09.03.26 CALIBA Bookseller News & Information

September 3, 2026

in Bookseller Newsletter,

IN THIS ISSUE

CALIBA PROGRAMS & EVENTS

2026 Fall Fest - Online Registration is Closed, Bookseller Registration Available at Registration Desk

Fall Fest Prep / First Time Vendors

Fall Fest Day 1 - Scholastic YA Author Panel - Updated

2026 Golden Poppy Awards - Finalists Are In!

Golden Poppy Promotions Brainstorming Session

Fall Fest Virtual Education Sessions from Show Sponsors in October

BOOKSTORE PROMOTIONS & MARKETING

Dates and Deadlines

Bookseller Shoutouts & In the News

CALIBA's Currently Reading

Resources

Become a Member Today

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 - August 2026

BOOKSTORE MAP

This map shows our current bookstore members.

Note this info is public. Check your information on our website, then contact Alecia to update the map.

MEMBERSHIP EXPIRED?

Check your member compass here.

OPENED A NEW LOCATION? Add a new store location on our website and label your original location as the "Parent Company."

JOIN US ON DISCORD

Email Valentina to join.
Current CALIBA bookseller membership required.

CALIBA PROGRAMS & EVENTS

2026 FALL FEST: ONLINE REGISTRATION IS CLOSED, BOOKSELLER REGISTRATION AVAILABLE AT REGISTRATION DESK

It's almost time for two full days of education, authors, and connection with booksellers throughout the state of California. Entry is free to CALIBA member bookstores and their staff. Seating is limited for our breakfast keynote and lunch sessions, please check at the registration desk about meal ticket availability. Current bookstore membership required to register for Fall Fest.

ATTENDEE RESOURCES

BOOKSELLER CHECKLIST

VIEW THE FULL SCHEDULE

EXPLORE THE EXHIBIT HALL

BOOKSTORE TOUR ROUTES

WHERE TO STAY

BOOKSELLER CARPOOL

SEPTEMBER 14TH, 11:35AM: SCHOLASTIC YA AUTHOR PANEL - WHERE WE WERE, WHERE WE ARE, WHERE WE ARE GOING! PANEL UPDATE

Please bring a favorite YA backlist title to share and swap with another bookseller at this panel. It doesn't have to be a Scholastic title, anything goes! We'd love to see what YA books you love!

FALL FEST PREP - FIRST-TIME VENDORS

Check out these vendors on our Exhibit Hall page before you attend Fall Fest in less than two weeks!

Explore the Exhibit Hall

Andrews McMeel Publishing - C8-C10
Chesapeake Press - B4
Fly Paper Products - C6
Gibbs Smith - I2
The Lab Press - I7
Library Cat Designs - C3
LitCircle - A2
Lynn-oleum - I10
The Noble Paperie - I8
Paper Moth Studio - I11
Rock Scissor Paper - I9
Socksmith Design - C2
two hermanas - I13

2026 GOLDEN POPPY AWARDS - FINALISTS ARE IN!

Golden Poppy Committees submitted their finalist lists and the staff has started promoting them! Congratulations to the authors and publishers whose books made the lists! Winners will be announced at our first in-person awards ceremony on Tuesday, September 15th at 7pm PT. Ceremony to be followed by wine & dessert.

Limited number of Award Ceremony tickets available
for sale at Fall Fest. Dress Code: Cocktail Attire.

Click here to access Golden Poppy Resources &
Supplies (login required).

2% discount from Ingram on Golden Poppy Finalists,
no code needed. Runs through October 16th.

VIEW THE FINALISTS

GOLDEN POPPY PROMOTIONS BRAINSTORMING SESSION

OCTOBER 7TH, 12-1PM PT

Have questions about how to champion the Golden Poppy Awards in your store? Join the CALIBA team to hear CALIBA's ideas, brainstorm ways you'd like to promote the finalists/winners, plus share the books you'd love to see submitted in for 2027! Click here to register.

SOUND INVESTMENT - MAXIMIZING THE LIBRO.FM REVENUE STREAM VIRTUAL EVENT

OCTOBER 14TH, 12-1PM PT

Independent bookstores operate on famously thin margins, where rising operational costs and fixed retail realities require creative, diversified revenue streams to survive and thrive. Join the Libro.fm team for an actionable, toolkit-focused session dedicated to transforming your Libro.fm sales into a sustainable low-effort, high-efficiency revenue stream for your store. We will explore field-tested strategies from stores that have successfully increased their Libro.fm revenue through creative in-store presence, author event tie-ins, and strategic promotional campaigns. Finally, we will pull back the curtain on upcoming Libro.fm platform features designed to enhance community engagement both in-store and online. Whether you want to streamline your staff’s handselling workflow or expand your digital offerings, this session provides the concrete tools and inspiration you need to boost your bottom line. Brought to us by Golden Poppy Award Ceremony Sponsor, Libro.fm. Click here to register.

INTRODUCING COVERED - INGRAM'S DRC AND CATALOG SITE

OCTOBER 21TH, 12-1PM PT

Booksellers are always looking for standout titles to share with their customers. Join us for a look at Covered, Ingram’s new site designed to connect booksellers with digital review copies (DRCs) and title information direct from publishers. In this session, you’ll learn

how Covered makes it easy for booksellers to evaluate new titles through DRCs and get a preview of a more powerful catalog, ordering, and discovery tool. Speakers: Margaret Harrison, VP Digital Services and Courtney Seitz, Manager Data Sales & Insights. Brought to us by Fall Fest Sponsor, Covered. Click here to register.

EDELWEISS OMNIBUS: NEXT STOP, YOUR BOOKSTORE

OCTOBER 28TH, 12-1PM PT

Your store is wherever you are… in the stacks, at the counter, at an offsite two towns over. So is Omnibus for Booksellers.

Omnibus isn't something new to learn alongside Edelweiss: it's what Edelweiss is becoming, live now and growing. Discover revamped catalogs, review copies, and events. Manage what you stock and who you reach, with smarter analytics on your sales and email marketing that goes further. Connect a POS whenever you're ready and operate the whole floor from any device—transacting, ordering, receiving, selling online.

In this session, the Omnibus team will show you what's new on the platform, the workflows that save the most time, and how to get on board.Brought to us by Fall Fest Sponsor, Omnibus. Click here to register.

VIRTUAL EDUCATION SESSIONS CALENDAR

CALL FOR BOOKSELLERS

Looking for extra staffing or employment this summer?

CALL FOR MENTORS

In need of more mentors for BIPOC, niche & small stores

JOIN A CALIBA COMMITTEE

BOOKSTORE PROMOTIONS & MARKETING

CALIBA MARKETING ASSETS

MORE MARKETING ASSETS

ABA: Q4 checklist | Back to School| Midterm Election Toolkit | Banned Books Week 2026 Assets

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

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

September: Self-Care Awareness Month / National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15)

September 7: Labor Day

September 8: International Literacy Day

September 10: Winter Institute Registration Opens - ABA Infographic

September 11-13: Rosh Hashanah

September 13-15: 2026 Fall Fest: Bookstore Tour, Bookseller Conference & Golden Poppy Awards

September 15: National Voter Registration Day

September 20: Yom Kippur

September 22: Autumn Equinox/First Day of Fall

September 25: National Comic Book Day

October: LGBTQ+ History Month / Filipino American History Month / National Book Month / National Reading Group Month / National Cookbook Month / TeenTober™ / National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15)

Bookseller Shoutouts - September 3, 2026

1 - Moonstone & Mist Bookshop, in Redondo Beach, is one step closer to their brick and mortar dreams. Look at that lighting!

2 - Fair Arrow Books + Goods, in St. Martinez, was awarded a Business of the Month Award in August, congratulations!

3 - Napa Bookmine bid farewell to Gloria Steinem, "another inspiring woman of our time."

4 - Noe Valley Books, in San Francisco, is honoring Dolly Parton on their cute ombre bookmarks.

5 - Hicklebee's Bookstore, in San Jose, is ready for pumpkin season!

6 - The Book Seller, in Grass Valley, has 2027(?!) planners in.

7 - Copperfield's, in Napa, hosted a successful (and adorable) pet adoption event.

8 - Godmothers, in Summerland, has got the perfect way to test out their tote sizes.

In the News

BOOKSTORE FEATURES

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.

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.

BOOKSTORE: TOP 5 BESTSELLERS Submit your top 5 best sellers in our new "Flying off the Shelves at..." feature in our weekly newsletter! Submit your best sellers list here. Note: must be a CALIBA Member.

BOOKSTORE MEMBER CORNER Want to be featured in the Member Corner? Submit your details here. Note: must be a CALIBA Member.