Fall is officially here! We hope your summer was full of great reads and sunny days.

This month, we’re excited to share a roundup of association updates, including a recap of the 2025 AGM and a special thank-you to outgoing President Chris Hall. You’ll also find the latest on The Booksellers’ List, upcoming key marketing dates, insights from BookNet Canada and a first look at the CIBD 2026 Partnership Guide.

Read on for all the latest news, updates, and resources from across Canada’s indie bookstore community!

2024–25 Annual Report & AGM Recap

Last month, we hosted our fifth AGM with Bookseller Members, and we are excited to share the 2024–25 Annual Report for all industry professionals to read. You can access the report here.

At the AGM, members approved several important motions, including the affirmation of the 2025–26 Board of Directors. The slate included two directors standing for re-election, Erin Dalton (Huckleberry Books) and Chandler Jolliffe (Cedar Canoe Books), as well as two new directors, Joshua Cockerill (Type Books) and Grant Hofer (Four Points Books). Congratulations to all, and a warm welcome to Joshua and Grant! The full board list appears in the AGM materials.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank departing board members Vice-President Hilary Atleo (Iron Dog Books) and Treasurer Lucy Hoblyn (Brome Lake Books) for the significant time, energy, and expertise they contributed to CIBA over their years of service. Your dedication has been invaluable, and we are immensely grateful.

A recording of the AGM is available to Bookseller Members in the Member Portal, and draft minutes (pending approval at the 2026 AGM—are available upon request.

If you have any questions, please contact Laura Carter.

A Note from CIBA Leadership

As Chris Hall concludes his term as President of the Board of Directors, we would like to extend a heartfelt thank you for his extraordinary leadership since CIBA’s inception. Chris played a pivotal role in establishing the association and in shaping its long-term strategy.

Over the years, he has served on nearly every committee—including IndieBookstores.ca, The Booksellers’ List, and Supplier Relations—and his commitment to the Canadian book industry, and independent bookselling in particular, has been evident in every effort. We are profoundly grateful for his guidance and dedication, which have been instrumental in CIBA’s growth and in bringing the association to a place of stability and strength. 

As we move into CIBA’s sixth year, Erin Dalton, our new Board President, shares her reflections and excitement for the year ahead:

Dear Fellow Booksellers,

As we move into CIBA's sixth year, I've been reflecting on just how much we've collectively accomplished. For a young, fairly small organization, we punch far above our weight, and I'm proud to be a member.

I'm a rural bookseller with a relatively small shop, and CIBA has been instrumental in navigating the past five years. Both personally and professionally, I am deeply thankful for the relationship-building and the sense of community that I've been fortunate to be part of, because of CIBA. It's easy to feel isolated as a small-town bookseller, but the connections that I've built through CIBA go a long way to countering that.

My first term on the Board made me aware of how essential it is to participate in a truly member-led organization. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to work with other booksellers on our collective behalf. I look forward to continuing those efforts along with the rest of the Board. From advocacy to celebration, from mutual support to working with industry partners, I'm keen to dig in.

I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Board Members both past and present. Past President Chris Hall has left big shoes to fill; I am grateful to have him on the board for another year, so we can all benefit from his experience.

As your newest Board President, I'm excited to see where we go next. I encourage you to get involved with CIBA however you can. The rewards are rich, and the relationships are invaluable.

Wishing you all a healthy, prosperous fall season,

Erin Dalton

Huckleberry Books

We’re grateful to Chris for his leadership and thrilled to welcome Erin into her new role as President. Here’s to another year of supporting and celebrating Canada’s independent bookselling community!

Nominate Your Picks for The Booksellers’ List (Winter 2026)

Booksellers, time is running out! You have just two and a half weeks to submit your nominations for The Booksellers’ List Winter 2026. All CIBA Bookseller Members are invited to nominate titles for an adult audience published between January 1 and March 31, 2026.

You can submit your nominations via:

• CataList
• CIBA’s web form
• NetGalley

Deadline: Monday, November 3, 2025

Hot Tip: Titles can receive multiple nominations from a single store—so if there’s a book you and your team love, have everyone nominate it to boost its chances of making the list!

After the incredible range of nominations for our Fall 2025 list, we can’t wait to see which titles you’re championing this winter. Your participation is crucial to the program's success so get your nominations in before the deadline.

Questions? Contact Nicola for support.

Sneak Peek: CIBD 2026 Opportunities

Canadian Independent Bookstore Day (CIBD) 2026 is coming Saturday, April 25, 2026! We’re excited to start sharing ways publishers and industry partners can get involved—from giveaways, sponsorships, exclusives and more.

Download the CIBD 2026 Partnership & Sponsorship Guide to see all the initiatives. 

Have ideas or questions? Send us an email! We can’t wait to work with you.

Notable Dates: October–December 2025

To help you plan your marketing and in-store activities, CIBA maintains a living calendar featuring key public dates, including holidays, themed days, awards announcements, and more. You can view the calendar as a list-by-date or in a traditional calendar format.

For easy reference, we also create a printable resource for each quarter. Members can access the October–December 2025 resource as well as the full calendar here.

We’ll continue updating the calendar as new information becomes available. If you have questions or would like to suggest a key date that may be of interest to all members, please let us know!

New Releases from Alberta Publishers

Sponsored Content

The Book Publishers Association of Alberta (BPAA) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 Alberta Book Publishing Awards. Created to recognize and celebrate the best of the Alberta book publishing industry, these awards honour the essential role our province’s book publishers play in supporting authors and bringing Alberta’s Story to life.

The Alberta Book Publishing Awards have grown alongside the industry to capture the excellence and innovation of our province’s book publishers. This year, jurors evaluated 92 submissions from Alberta publishers across 12 categories. A total of 13 awards were presented, and we would like to congratulate all of the winning and shortlisted publishers, authors, and designers.

Discover these winning titles, and more, at the Read Alberta website. We can’t wait to see who wins next year!

BookNet Canada: September Indie Sales & Insights

Curious how indie bookstores performed last month? We're introducing a new feature to our CIBA newsletter: monthly indie channel reports from BookNet Canada. The September Report breaks down year-to-date sales* and compares September 2025 to the same period last year, giving you a quick snapshot of the market.

In addition to the sales report, BookNet Canada continues to share helpful content for booksellers on their blog, including:

• Buy Canadian: What it Means for the Book Market
• Updated Guidance on Barcode Price Extensions
• All About the Audiobook Listener
• Subject Spotlight: Comics & Graphic Novels

Check out the full report and blog posts to stay on top of trends and plan for what’s next!

*Data is shown in units sold and includes all participating indie retailers. “Canadian” titles refer to books with a Canadian contributor, as noted in publisher metadata.

Upcoming Events

Tracking Trends: Pre-Holiday Update from BookNet Canada

Thursday, October 23

12pm PT, 1pm MT, 2pm CT, 3pm ET, 4pm AT, 4:30pm Newfoundland

In this timely session, BookNet data detectives Lily Dwyer, Kalpna Patel, and Lauren Stewart will review 2025’s trends to-date with an eye to advancing your holiday preparedness. Will the emerging trends from Spring and Summer carry into Fall and Winter seasonal shopping? What lessons can be observed from sales recorded in 2024? How is the “Buy Canadian” movement faring? And what data-informed holiday preparation planning can you consider before things pick up speed?

Reminder: RISE 2026 Conference

Booksellers, mark your calendars! Registration for the 2026 RISE Conference in Verona, Italy is now open. We’re expecting more Canadians than ever to attend, making this an amazing chance to connect with international colleagues and get inspired.

You can register now on the RISE landing page. RISE will also soon open applications to support attendance at other 2026 trade events, including the Winter Institute, the Irish Book Trade Conference, UK BA Conference, and Frankfurt Book Fair.

Thinking about attending or have questions? Share them with us, we’d love to hear from you!

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