Canadian Independent Booksellers Association upcoming events

Ask the Bookseller: Creating Holiday Gift Guides That Work (04-Jun-2026)

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 23:00:00 GMT

Join a panel of your bookselling peers for a behind-the-scenes conversation about creating holiday gift guides that connect with customers and boost seasonal sales. We’ll talk through the full process—from planning timelines and staff workflows to budgeting, design, printing, and distribution—and hear how different stores measure the impact these guides have on their business. Whether you’re putting together your first gift guide or looking to refresh your approach, this session will offer practical tips, real examples, and plenty of ideas you can bring back to your store.

Host: Erin Dalton, Huckleberry Books (BC)

Presenters:

Lori Cheverie, Bookmark (PEI)
Cole Davidson, The Spaniel's Tale (ON)
Jina Koolen, Black Bond Books and Book Warehouse (BC)

Time is listed as ET.

Publisher Picks: Fall Picks from Multinational Publishers (11-Jun-2026)

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 22:00:00 GMT

CIBA's Publisher Picks series is back with its Fall 2026 edition! We will bring you to the heart of publisher marketing discussions to discover the season's best bets – the books you might not (yet) know you need to stock, but will definitely be glad you have on hand.

Who should attend? Bookstore owners, managers and staff to find out upcoming publisher highlights and how to sell them.

Presenters:

Canadian Manda Group
HarperCollins Canada
Penguin Random House Canada
Raincoast Distribution Group
Scholastic Canada
Simon & Schuster Canada

The event time is listed as ET.

Building Literary Culture: The Role of Knopf Canada in Today’s Market (18-Jun-2026)

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 19:00:00 GMT

Join Publisher of Knopf Canada, Martha Kanya-Forstner as she dives into the history of the imprint and what defines it in the PRHC world and the market at large.

In this presentation Martha will discuss:

How the imprint started, changes to leadership in the past few years and what the future may bring.
As the literary landscape changes how to do we make room for new voices while continuing to build known authors.
Launching a new imprint: Alchemy by Knopf Canada and some of the challenges and opportunities, nearly 5 years in.

Presenter bio:

Martha Kanya-Forstner is the publisher of Knopf Canada, home to many of the world’s finest writers, and the editor of David Chariandy, Michael Crummey, Kazuo Ishiguro, Naomi Klein, Helen Knott, Ann-Marie MacDonald, Gabor Maté, Ian McEwan, Gisèle Pelicot, Sally Rooney, Salman Rushdie, and John Vaillant.

Books she has edited have won the Booker Prize, the Giller Prize, the Baillie Gifford Prize, the Dublin Literary Award, the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction, and the Governor General’s Literary Award for fiction and non-fiction.

Under Martha’s leadership, Knopf Canada launched Alchemy, publishing books that explore a radical vision for the future.

Event listing is in ET.

Publisher Picks: Fall Picks for Children and Young Adults from Canadian Independent Publishers (25-Jun-2026)

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 22:00:00 GMT

CIBA's Publisher Picks will bring you to the heart of publisher marketing discussions to discover the fall season's best bets for children and young adults from Canadian Independent Publishers.

The goal of these sessions is to give booksellers an insider look at titles they need to be aware of, and help them understand why these books are going to have buzz this season.

Publishers will each be presenting two books - a highlight from the season!

Who should attend? Bookstore owners, managers, and staff to find out upcoming publisher highlights and how to sell them.

Presenting publishers:

Annick Press Ltd.
Arsenal Pulp Press
Auzou Canada
Durvile Publications Ltd.
Greystone Books
Groundwood
Nimbus Publishing
Orca Book Publishers
Owlkids Books
Portage & Main Press
Second Story Press
Tielmour Press

The event time is listed as ET.