Hello all,

Autumn is in full swing! The leaves are changing, award finalists have been announced, and people across the country have begun to chip away at their holiday shopping lists.

We have some important information for you this month including a preview of CIBA’s holiday campaign, bookseller insights, event recordings to help with the holiday season, and more.

Pull on a cozy fall sweater and read on.

 

The CIBA Supplier Relations Committee has just finished conducting its fall meetings with key publishing and distribution partners. The focus of these discussions was warehouse and stock expectations through the holiday season as well as delayed billing and/or increased discount initiatives.

In all instances, booksellers were encouraged to order early and in large enough quantities to keep shelves stocked through to the end of the year. This will diminish the need to chase stock and should help alleviate warehouse backlogs, allowing smaller orders to ship faster as the holidays approach. As an additional reminder in advance of the holiday season: reprints, in all cases, are going to be a challenge this year.

Detailed reports – including important reminders and discount info – are now available for Bookseller Members to review in the Member Portal.

If you have any questions, please contact Lori Cheverie, Committee Chair.

As mentioned last month, the CIBA team is delighted to lead a marketing campaign on behalf of indies this holiday season.

Our membership survey found that many booksellers are pressed for time when it comes to the holiday season while others have well-established holiday campaigns in place. With this in mind, we are planning to promote broad-appeal messaging on our reader-facing social media channels throughout the season.

We launch today and will run this content in three phases:

Phase 1: Shop Early 
Our positive messaging will focus on the perks of shopping early (e.g., “avoid holiday stress”) and remind readers about ongoing supply chain issues and limited print runs.

Phase 2: Bookseller Recommendations 
Our content will include general messaging about indie expertise as well as specific bookseller recommendations. If you’re interested in being featured, please get in touch!

Phase 3: Gift Cards
The messaging will be a mix of celebrating gift cards as wonderful presents (e.g., “Gift the indie bookstore experience”) and promoting them as perfect last-minute gifts.

Our messages will be shared weekly and accompanied by eye-catching graphics that evoke the holiday season. Members who would like to take advantage of the campaign can do so by sharing CIBA’s posts on FacebookInstagram, and Twitter or creating unique content using our campaign assets found here.

The campaign will promote indie bookstores during this important time of year and complement existing bookseller marketing plans. We can’t wait! 

Ask the Bookseller: A Crash Course in Consignment – TODAY!
Tuesday, October 18
4pm PT, 5pm MT, 6pm CT, 7pm ET, 8pm AT, 8:30pm Newfoundland

It's a hot button topic for indie booksellers. How can we find treasures in the sea of self-published books? How can you save time when it comes to answering queries from authors? What policies can you put in place to help your decisions make good business sense? Our expert panel of booksellers will share their strategies and successes with navigating the world of consignment.

Host: Chris Hall, McNally Robinson Booksellers (MB & SK)

Panelists:

  • Shelley Macbeth, Blue Heron Books (ON)
  • Leah MacDonald, Another Story Bookshop (ON)
  • Jessica Walker, Munro’s Books (BC)

Can’t find the time to attend CIBA events live? No problem! You can access our event recordings in the Member Portal.

Here are some recent recordings to help with the upcoming season:

Not a member? Join CIBA today to access event recordings and a range of other member benefits.

The Bookseller Forum is the place to receive support from, and participate in, discussions with your fellow bookseller members. 

This month, CIBA posed the following question: “What gift product or sideline are you most excited to sell this year?”

Here is what Susan Chamberlain from The Book Keeper had to share:

I was happy to return to the gift show in Toronto in August. One of my favourite finds was pyjama and book sets from Hatley/Little Blue House. They have some of our favourites such as Cars and Trucks and Things that Go, Eloise, Goodnight Construction Site, Guess How Much I Love You, How to Babysit a Grandma/Grandpa, The Wonderful Things You Will Be, and more. They will make perfect Xmas gifts – a book and pjs for Christmas Eve!” 

Visit the Bookseller Forum to read other members’ responses or to add your own. And if you have another question or want to discuss a new challenge faced by your store, simply post your question in the forum to crowdsource an answer from your peers!

It’s book awards season! Books that bear the stamp of approval from an award jury provide a unique draw for customers, whether they are seeking out books for themselves or to give as gifts.

Are you caught up on the latest announcements? If not, visit our overview of the fall awards season now on the member-only blog.

Not a member yet? Join CIBA today and access original content on our member blog as a benefit of your membership.

The Spaniel’s Tale Bookstore opened in Ottawa this past August. The shop offers a curated selection of fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books, with a special focus on local authors and artisans. We spoke to co-owner, Cole Davidson, about achieving this dream and the joy of being an indie bookseller.

I think planning any new business is really difficult, but a bookstore has some unique challenges, not the least of which is everyone telling you that you’re crazy for opening a bookstore.”

Read the article here.

Indie bookstores were featured in several media outlets over the past few months. You know we love to see it!

Here are some highlights:

Indie Bookstores series featuring Flying Books, Little Ghosts, Good Egg, and Art Metropole (Toronto Life, October 2022)

7 exciting new cookbooks to explore this fall (CBC Life, October 2022)

Why This Canadian City Is A Must-Visit For Book Lovers (Travel Awaits, October 3)

This new local bookstore is debuting its collection at New West’s Old Crow Café (New West Record, September 27)

Canadian Booksellers Talk Shop (Publishers Weekly, September 2022)

Family-owned Black Bond Books will purchase Hager Books in Kerrisdale (The Georgia Strait, September 2022)

Resurgence in independent bookstores: New book shop opens in Hintonburg (CTV News, September 2022)

HarperCollins Canada Works to Resolve Distribution Woes (Publishers Weekly, September 2022)

The Novel Case of Whodunit Mystery Bookstore (Winnipeg Free Press, August 2022)

Our monthly micro survey allows the membership to weigh in on questions from the CIBA team. Your participation helps us develop our programs and services.

The CIBA team is frequently working to iterate and strengthen its professional development offerings.

BOOKSELLERS: How do you like to learn?

Let us know!
 
 
 
 

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