Greetings,

We hope your June is off to a strong start! This month’s newsletter features a recap of Canadian Independent Bookstore Day 2025, including highlights from the campaign and a link to the full report. You’ll also find important updates on upcoming deadlines and campaigns, and a quick survey!

On April 26, 2025, CIBA hosted the fifth edition of Canadian Independent Bookstore Day 2025—and it was truly one for the books.

A short recap and the full 2025 campaign report are now available. Visit the Member Blog to read about this year’s success and explore reports from previous years to see how the campaign continues to grow.

We are deeply grateful to our sponsors for their generous support. A heartfelt thank-you also goes out to the booksellers, publishers, industry partners, authors, illustrators, and readers who helped make CIBD 2025 such a standout success.

We’re already looking forward to next year’s celebration!

    The Booksellers’ List

    Booksellers, submit your nominations for The Booksellers’ List and let us know which titles resonate most with our independent bookseller members this fall! Be sure to cast your votes before the end of the day on July 7, 2025.

    Last month, CIBA hosted information sessions for booksellers and publishers to introduce the program.

    If you missed these sessions, you catch the recordings:

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

    Upcoming Events

    Publisher Picks: Fall Picks from Canadian Independent Publishers

    Thursday June 12

    3:30pm PT, 4:30pm MT, 5:30pm CT, 6:30pm ET, 7:30pm AT, 8:00pm Newfoundland

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

    Bluey for Beginners: A Sure-fire Brand to Boost Sales with Kyrell Grant

    Tuesday, June 17

    4pm PT, 5pm MT, 6pm CT, 7pm ET, 8pm AT, 8:30pm Newfoundland

    Since premiering in 2018, Bluey has become one of the most watched and streamed children's shows globally. Join Kyrell Grant, Manager, Children’s Independent and School Sales, Penguin Random House Canada for an in depth look at the publishing success this franchise has enjoyed, and some channel specific insights.

    In 2024, Bluey sales doubled in Canada year over year, and there is definitely room for indies to take a bigger piece of the pie!

    Event Recording

    Inside the Audiobook Boom: Q&A with Libro.fm’s Mark Pearson

    Why are audiobook sales booming? How can your store benefit? CEO of Libro.fm, Mark Pearson, reveals the strategies behind their impressive 300% new membership growth so far this year. Learn proven techniques to increase your audiobook sales and engage your customers in this rapidly expanding market.

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

      Engage Young Readers This Summer

      Scholastic Canada’s Supa-Awesome Summer Reading Adventure kicked off this month—and for booksellers who signed up, your materials are on the way!

      This initiative is designed to encourage kids and families to keep reading all summer long with in-store activities, engaging resources, and fun giveaways.

      If your store is participating, here’s what to expect in your shipment:

      • A pack of Summer Reading Adventure Maps
      • A pack of Activity Booklets
      • A swag bag with giveaways

      Stores that requested a Floor Display with Header Sticker will receive that as well.

      To help you make the most of the program, Scholastic has also put together a digital toolkit featuring everything from logos and social media graphics to printable activities, book guides, and a digital version of the display header.

      Don’t forget to tag @ScholasticCanada on Facebook and Instagram when sharing your displays—your store could be featured!
      Access the Toolkit

      Thank you to all participating stores for helping young readers stay engaged over the summer. If you’re interested in future promotions like this, stay tuned—CIBA will continue to share opportunities to support reading and discovery in your community.
       

      Final Days to Join “Your Summer Is Booked”

      The sales window for “Your Summer Is Booked ”—CIBA’s national summer reading campaign in partnership with Penguin Random House Canada and IndieBookstores.ca—is closing soon. Participating booksellers must place their orders by June 15 to be part of the promotion.

      Launching July 1, this campaign highlights paperbacks as the perfect summer reads and encourages Canadians to shop indie. A customer contest will also run as part of the campaign, offering readers a chance to win a year’s supply of PRHC paperbacks!

      To participate, use promo code RHP044 and reason code EE1 when ordering eligible titles through your PRHC sales representative before June 15.

      Q3 Notable Public Dates

      To help members plan their marketing activities, CIBA manages a living calendar that features key dates like public holidays, themed days/weeks/months, awards announcements, and more. This resource is accessible as a list-by-date and as a traditional calendar.

      We also create a printable resource for the coming quarter. Members can access the July-September resource and the full calendar here.

      We will continue to add to the calendar as information becomes available. If you have any questions or wish to add a key date that may be of interest to all members, please send us an email.

      Save the Date for the 2025 AGM

      Please save the date! Our 2024–25 AGM will take place on Wednesday, September 24, 2025, via Zoom at 7:00pm ET.

      As outlined in our bylaws, the AGM is open only to Bookseller Members. The meeting will be recorded and made available in the Member Hub for on-demand viewing. Our annual report will also be accessible to the entire CIBA community.

      In advance of the AGM, we will host a Coffee Break session with CIBA leadership on Monday, September 15 at 12:00pm ET. This informal session will give Bookseller Members a chance to connect with the team and board, ask questions about upcoming votes, and learn more about the AGM process.

      If you have any questions, please contact Laura Carter.
       

      Toronto Gift Show & Market Week Survey

      Booksellers, are you planning to attend the Toronto Gift Show or Toronto Market Week this August?

      We’d love to know — and if you're attending, would you be interested in meeting up with fellow booksellers while you're there?

      Take a moment to let us know and help us gauge interest.
      Take the survey
       
       
       
       

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