Welcome back!

We have so much to look forward to this year. We're kicking things off with a preview of our Canadian Independent Bookstore Day plans, an update on The Booksellers’ List, upcoming events, and more.

It's a long one, so let’s jump in.

Counting Down to CIBD 2026

The countdown is on: Canadian Independent Bookstore Day will take place on Saturday, April 25, 2026! Here's a sneak peek of what we have planned.

Contest for Book Lovers

Our beloved Contest for Book Lovers is back. We will reward five lucky book buyers with generous gift cards to the CIBA Member Bookstore of their choice, with the grand prize worth $1,000. Every book purchased from a Canadian indie bookstore on April 26 will be eligible for one entry into the contest. Books by Canadian writers and/or illustrators will be worth double the entries.

Based on positive feedback, readers will again have a full week to enter the contest, beginning on April 25.

Giveaways

CIBA is working with publishers and partners on initiatives to help drive customers to indie bookstores on April 25. Customer giveaways include:

  • CIBD-branded sticker sheets and extra special book annotation kits from Penguin Random House Canada
  • Exclusive stickers designed by Mélanie Watt from Scholastic Canada
  • Bookplates designed by Sid Sharp, the official CIBD 2026 artist, from Annick Press
  • “Golden Tickets” for free audiobook credits from Libro.fm
  • “Books Are Safe Spaces” stickers from Second Story Press
  • Activity books from Canadian Manda Group and Quarto Books
  • Poetry postcards from the League of Canadian Poets

…and more to come!

Raincoast Books will also offer signed editions of S.A. Cosby's Blacktop Wasteland, featuring a new paperback cover for exclusive retail sale (while quantities last). Previous CIBD favourites, including the shopping bag designed by Michael Storrings featuring local bookstore imagery, will also be available.

We’ll provide our Bookseller Members with more details about these opportunities in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

Additional Promotion

We also have several promotional initiatives in the works this year.

  • Friesens Corporation will again provide promotional bookmarks to Bookseller Members in advance of the big day
  • We will work with Zg Stories again to reach new audiences through targeted advertising and publicity campaigns
  • We will collaborate with publishers and industry partners to engage Canadian creators in the promotion of the campaign to their readers

Thank you to our partners and campaign sponsors for their integral support. We look forward to celebrating indie bookstores with everyone this year!

Not a CIBA member yet, but want full access to CIBD? Join us today.

While all indies will benefit from this campaign, contest prizes, marketing assets, and resources are only available to CIBA members.

Biennial Survey for Bookseller Members

ICYMI, we’ve just launched our new member survey!

Member input is integral for our work. Your responses to this survey will guide our efforts and ensure we are allocating our resources—human and otherwise—appropriately to serve the needs and priorities of our members.

The deadline to complete the survey is Friday, February 6. It will take approximately 10 minutes to complete.

Click here to access the survey.

TBL Updates

The Winter 2026 list is now live

CIBA’s second edition of The Booksellers’ List (TBL) launched on January 6, and we’re thrilled to be promoting another fantastic selection of books to readers across Canada!

Members now have access to our marketing toolkit, including a variety of templates to help you promote TBL in-store and online. We look forward to seeing your creative displays and watching TBL titles fly off the shelf!

Spring nominations close on February 9

Only two and a half weeks remain to submit your picks for TBL Spring 2026! CIBA Bookseller Members are encouraged to nominate titles for an adult audience published between April 1 and June 29, 2026.

Titles can be nominated via:

Key dates for TBL 2026 are now available

All key dates for TBL 2026, including nomination deadlines and list announcements, have now been published in the Member Portal. You can find these dates in the Guidelines for Booksellers or Guidelines for Publishers.

Some important reminders:

  • Bookseller Members can share their nominations anytime! We'll take care of managing which titles are eligible for each list. As long as the nomination is received before the deadline, it will be counted toward the appropriate season.
  • Before and throughout each nomination period, we encourage publishers and sales agencies to champion the books they would like to see included on the list. Please review the key dates for each season and use this as a tool when communicating with booksellers.

Questions and comments can be sent to Nicola Dufficy.

P.S., Stay tuned for an announcement about our children’s list in the coming months!

Register Now: Upcoming Events

Publisher Picks: Spring Picks for Children and Young Adults from Canadian Independent Publishers
Thursday, February 12
3pm PT, 4pm MT, 5pm CT, 6pm ET, 7pm AT, 7:30pm Newfoundland

CIBA's Publisher Picks will bring you to the heart of publisher marketing discussions to discover the season's best bets for young readers from Canadian independent publishers.

Getting Ready for CIBD 2026
Thursday, February 19
12pm PT, 1pm MT, 2pm CT, 3pm ET, 4pm AT, 4:30pm Newfoundland

Join us for a dynamic session designed to help you make the most of Canadian Independent Bookstore Day. Get an overview of CIBA-led campaign initiatives, learn bookseller tips for taking advantage of the celebration, and share ideas for community-driven activities for CIBD 2026.

It's as Easy as Un, Deux, Trois! Build Your French Section with Orca
Thursday, March 12
12pm PT, 1pm MT, 2pm CT, 3pm ET, 4pm AT, 4:30pm Newfoundland 

Looking to stock French books, but don't know where to start? Join Bronte, Jen, and Alex to hear what and how to order from the wide selection of French titles published and distributed by Orca Book Publishers. Tune in for an overview of Orca's book selection for this growing market, an intro to eight Quebecois publishers whose books you can order through Orca, and title picks from Orca’s back- and front-list to help you build your French section.

New Event Recording

Booksellers help readers discover new titles every day, but matching the right book with the right reader is a skill that takes time and experience to develop.

Readers’ Advisory is a field of study and practice in the library sciences that trains librarians on the most effective way to suggest books to readers. In our latest event, “Can You Help Me Find a Good Book?”: Readers’ Advisory in the Bookstore, MLIS candidate and Iron Dog Books staffer Mizuki Giffin presents key best practices and tools for integrating Readers’ Advisory into a bookstore setting.

Members can view the recording here.

Not a CIBA member? Join now to access a range of benefits, including access to live events, recordings, and other business resources. 

Sponsored: Camp Penguin

Annual Renewals & Member Benefits

We are grateful to those who have helped us build this community. We hope you will continue to invest in CIBA in 2026.

Annual members will receive an official notice from our system before their renewal date with instructions about how to renew. Depending on when you joined, you may have received this already. Once you’ve renewed, you can log in and download your updated member certificate.

Not a member yet? Now is the time! When you join CIBA, you’ll have access to a range of benefits, including:

Bookseller Members may also opt into a group rate with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), which includes a wide range of cost savings opportunities, business resources, and more.

Click here to learn more or join today.

If you have any questions or wish to discuss CIBA membership, please contact Laura Carter. We'd love to hear from you!

BookNet Canada: November Indie Sales & Insights

We all know that December is a busy time for retail, but how did Canadian indie bookstores perform? BookNet Canada’s newest report breaks it down.

Some highlights:

  • Overall year-to-date sales are up 7% over 2024
  • Titles by Canadian contributors are up 11% over last year-to-date
  • Non-fiction and juvenile sales each accounted for 33% of all unit sales, followed by fiction at 27%
  • Fiction sales were up 14% over the November year-to-date and up 7% over December 2024

The report also highlights top-selling December releases by Canadian writers, including titles from Josie Balka, Tara Moss, and Tilar J. Mazzero.

CIBA Members can read the full report in the Member Portal. 

Want to help BookNet Canada create your new favourite feature?

BookNet Canada relies on feedback from stakeholders to improve services. You can help the BNC team plan for the future by filling out their annual customer satisfaction survey today!

Multiple people from the same company are encouraged to respond. If you leave the survey at any point, you can return to the spot where you left off by clicking the link on the same computer. Every respondent will be entered for a chance to win gift cards (redeemable from a variety of retailers) and copies of their forthcoming report, The Canadian Book Market 2025.

Click here to fill out the survey.
 
 
 

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