Hello everyone!

Spring is one of the busiest and most exciting times of the year for indie booksellers—and for CIBA. Over the coming weeks, you’ll see a coordinated rollout of the Spring 2026 edition of The Booksellers’ List alongside the campaign for Canadian Independent Bookstore Day.

Key dates to note:

• March 23: TBL toolkit available
• April 1: CIBD promotion begins
• April 7: TBL public launch
• April 21: Pub date for TBL Top Pick
• April 25: CIBD + contest opens
• May 2: Contest entry deadline

We’ve developed strategic plans to ensure the campaigns work together to build momentum and encourage customer engagement with indie bookstores throughout April. On our public-facing channels, you will see a balanced mix of campaign content, including promotions for individual TBL titles, the CIBD contest, giveaways, and bookstore activities. CIBD promotion will ramp up from April 20 to 25, while TBL promotion will continue until June 29.

What we need from you:

The CIBA team is tracking a lot of information in April, and we’d love your help. Please share your CIBD plans with us by completing this form or emailing us directly. We’re also looking for snaps of your TBL displays and photos of individual TBL titles throughout the campaign. Tag @indiebookstoresCA or send images to socials@cibabooks.ca. As always, questions about The Booksellers’ List can be sent to Nicola Dufficy. For CIBD, please contact Kayla Calder.

Thank you, as always, for helping us showcase the incredible work happening in indie bookstores across Canada.

Now, onto the newsletter!

CIBD 2026 Toolkit Now Available

Our campaign toolkit is now live for CIBA members, offering ideas, graphics for in-store and online promotion, sample copy for newsletters and social captions, contest details, Author Love Notes, and more.

Members can log in to access the toolkit here.​

We will publicly launch the campaign on April 1 and ramp up promotion throughout the month. With support from our partners, you'll also see some love from Canadian authors and illustrators beginning on April 20.

Don't forget to keep us in the loop about your plans! We're eager to amplify bookstore activities in our media pitches. Fill out the activity form, tag @indiebookstoresCA in your posts, and use #CIBD2026 to boost the signal.

Still figuring out your celebrations? Find inspiration with the recording from our Getting Ready for CIBD 2026 event in the Member Portal.

TBL Updates

Which hot books will make the list this summer?

It’s time for booksellers to start nominating for Summer 2026! We welcome all CIBA Bookseller Members to nominate titles for an adult audience published between June 30 and August 31, 2026. 

The deadline for nominations is Monday, May 4. You can nominate via:

• CataList
• NetGalley
• Dedicated online form

Encourage staff nominations the easy way

Did you know that booksellers can nominate titles for TBL with a click of a button? When logged into CataList, you’ll see a “recommend” button with The Booksellers' List logo on eligible titles. Simply click the button, save, and close to confirm your vote!

Did you also know that it is easy to create CataList logins for staff? Just go to your administration settings and add a new user. Your staff will gain access to catalogues, ARCs, and the ability to nominate titles for TBL, all in one step. If needed, you can also restrict create/submit order permissions to certain people by assigning “authorized buyers” for each store location.

If you encounter any issues, please email catalist@booknetcanada.ca.

Register Now: Upcoming Events

Publisher Introduction to Booksellers.ca
Thursday, April 2
11am PT, 12pm MT, 1pm CT, 2pm ET, 3pm AT, 3:30pm Newfoundland

Publishers are invited to attend a webinar introducing booksellers.ca, the English-language counterpart to Quebec's successful leslibraires.ca platform. This session will explore how this purpose-built digital marketplace has managed to compete effectively with global e-commerce giants while preserving the distinctive spirit of independent bookstores at the core of its DNA.

This event is being hosted by booksellers.ca and eBOUND Canada.

Ask the Bookseller: Optimizing Special Orders and Pre-Orders to Keep Sales Local
Wednesday, April 8
4pm PT, 5pm MT, 6pm CT, 7pm ET, 8pm AT, 8:30pm Newfoundland 

How can you ensure you are meeting your customers’ needs whilst balancing the reality of the supply chain? Do you have a supplier-specific policy to ensure success? What can your store do to build excitement around a hotly anticipated title? Join our panel of member booksellers to learn all this and contribute your own ideas to the discussion.

French Book Rush: A 60-Minute Tour of French Power Titles
Tuesday, April 28
12pm PT, 1pm MT, 2pm CT, 3pm ET, 4pm AT, 4:30pm Newfoundland 

Ready to energize your French section? Join us for this fast-paced, 60-minute Franco-Canadian showcase created for independent booksellers who want to grow their French-language offerings with confidence and ease. Author and translator Nicholas Aumais will spotlight standout titles for every age group, including clear, compelling, ready-to-use talking points designed to help you hand-sell immediately and connect authentically with French-language readers.

This event is presented by the Franco-Canadian publishers’ group Regroupement des éditions franco-canadiens (REFC).

Discussion Group for Shopify Users: Inventory Management Solutions
Tuesday, May 12
12pm PT, 1pm MT, 2pm CT, 3pm ET, 4pm AT, 4:30pm Newfoundland 

Current and prospective Shopify users are invited to come together for peer support and discussion. During this session, we invite booksellers to share how they manage inventory, demonstrate their workflows, and discuss best practices in Shopify in response to the “retirement” of the Stocky app. 

Sponsored Content

Event Recording

Looking to stock French books, but don't know where to start? Check out our latest event recording to gain an overview of Orca's book selection for this growing market. This session includes an introduction to eight Quebecois publishers whose books you can order through Orca, as well as great new and backlist titles to help you build out your French section.

Watch the recording, and you could win a $100 co-op credit on your next order of French titles from Orca! Email Nicola the special code (which will appear on the screen at some point during the presentation) by this coming Friday, March 20, to enter the draw.

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

Notable Public Dates for April-June

To help members plan their marketing activities, CIBA maintains a living calendar featuring key dates, including public holidays, themed days/weeks/months, award announcements, and more. This resource is accessible as a list-by-date and as a traditional calendar.

We also create an easy-to-read printable resource for the coming quarter. Members can access the April-June resource and the full calendar here. 

We will continue to add to the calendar as information becomes available. If you have any questions or would like to add a key date of interest for all members, please email Kayla Calder.

BookNet Canada: February Sales & Insights

How did Canadian indies perform last month? BookNet Canada has the scoop!

Some highlights:

• Overall year-to-date (YTD) sales are up 4% over 2025
• Titles by Canadian contributors are up 15% over YTD
• Books by Canadian contributors made up 19% of sales so far this year
• Canadian fiction YTD sales are up 58% compared to February 2025

The report also highlights top-selling February releases by Canadian writers, including Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett, Liberty Street by Heather Marshall, Fancy Gap by Zak Jones, and Talk Treaty to Me by Crystal Gail Fraser and Sara Komarnisky, all of which were selections for the winter edition of The Booksellers’ List. Great job, booksellers!

Members can read the full report in the Member Portal. 

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