Professional Booksellers School
CALIBA is a Professional Booksellers School Supporting Investor, which means CALIBA Bookstore Members (and their employees) are eligible for discounts when registering for PBS certification courses.
The purpose of the Professional Bookseller Certification Program is to provide independent booksellers with an education, training, and accreditation process that will elevate the trade of independent bookselling, offer a standardized baseline knowledge and professional development opportunities for career booksellers, and create an opportunity for mentorship, guidance, innovation, teaching, and information sharing among book industry members.
CALIBA is a Professional Booksellers School Supporting Investor, which means CALIBA Bookstore Members (and their employees) are eligible for discounts when registering for PBS certification courses. Discount codes must be provided at the time of registration at the time of an active CALIBA Membership and cannot be used retroactively. Use CALIBA's member discount code to save:
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$10 off $125 courses
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$20 off $375-$400 courses
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10% off independent study content with code CALIBAis
Additionally, CALIBA will reimburse booksellers for the completion and certification of each course (excluding Independent Study). For those auditing courses, 1/2 of the tuition cost will be reimbursed with proof of attendance. Booksellers must be an employee of a bookstore that is a current member of CALIBA. Email: hannah@caliballiance.org.
Read to Lead: From To-Do to Done with Maura Thomas
June 6, 2025 - June 20, 2025, 3 Friday Sessions + 3 books at 12:00 pm PT
(Registration opens April 23rd, 2025)
A new 3-session book club with attention management/productivity expert Maura Thomas to help you face the pressure of work life, where the information constantly coming in makes it so challenging to get work done. Sponsored by PNBA Member, Sourcebooks, who 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
CALIBA Member Discount Code: CALIBAis
Independent Study
New in 2024! The Professional Booksellers School is offering Independent Study options for all of their courses. Select the classes you or your employees need and complete them within a set amount of time, depending on the course or bundle. There are individual courses for a 30-day viewing window, Basic Bookselling self-study within 3 months or certification within 4 months, or a 12 month window for an unlimited number of staff from a single store, just to describe a few examples.
CALIBA Member Discount Code: CALIBAis
Your Brand / Your Story: Advanced Display & Marketing
June 4, 2025 - July 16, 2025
Learn to tell the story of your store with instructors Lisa Uhrik and Steve Wax, specialists in branding, marketing, and understanding that bookstores are providing experiences, not only selling products.
- Crafting Experiences & Setting the Scene
- Marketing & Display as Emotional Curiosity
- Connections of Shared Experience, Strength, Hope
- Aligning Marketing, Display, Events & Curation
- Storytelling in Display at Macro & Micro Levels
CALIBA Member Discount Code ($20 off): CALIBAmd
Bookstore Finances
April 14th, 2025 - July 21 2025
Designed to educate on the day to day and long term finance-related needs of an independent bookstore. A mix of live Zoom classes, handouts, and assignments. No certification is offered for this course.
- Bookstore finance basics.
- Speak to accountants, bookkeepers, financial advisors, and other finance professionals.
- Improve your understanding of your store's finances.
- Establish a financial rhythm that makes sense for you.
CALIBA Member Discount Code: CALIBAis
Store & Operations Management
March 13, 2025 - June 19, 2025
Designed to cover all of the day-to-day and long-term operational and other business-related needs of an independent bookstore, considering both high-level management topics and the daily tasks assigned to individual booksellers. Built to help managers and owners:
- Evaluate their stores
- Create a marketing plan
- Create a mission statement
- Improve budgets, staff handbooks, and emergency preparedness plans
Store & Operations Management Certification offered, cost of the course is $375.
CALIBA Member Discount Code: CALIBAem
Basic Bookselling
March 4, 2025 - May 7, 2025
Designed to welcome Independent Bookstore staff into a career in bookselling. Recommended for booksellers with a year or less experience. Teaches the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in bookselling, including:
- Merchandising, hand selling, and customer service
- Creating shelf talkers, reviews, and displays that sell
- Vocabulary, finances, and job roles of bookselling
- Bookselling resources / support: BINC, Netgalley, Bookshop.org, Edelweiss, ABA and PNBA
Basic Bookselling Certification offered, cost of the course is $125.
CALIBA Member Discount Code: CALIBAbb
Inventory Management
January 15, 2025 - May 7 2025
Perfect for employees and owners of 1-year old bookstores, including a mobile or pop-up shop, that has 25%+ new book inventory as the skills and strategies taught in the course are designed for the new book trade, not for used-only stores. Teaches owners and/or store buyers to:
- Create buying strategies and routines to get the best discounts
- Maintain cash flow and work within budgets
- Integrate with your store’s marketing and merchandising
- Analyze and improve your buying process
Inventory Management Certification offered, cost of the course is $375.
CALIBA Member Discount Code: CALIBAim
Event Management
January 13, 2025 - June 16, 2025
Learn how to develop a successful store events program over 16 live classes, covering:
- Author events: visits to schools, festivals, school book fairs, and virtual events
- Non-author events
- Event partnerships with other businesses
- Edelweiss event grid pitches
- Publicity/press kits and working with publicists.
- Collecting data to understand your store, staff, demographics, and budget
- Strategic event planning
Event Management Certification offered, cost of the course is $375.
CALIBA Member Discount Code: CALIBAem