09.25.25 CALIBA Publisher News & Information

September 25, 2025

in Publisher Newsletter,

IN THIS ISSUE

CALIBA Programs & Conferences

2025 Fall Fest: Thank You for Joining Us!

Golden Poppy Awards: Submissions Are Closed

Bookseller Scholarships

Black Bookstore Heritage Grant

CALIBA's Glenn Goldman Scholarship: Applications Close Oct. 31st

The James Patterson Holiday Bonus Opens Next Week

Promotional Opportunities

Social Media Promos: 20% Off Code Ends December 31st

Dates and Deadlines

Bookseller Shoutouts

Bestseller Lists

Classifieds

CALIBA Currently Reading

Resources

CALIBA Bookstore Map

CALIBA Staff

NEW MEMBER CORNER

Welcome to CALIBA, Judging By The Cover Bookstore!

Owner Name: Sara

Location: San Dimas

Established: June 2025

About Our New Member: At Judging By The Cover in San Dimas, we believe books are meant to be shared. As a woman- and Latina-owned shop, our shelves are shaped by the stories our community loves and recommends, making the bookstore feel like a reflection of the readers who gather here.

CALIBA PROGRAMS & CONFERENCES

2025 FALL FEST: THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!

Dear members and colleagues,

Thank you for an amazing Fall Fest! The South San Francisco Conference Center hosted 200 booksellers, 70 of those being first time attendees(!), 70 authors, 26 Sales Reps, and over 60 different vendors over the two days. It was a whirlwind of conversations, education, and book slinging! To help us keep Fall Fest a successful two days for everyone, please remember to fill out our surveys.

I truly hope those of you who came out enjoyed your time together. I am forever grateful to be in an industry with such amazing people. The CALIBA staff wishes our vendors, authors, and publishing partners a fun and successful conference season. Booksellers, we wish you a busy and profitable holiday season. Hopefully you left Fall Fest with a few tools in your toolkit to help you through the coming months.

As we leave Fall Fest in the past, CALIBA will be working hard on the Golden Poppy Awards and future projects. I, in particular, am looking forward to visiting a number of your stores soon too.

Best Wishes,

Hannah

P.S. Mark your calendars for next year! Fall Fest is happening at the Double Tree Hilton San Diego-Mission Valley from September 14th–15th, 2026.

EXHIBITOR EVALUATION FORM

POST-FALL FEST RESOURCES

EXHIBIT HALL DRAWING WINNERS

Order Winners: Kathryn Grantham (Black Bird Bookstore & Cafe, San Francisco) and Vanessa Martini (Green Apple, San Francisco); Discovery Winners: Danielle Deveaux (Books Inc., San Leandro), Thu Doan (East Bay Booksellers, Oakland), and Alyssa Lomeli (Ruby's Books, Folsom).

FALL FEST IN THE NEWS

Publishers Weekly

Shelf Awareness (Day 1)

Shelf Awareness (Day 2)

GOLDEN POPPY AWARDS: SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSED

Thank you for your submissions for the Golden Poppy Awards, we have received a record number of titles this year! Submissions have closed. The finalists will be announced in November.

BOOKSELLER SCHOLARSHIPS

BLACK BOOKSTORE HERITAGE GRANT

This grant, presented by the National Association of Black Bookstores (NAB2), is designed to support Black-owned bookstores. Each year, this grant will award a total of up to $5,000 to selected applicants. Applications are now open for the Black Bookstore Heritage Grant.

Winter Institute Glenn Goldman Scholarship

*EXTENDED* October 31st CALIBA's Glenn Goldman Scholarship Application (for ABA's 2026 Winter Institute)

THE JAMES PATTERSON HOLIDAY BONUS OPENS NEXT WEEK

Mark your calendars! Beginning on October 1, the nominations form for the Holiday Bookstore Bonus Program will open.

PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Get your books in front of the most reliable influencers: California's Independent Booksellers

Click here for more information.

REACH BOOKSELLERS AS THEY HEAD INTO Q4!

Ensure your book is top of mind as booksellers prepare for the biggest show of the year. Our various promotional options will give your titles the spotlight they need right when booksellers are making key decisions.

E-BLASTS are a great way to promote your titles to CALIBA's booksellers and bookstores. Price: $325 (member) / $400 (non-member) per e-blast

NEWSLETTER BANNER ADS are a great way to promote your titles in our weekly Bookseller Newsletters. Price: $425 (mid placement) / $625 (top placement) per week

HOMEPAGE BANNER ADS are a one-month exclusive banner on CALIBA's homepage! Placement directly under homepage slideshow. Price: $650 per month

REGIONAL BANNER ADS are campaign ads ads on the websites of each of the eight regional booksellers trade associations (SIBA, MIBA, GLIBA, NEIBA, PNBA, CALIBA, MPIBA). Banners run for a week and placement is exclusive. Price: $999 per week

SOCIAL MEDIA PROMOTION ($100):

20% OFF WITH CODE - SOCIAL2025

Our booksellers have requested a new way to feature your books as part of their social media marketing. We've come up with a list of themes to promote your titles. Click here for more info.

One time use only. Code expires December 31, 2025 at 11:59pm PT.

Have more marketing ideas or special events members would find useful? Send in your ideas here.

BOOK AN AD TODAY

Need to pay via invoice? Our promotional products include an option to request an invoice.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

September: Self-Care Awareness Month / National Hispanic Heritage Month / Digital Catalog pages to stores

October 1: Catalog delivery to stores and newspapers

October 5-11: Banned Books Week

*EXTENDED* October 31: CALIBA's Glenn Goldman Scholarship Application Deadline (for ABA's 2026 Winter Institute)

November 1: Catalog delivery via direct mail

Binc I Stand With Comic Shops and Bookstores

Dog Eared Books Napa Bookmine Rebel Reads Bookstore Get Lit Books and Things The Fleuria Underground Books Linden Tree Books Banter Bookshop Ruby's Books Caspian Books Vroman's Bookstore Copperfield's Books

1 - Dog Eared Books, in San Francisco, is 33 years old today and is celebrating with a 33% off sale!

2 - Napa Bookmine, celebrated their 12th anniversary on September 13th.

3 - Rebel Reads Bookstore, in Yucaipa, is turning one (!) and throwing a customer appreciation party in October.

4 - Get Lit Books & Things, in Moreno Valley, is looking for their forever home and will be closing the doors to their current location on September 28th. Best wishes for the search!

5 - The Fleuria, in Los Angeles, had a record turnout for their third Audiobook Walk.

6 - Underground Books, in Sacramento, has a recap of the Sac Black Lit Book Fest. Congrats on a successful festival!

7 - Linden Tree Books, in Los Altos, had a special storytime to celebrate Deaf Awareness month with popular children’s stories in ASL (American Sign Language).

8 - Banter Bookshop, in Fremont, has a book display to celebrate Deaf Awareness Month.

Spooky Season has officially begun:

9 - Ruby’s Books, in Folsom

10 - Caspian Books, in Tracy

11 - Vroman’s Bookstore, in Pasadena

12 - Copperfield’s Books, in Healdsburg

USA Today features

Book Society in Berkeley, California pairs curated wine with bestselling books

Shelf Awareness features

Happy 70th Birthday, Kepler's Books!

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

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

*NEW* Bookstore Manager - Chevalier's, Los Angeles
Accounting Assistant - Chronicle Books, San Francisco
Publicist - Chronicle Books, San Francisco or New York
Brand Designer - Chronicle Books, San Francisco

VISIT OUR CLASSIFIEDS

CALIBA CURRENTLY READING

Alecia

Supporting Staff

Our Vicious Oaths

N.E. Davenport

9780063397781

Hannah

Executive Director

The God and the Gumiho

Sophie Kim

9780593599662

Valentina

Operations Manager

A Witch’s Guide to
Magical Innkeeping

Sangu Mandanna

9780593439371

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