09.10.26 CALIBA Bookseller News & Information

September 10, 2026

in Bookseller Newsletter,

No newsletter next week, we will hopefully see you at Fall Fest!

IN THIS ISSUE

COMPETE Act Updates

CALIBA PROGRAMS & EVENTS

2026 Fall Fest - See You Next Week, Bookseller Registration at the Door is Welcome

2026 Golden Poppies - By the Numbers

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.

COMPETE ACT UPDATES

Thank you to our booksellers who shared their support for the COMPETE Act. The Act went through some changes and is now heading to the Governor's Desk.

CALIBA PROGRAMS & EVENTS

2025 FALL FEST: SEE YOU NEXT WEEK - BOOKSELLER REGISTRATION AT THE DOOR IS WELCOME

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 author breakfast 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

Eight plants tell the story of the Black experience in America in this creative nonfiction debut from Oakland-based storyteller and environmental educator Ashia S. Ajani

2026 GOLDEN POPPIES: BY THE NUMBERS

The Golden Poppy finalists have been announced! Congratulations to the authors and publishers whose books made the lists! The Golden Poppy Awards will take place on September 15th at 7 PM 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

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 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)

October 4-10: Banned Books Week

Bookseller Shoutouts - September 10, 2026

1 - Chaucer’s Books, in Santa Barbara, celebrated Barb's retirement after 31 years at the store!

2 - Book Society, in Berkeley,got a shout out for being one of the best local shopping destinations in East Bay Magazine’s Best of the East Bay 2026!

3 - Camino Books: For the Road Ahead, in Del Mar, honored workers on Labor Day with an in-store display.

4 - Mysterious Galaxy, in San Diego, is spotlighting fall, even when it's 90 degrees out.

5 - Word After Word Bookshop, in Truckee, has welcomed September with Fall and Halloween book displays.

6 - Pegasus Books, in Berkeley, highlighted their Sportsball book assortment.

7 - Volumes of Pleasure Books, in Los Osos, is ready for the start of Hispanic Heritage Month.

8 - Tia Chucha's Centro Cultural and Bookstore, in Sylmar, has a prohibition-style way of celebrating forbidden literature during banned books week.

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.