Tri-West Summer Education
These FREE, virtual summertime sessions offer professional development and networking opportunities for every bookseller, no travel required! Co-produced by CALIBA, MPIBA and PNBA.
TRI-WEST SUMMER SCHOOL
Our Summer School is back! Virtual summertime sessions offer professional development for booksellers. Click the link below to access past sessions.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17 / 12:00 - 1:00 PM PDT
Idea Sharing Round-table: Q4 Prep Starts Now!
Welcome to summer, and to holiday season prep! Join your colleagues for a round-table conversation on the best things to be doing right now, so you're prepared for big sales in Q4.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24 / 12:00 - 1:00 PM PDT
Communicating Vision and Mission: Leading Your Team for Shared Purpose
During this session you will learn how to effectively communicate your vision for your store so that everyone understands and contributes to the mission. Walk away with resources and tools to help you develop and communicate this vision to your entire team. This session is brought to you by the Professional Booksellers School and will include a chance to interact with fellow attendees during this presentation.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 8 / 12:00 - 1:00 PM PDT
Understanding Publisher Cooperative Advertising (Coop)
Join Stephanie Schindhelm, Marketing & Promotions Manager for the Boulder Book Store in Boulder, Colorado, as she walks stores through "Coop 101" to answer the questions: What is coop marketing? Why should I make time for it in an already too busy schedule? And how can I get started?
WEDNESDAY, JULY 15 / 12:00 - 1:00 PM PDT
Telling Your Story Through Branding & Marketing
In an era when brand is king, nothing you put in front of your customers and community is a throwaway. Your storefront, website, displays, newsletter, events, staff—do they all convey what you want to be known for and what you're about? This session, facilitated by Charlie Hunts, of Charlie's Queer Books (Seattle, WA), will invite examples and interaction for ensuring your store is doubling down on its true self!
WEDNESDAY, JULY 22 / 12:00 - 1:00 PM PDT
Buying to Boost Your Brand
Newer buyers sometimes lack a sophisticated concept of turns and how important they are for the bottom line, as well as for their store's inventory management strategy. Professional Booksellers School Dean Carol Price will explain how the restocking process helps buyers learn what their customers are buying so they can, in turn, better curate the frontlist, also allowing for frontlist "risks" that support a store’s identity and mission.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 29 / 12:00 - 1:00 PM PDT
The Importance of Diverse Children's Titles in Today's Market
Featuring Stonefruit Studio Editorial Directors Mabel Hsu and Ben Rosenthal, joined by Senior Marketing Manager for Independent Bookstores, BrocheAroe Fabian, the session will begin with the story behind Stonefruit Studio, including the inspiration for launching the imprint, its publishing vision, and the process of selecting the authors, illustrators, and titles that shape each season.
From there, they’ll preview forthcoming Fall 2026 and Spring 2027titles, highlighting diverse representation, a wide range of genres and formats, and a dynamic mix of debut creators and award-winning, bestselling authors.
Throughout the presentation, they’ll discuss how these books are positioned for the independent bookstore market, with practical ideas for handselling children’s books and connecting each title with its ideal readers.
Attendees will also learn about indie-specific opportunities, promotional possibilities, and the ways booksellers can champion distinctive new voices and creatively ambitious books.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5 / 12:00 - 1:00 PM PDT
The New Social Code: Five Relational Edges for Thriving in the Age of Intelligence
Indie bookstores still offer something AI and technology cannot copy: the human algorithm. The authors of the upcoming book, The New Social Code will examine the stories of Mary Shelley, Billie Eilish, Benjamin Franklin, and others, to explore the Five Relational Edges for thriving in the age of AI. Learn to deepen customer relationships, strengthen teamwork, spark ideas, and build influence through trust. A guided breakout will follow.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12 / 12:00 - 1:00 PM PDT
Edelweiss Omnibus for Booksellers: One Platform, Built for Every Shop
Big things are happening at Edelweiss. A modernized platform is taking shape—faster, smarter, ready to evolve. The first piece is already live: Omnibus for Booksellers. Manage inventory, direct ordering from publishers, receiving, special orders, and store analytics from one place, on any device. Join Dave Lucey, Director of Omnibus Adoption & Ecosystem Partnerships, to see the platform and preview what's coming.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19 / 12:00 - 1:00 PM PDT
Idea Sharing Round-table: The Best Thing I Did This Year
Join us for some bookselling inspiration! Share a story about a fantastic event, or a profitable promotion; share your new hiring process, or how you rethought a system to make it more efficient; let us know how you improved your buying, or created a new gift section in your store. Whatever your success, small or large, we want to celebrate them!
