOW

CALIBA PROGRAMS

**LAST CHANCE** 2025 WINTER CATALOG: DIRECT MAIL ORDERS CLOSE SUNDAY, JUNE 1ST!

Direct mail allows bookstores to send catalogs to specific zip codes and mail carrier routes. It can be very effective at reaching new customers beyond the store's usual customer base and social media following. Click here to learn more.

IMPORTANT DEADLINES:

JUNE 1ST Deadline for direct mail orders
JUNE 15TH Deadline for all other orders, payments, and bookseller recommendations
OCTOBER 1ST Target date for catalog delivery to stores and newspapers
NOVEMBER 1ST Target date for catalog deliver via direct mail

ORDER WINTER CATALOGS

Visit RAMP for more detailed information.

LAST CHANCE: VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE HOLIDAY CATALOG COVER BY JUNE 1ST!

It's time to vote for the 2025 Winter Catalog Cover. Publishers have delivered beautiful, thoughtful, and heartfelt designs. Please spend time with each design and rank your favorites in the contest cover ballot. One vote per person.

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE COVER

WINTER CATALOG BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

Want to nominate some titles for the Winter Catalog?

Fill out the form to submit titles publishing in Fall 2025 by June 15th.

RECOMMEND TITLES NOW

OFFICE HOURS WITH HANNAH CONTINUE NEXT WEEK

Join our office hours to co-work with Hannah! Need a buddy while you fill out the Winter Reading Guide form? 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. Office hours will take place Thursdays, 9-10am and 2-3pm; from May 15th to July 31st (except May 29th).

Thursday Mornings (9-10am) - Registration Link

Thursday Afternoons (2-3pm) - Registration Link

TRI-WEST SUMMER SCHOOL IS BACK!

These FREE, virtual summertime sessions offer professional development and networking opportunities for every bookseller, no travel required! Co-produced by CALIBA, MPIBA, and PNBA.

Round Table: Community Events for Fun & Profit

Wednesday, June 11th at 12:00pm PDT

In this idea sharing session we'll discuss successful author-less, community events that generate traffic and revenue. Come with your best ideas and questions.

Click here to register for the session.

VIEW THE FULL COURSE SCHEDULE

MARKETING ASSETS

Summer Reading Guide Arriving in the Mail

2025 SUMMER READING GUIDE: USAGE GUIDELINES

Looking for ways to share the Summer catalogs within your community? Click here to view the usage guidelines and our 12-week Summer Challenge.

Share your display and marketing ideas with us on Discord, tag us on social, or email Hannah.

RAMP Summer Reading Guide - Digital Catalog

USE THE DIGITAL CATALOG & MARKETING ASSETS TO PROMOTE THE SUMMER READING GUIDE

Check your inboxes for your digital catalog and start promoting it now! To help you kickoff your marketing plan we've created marketing assets for you to share with your community.

Resources:

CALIBA MARKETING ASSETS FOR BOOKSTORES

We know that it takes time and another skillset to create marketing materials for your store, we are working on *NEW* assets that you can share with your customers. Publishers and authors will be pitching their upcoming titles for inclusion in the assets. While we get this project off the ground, let us know if you have any titles in mind that should be included (see the themes we have planned below).

Marketing themes:

AANHPI Month
Summer Reading Guide
Pride Month
Father's Day (coming soon)
Juneteenth (coming soon)
And more!

Click here to access the CALIBA Marketing Assets Google Drive (includes: co-op info, captions, tips for use and creative assets.

Have more marketing ideas or special events members would find useful? Email Alecia.

PROFESSIONAL BOOKSELLERS SCHOOL

CALIBA is a supporting sponsor of PBS, making it possible for our members to access professional development for independent booksellers at all levels.

Check out our new website to access CALIBA discount codes and more details.

YOUR BRAND/YOUR STORY: ADVANCED DISPLAY & MARKETING COURSE: 2 SEATS REMAINING!

Co-teachers Lisa Uhrick and Steve Wax help bookstores identify and build their brands, to move beyond a place to purchase products to an engaging customer experience.

Advanced Display & Marketing

Registration is open!

Course begins: June 4, 2025

Discount code ($20 off): CALIBAmd

CALIBA will reimburse booksellers for completion and certification of each live course. For those auditing courses, 1/2 of the cost will be reimbursed with proof of attendance.

READ TO LEAD: FROM TO-DO TO DONE:

BOOK CLUB LAUNCH

PBS has a new 3-session book club with attention management/productivity expert Maura Thomas. Sourcebooks is generously providing all registrants with 3 of Maura's books:

-Attention Management: How to Create Success and Gain Productivity - Every Day

-From To-Do to Done: How to Go from Busy to Productive by Mastering Your To-Do List

-The Happy Inbox: How to Have a Stress-Free Relationship with Your Email and Overcome Your Communication Clutter

The group will meet for three sessions on June 6, June 13, and June 20 at 12 pm PDT.

LEARN MORE

GRANTS & SCHOLARSHIPS

*LAST CHANCE: DUE MAY 31* Macmillan Professional Development Scholarship: provides $750 to booksellers traditionally underrepresented within the industry to attend their region’s fall trade show. Applications due by May 31st.

*APPLICATIONS OPEN* SCBWI Impact and Legacy Fund Independent Bookstore Grant: three independent bookstores will be awarded a $1,000 grant to host a public program or bookstore event featuring a children's book author or illustrator. Apply by July 15th.

ABA ANNOUNCEMENTS

BANNED BOOKS WEEK: REQUEST KIT BY JUNE 15TH

Sign up now to receive a free Banned Books Week kit from the American Booksellers Association! Supplies are limited and will be fulfilled on a first-come, first-served basis only for ABA member stores. Find details and sign up now!

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

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

May 29: CALIBA Board of Director Voting Closes

May 31: Macmillan Professional Development Scholarship Applications Close

June: Pride Month / Audiobook Appreciation Month

June 1: Deadline for Winter Catalog Direct Mailing Sign-Ups

June 1: Deadline to Vote for Winter Catalog Cover

June 11 @ 12PM PT: Bookseller Summer School Round Table: Community Events for Fun & Profit

June 11-14: ABA Children's Institute 2025 in Portland, OR

June 14: ABACUS, ABA’s free annual financial benchmarking survey due

June 15: Banned Books Week Kit Sign Up Deadline

June 15: Father’s Day

June 19: Juneteenth

July 15: SCBW I Impact and Legacy Fund Independent Bookstore Grant Applications Close

September 17-18: Fall Fest @ South San Francisco Conference Center

October 5-11: Banned Books Week

Now More Than Ever, I Stand with Bookstores is a fundraising campaign to engage all book lovers to join some of their favorite authors/creators and stand with their community stores during this time of uncertainty. They can help stores by making an in-store purchase and/or making a donation to Binc. Your support is appreciated and optional. The Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation is our safety net. Whether you are facing a life-altering medical situation or the effects of a climate related disaster, Binc is the place you can call for help. Donations will be matched dollar for dollar, doubling your impact, up to a total of $50,000.

Hannah is on the road for CALIBA's Road Trip! Check out the stores she has visited so far:

1 - Stinson Beach Books, Stinson Beach

2 - Point Reyes Books, Point Reyes Station

3 - Four-Eyed Frog Books, Gualala

4 - Gallery Bookshop, Mendocino

5 - Eureka Books, Eureka

6 - Northtown Books, Arcata

7 - Tin Can Mailman, Arcata

8 - Dandar's Boardgames and Books, Arcata

9 - The Book Seller, Grass Valley

10 - Word After Word Books, Truckee

Follow CALIBA (@caliba_20 ) to be see more #CALIBARoadTrip25!

BESTSELLER LISTS

Click here for the Los Angeles Times & Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestseller List

Click here for the San Francisco Chronicle & Northern California Independent Bookstore Bestseller List

CLASSIFIEDS

Part-Time Administrative Assistant - The Collective Book Studio, San Francisco Bay Area
National Accounts Manager - Chronicle Books, San Francisco
Social Media Assistant - Chronicle Books, San Francisco
Contracts Manager - Chronicle Books, San Francisco
Experienced Bookseller Wanted - Camino Books, Del Mar

Visit our classifieds for more listings

CALIBA CURRENTLY READING:

Alecia

Supporting Staff

Curvy Girl Summer

Danielle Allen

9781250331045

Hannah

Executive Director

The Payback

Kashana Cauley

9781668075531

Valentina

Operations Manager

The Romance Rivalry

Susan Lee

9781335012876

CALIBA RESOURCES

2025 Oakland Spring Forum Evaluation Form and Travel Reimbursement

Find a Substitute Booksell er Here (Login Required) Sign-Up to be a Substitute Bookseller

Golden Poppy Awards 2024 Resources Edelweiss List of Titles (Note: 2% Ingram Discount)

Summer Catalog Resource Page Edelweiss List of Titles (Note: 2% Ingram Discount)

Indie-to-Indie Playlists

Join the CALIBA Edelweiss Community - Email Valentina

The Brown Bookshelf

Anti-Censorship Resources

Panorama Picks - Books in Demand at US Libraries

Workplace Violence Prevention Plans Required for California Employers by July 2024 - Are you compliant?

Bookseller Summer School is Out - Access the Videos

Shelf Awareness features bookstore news daily. To submit bookstore news email news@shelf-awareness.com.

The USA Today Books Page spotlights an independent bookstore each week. ABA member bookstores can pitch their b ookstore to USA Today. Good Luck!

Bay City News is partnering with booksellers, librarians, and authors. Share your events, ideas and contributions with the newsroom to get into their newsletter. Feel free to send them your newsletters!

Become a participating bookstore with Little Free Library. Email Lexie Neeley to get involved!

Click here for a complete list.