10.09.25 CALIBA Bookseller News & Information

October 9, 2025

in Bookseller Newsletter,

IN THIS ISSUE

CALIBA PROGRAMS

Winter 2025 Catalogs Have Shipped to Stores

Golden Poppy Awards: Opt-In to Shelf Awareness Mailings

Thank You for Attending Our Virtual Town Hall

Substitute Bookseller Program

GRANTS & SCHOLARSHIPS

*DUE MONDAY, OCT. 13TH*
Glenn Goldman Scholarship Applications

INDIE BOOKSTORE PROMOTIONS

PROFESSIONAL BOOKSELLERS SCHOOL

MARKETING ASSETS

Dates and Deadlines

Bookseller Shoutouts

Bestseller Lists

Classifieds

CALIBA Currently Reading

Resources

Bookstore Map

Office Hours with Hannah

CALIBA Staff

NEW MEMBER CORNER

Welcome to CALIBA, Ember & Ink!

Owners: Kristine Conway & Emalee Kioski

Location: Redondo Beach, CA

Planned opening: Jan-March 2026

About Our New Member: We are a romance focused bookstore in the heart of Southbay Los Angeles. Our space will be dedicated to exploring diverse voices and finding every readers' perfect love story. We will host author signings, a variety of events, and connect a community of readers who believe in the power of a happy ending.

SHOW OFF YOUR CALIBA SPIRIT

Share your support of California Independent Bookstores in your stores and online. Click here to download the file (Login required).

CALIBA PROGRAMS

WINTER 2025 CATALOGS HAVE SHIPPED TO STORES

Thank you for ordering your winter catalogs. CALIBA will provide up to $200 rebate for bookstores that participated in newspaper insertions and saturation mailing. Winter Catalog Rebate Form

Note: CALIBA has a select number of copies of the catalog if you run out of copies or missed the order deadline. Email info@caliballiance.org.

Download professionally designed catalog resources.

Edelweiss list of CALIBA winter catalog titles.

Starting October 1, Ingram will add a 2% discount on all winter catalog titles. No code needed.

MAKE THE MOST OF THE WINTER CATALOG

Learn the ins and outs on how to use the catalogs to your advantage during Hannah's Office Hours on Thursday, October 23rd at 2pm PDT. Click here to RSVP.

OPT-IN TO THE *FREE* GOLDEN POPPY SHELF AWARENESS MAILINGS

Share the Golden Poppy Award finalists and winners with your customers for easy online shopping!

These mailings include a store-branded landing page with a unique URL specific to your store, making it easy to share the entire list on your website and through social media. CALIBA will create a QR code using this URL for even easier sharing upon request.

Mailing Schedule for Golden Poppy Book Awards:

December 2, 2025 (Finalists)
January 30, 2026 (Winners)

NOTE: If you have participated in this program, or any other email program via Shelf Awareness, you don’t need to supply a logo or reply-to email again, just upload your current e-mail list and we’ll use the logo and reply-to address already on hand.

Deadline to opt-in: November 3rd

Click here to sign up.

CALIBA Virtual Town Hall Meeting Feedback

THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING OUR VIRTUAL TOWN HALL

Thank you to those of you who were able to attend our Virtual Town Hall on October 1st.

If you were unable to attend the meeting, we want to hear from you too! We’ve put together this form (login required) where you can provide feedback on what was discussed in this first meeting as well as submit your own concerns and ideas.

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.

SUBSTITUTE BOOKSELLER PROGRAM: NEED HELP AT THE BOOKSTORE FOR AN EVENT OR DURING THE HOLIDAY RUSH?

If you are looking for some help, we have a few booksellers that have already filled out the form! Find a Substitute Bookseller Here (login required). If you are having trouble accessing your account, email Valentina.

If you would like to be a Substitute Bookseller, fill out this form!

GRANTS & SCHOLARSHIPS

*DEADLINE APPROACHING - OCTOBER 13TH* CALIBA's GLENN GOLDMAN SCHOLARSHIP

Oops. We had the date wrong! Last chance to apply! Click here for more information and to apply.

*DEADLINE OCTOBER 31ST* JAMES PATTERSON HOLIDAY BOOKSTORE BONUS PROGRAM

Click here for more information and to nominate booksellers.

BLACK BOOKSTORE HERITAGE GRANT

Applications are now open for the Black Bookstore Heritage Grant.

INDIE BOOKSTORE PROMOTIONS

BANNED BOOKS WEEK

BOOKSHOP.ORG BANNED BOOKS WEEK SALE ENDS OCT. 19TH

Bookshop.org and We Need Diverse Books are partnering to promote banned and challenged books at a time when literature remains under threat of censorship (and worse). Click here for the Social Assets and Eligible ISBNs.

LIBRO.FM INDIE BOOKSTORE APPRECIATION SALE ENDS OCT. 13TH

In celebration of independent bookshops, shop Libro.fm's limited-time sale on bestselling audiobooks. Click here to download assets to share on social media.

ABA BANNED BOOKS DISPLAY CONTEST

This week, show the ABA how your store is promoting banned books in your community for a chance to win up to $300. Submissions are due by 11:59 pm local time on the last day of Banned Books Week, October 11. See all the contest details here.

PREPARE FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON

LIBRO.FM's TIPS AND RESOURCES TO GET READY FOR Q4

Become a Libro.fm bookstore partner and earn money on every purchase customers make through your bookstore.

Already a Libro.fm partner? Here are three things you can do to get ready for the holiday season:

Highlight audiobook gifts: Check out their holiday guide for handselling tips, FAQs on audiobook gifts and a month by month checklist.

Mark your calendar for Libro.fm’s biggest sales of the year:

Shop Small Sale: Bestselling audiobooks will be marked down 11/25-12/1
Credit Bundle Sale: The once-a-year credit bundle sale runs 12/9-12/11

Plan to share special membership offers:

They have promo codes and graphics for Plaid Friday, Cider Monday, Indies First, and Small Business Saturday. The offer for each code is 3 audiobooks for the price of 1 with a new 1 credit per month membership. Find assets in the bookseller hub.

SHELF AWARENESS CALL FOR INFORMATION

Indies First/Small Business Saturday

Indie Bookstore Day Ambassador LeVar Burton

INDIE BOOKSTORE DAY 2026

The Indie Bookstore Day Planning Guide Is Here! This guide is full of ideas for Indie Bookstore Day on April 25, 2026, including tips on how to celebrate, marketing strategies, and important information on ordering exclusives.

Key IBD 2026 Dates & Deadlines:

September 29, 2025: The Independent Bookstore Day catalog opens for preview on the Indie Bookstore Day Website

October 9, 2025: Indie Bookstore Day 2026 Order and Participation Form goes live

November 13, 2025: Indie Bookstore Day 2026 Exclusives Order Form closes

March 31, 2026: Indie Bookstore Day 2026 General Participation Form closes

April 3, 2026: Indie Bookstore Day Searchable Map goes live on IndieBound

Mid-April, 2026: All exclusives ship to bookstores

April 20–24, 2026: Indie Bookstore Day Spirit Week

April 25, 2026, the last Saturday in April: Independent Bookstore Day

PROFESSIONAL BOOKSELLERS SCHOOL

BOOKSTORE YEAR ONE: ENROLLMENT OPENS OCTOBER 20TH

Bookstore Year One walks new bookstore owners through their all-important first year to help build systems, schedules, policies and procedures that will set stores up for success. Click her for more details.

INDEPENDENT STUDY: NEW & UPDATED CLASSES

The Power of Ingram 2025 Edition - we've updated our IS listing with this spring's class, so you have the most current information on ordering through Ingram. $65

Now you can see all of the classes from each course available via Independent Study. Search by Course!

READ TO LEAD: "PROFIT FIRST" BY MIKE MICHALOWICZ

Our next Read to Lead book club will be all about your store's bottom line! We'll be reading Mike Michalowicz's "Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine." The discussion will be led by Erin Matthews, owner of The Last Word in Mt. Airy, MD and vice-president of the board for NAIBA. $35

Wednesday, October 29th

12pm-2pm PDT

NEW PROMO CODES: 5% DISCOUNT FOR CALIBA MEMBERS

Independent Study: CALIBAind

Live Courses: CALIBAlive

MARKETING ASSETS

World Mental Health Day social media marketing asset

CALIBA MARKETING ASSETS FOR BOOKSTORES

We've created assets that you can share with your customers. Click here to download Marketing Assets.

World Mental Health Day is October 10th.

Indigenous People’s Day is October 13th.

Diwali is October 20th.

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

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

October: National Hispanic Heritage Month / LGBTQ+ History Month / National Book Month / National Reading Group Month / Filipino American History Month / National Cookbook Month

October 5-11: Banned Books Week

October 12: Deadline to Nominate a Bookseller for the ABA Board

October 13: CALIBA's Glenn Goldman Scholarship Application Deadline (for ABA's 2026 Winter Institute)

October 31: James Patterson Holiday Bookstore Bonus Program Nominations End / Deadline for ABA Fall Show Special/ABA Membership Trial - use promo code: FallPromo2025

November 1: Catalogs delivered via direct mail

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.

1 - Arvida Book Co., in North Tustin, is celebrating their 5th birthday with a Stuff-the-Tote sale this Saturday!

2 - The Spine & Vine Bookstore, in Temecula, has a brick-and-mortar store, coming soon. Congrats!

Check out all these wonderful Banned Books Week displays! 👀

Bookshop Benicia

Camino Books (Del Mar)

Capital Books (Sacramento)

Green Apple Books (San Francisco)

Napa Bookmine

Petunia’s Place (Fresno)

Readers’ Books (Sonoma)

Ruby’s Books (Folsom)

Scrawl, Scribble & Smirch Bookshop (Gustine)

Towne Center Books (Pleasanton)

BESTSELLER LISTS

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

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

CLASSIFIEDS

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

Blood at the Root

LaDarrion Williams

9780593711934

Hannah

Executive Director

Creating a Salon: The Magic of Conversations that Matter

Linda-Marie Barrett (SIBA ED)

9781572843561

Valentina

Operations Manager

Fantasticland

Mike Bockoven

9781510737884

RESOURCES

ABA LINKS

BINC LINKS

PBS' LINKS

BOOKSTORE MAP

This map shows our current bookstore members.

Don't see your store on the map? Check your information on our website, then contact Alecia to update the map.

JOIN US ON DISCORD

Email Valentina to join.

Current CALIBA bookseller membership required.

HOUSEKEEPING

We're working hard to make your life easier with membership tips & tricks:

How to set up auto-pay for dues.

OFFICE HOURS WITH HANNAH

Join our monthly office hours (fourth Thursdays) to co-work with Hannah! 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.

Click here to register for a morning session (9-10am) or afternoon session (2-3pm).