Greetings,

We hope you're enjoying increased optimism owing to warm, sunny days and a rising vaccination rate across the country.

We have much to share this month, including recommendations for National Indigenous Peoples Day, a Shop Local update, our new indie bookseller logos, an interview with a mobile bookseller, and more.

Enjoy!

Save the Date: CIBA Annual General Meeting

Mark your calendars – the CIBA Annual General Meeting will take place on Wednesday July 14 via Zoom at 4pm PST, 5pm MST, 6pm CST, 7pm EST, 8pm AST and 8:30pm Newfoundland.

Given CIBA is less than a year old (and board members are still within their terms) there will be no voting involved in the meeting, nor a need for members to designate a proxy if you are unable to attend. The meeting is a chance for the CIBA President and Executive Director to update you on CIBA’s achievements thus far and outline our future plans for the association. A formal invitation to the meeting will be issued in the coming weeks.

For more information, contact: Nicola Dufficy, CIBA Project Director

Clockwise, from top left: Christian Allaire, Louise B. Halfe - Sky Dancer, David A. Robertson,

Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley, Darrel J. McLeod, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson,

Thomas King and Brittany Luby.

June 21 (the summer solstice) is National Indigenous Peoples Day. This is a day for all Canadians to recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.

We encourage our members to acknowledge the traditional territory upon which they reside, and to reflect on their relationship with Indigenous communities. CIBA’s active work toward reconciliation includes celebrating the depth and breadth of the work of Indigenous writers. It is our honour and responsibility to support Indigenous literature in this country, and we aim to do so through learning opportunities, partnerships, and community building. This work is more important now than ever before.

In celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day, we’ve curated a list of new or recently released books by Indigenous authors.

Check out the reading list here.

Publishers – are you on board with Shop Local?

Bookmanager’s Shop Local API launched in March of this year and we’re pleased to report that there are more than 40 publishers, authors and other groups using the API to drive sales to Canadian independent bookstores. If your organization isn’t one of them – we urge you to join the party ASAP!

The new Shop Local API lets you insert a fully customizable button or link on your site, connecting visitors to independent bookstores nearby and listing the stock they have of your product. You can also use the API as a simple independent bookstore finder that is not specific to any particular book title. Bookmanager is offering this API free of charge because they want to encourage everyone to participate. With support for localism on the rise, there has never been a better time to play a role in connecting customers to bookstores in their communities.

New and improved functionality – use Shop Local for pre-orders!

Want to drive pre-order sales from your author’s website? Have them include the Shop Local API on their page and customers can order directly from their local independent.

For ease of use with pre-sales, the API has been modified to display as a "pre-order" link instead of "in stock" or "on order" when a title is forthcoming. This is a great enhancement to a tool designed to help authors, publishers and other organizations get their books into readers' hands via Canadian independent booksellers.

The modification will help potential customers realize that they are reserving a title in advance of it being released to the public and will help the store show those customers that they can serve them as quickly as a title is released.

Want to see how Shop Local works?

Test drive it here.

Ready to play? Complete instructions for how to update your website can be found here.

A note for bookstores:

Bookmanager encourages Canadian independent booksellers to list with them so that readers can discover more stores and the books they carry. With the API, stores that currently have the book available are listed above ones that do not or ones where their stock availability is not known. The API only reports availability info at stores that submit such information to Bookmanager on a regular basis.

If your store is not listed, please use the login at Bookmanager.com to create an account. Your store will be listed at no charge once the information provided is verified. You will need to contact Bookmanager if you are also interested in providing regular updates to your inventory.

You asked, we answered!

On the heels of a successful Indie Bookstore Day campaign, there has never been a better time to remind your customers to shop local and support independent bookstores.

CIBA has developed a suite of logos that are now available for your business use. You might choose to add the logos to your website, use them on social media, print them as stickers for your titles, or use them for in-store displays. The possibilities are endless!

In the Graphics folder within the Member Resource portal, you will find a variety of logos available in a range of colours and file types. We have focused on three main messages that align with the goals of our members:

Please take some time to read our usage guide, which can help you understand which versions of the logo best suit your unique needs.

Members: log into the CIBA portal and download the logo suite here.

Not a CIBA member? Join today and access a range of benefits, including access to the CIBA member portal.

Recreate the browsing experience online: Facilitating the discoverability of in-stock titles
Research shows that book-buying customers are looking to recreate their in-store browsing experience online. This session, presented by Bookmanager's Trevor Neill, will help you create that experience for your customers by facilitating the discoverability of in-stock titles on your website. Specifically, you will develop strategies around featured lists, menus, and limiting clutter to help customers find (and buy!) the books on your shelves.
Presented by Trevor Neill, Bookmanager
Tuesday June 15
4pm PST, 5pm MST, 6pm CST, 7pm EST, 8pm AST, 8:30pm Newfoundland

What can Instagram do for your bookstore?
Why Instagram? Join HarperCollins Canada for a session on the fastest growing social network! Learn the basics of creating and maintaining a presence on the platform, as well as what to post and how to build your following.
Tuesday June 22
4pm PST, 5pm MST, 6pm CST, 7pm EST, 8pm AST, 8:30pm Newfoundland

Discussion forum for booksellers: Tips for managing online orders
It’s no secret that the pandemic has had a major influence on the increase of online, email and phone sales. As we look towards the busy fall and holiday season, this informal session will allow booksellers to crowdsource answers to your questions and exchange tips for tackling logistical challenges; from fulfilling large orders, to coordinating curbside pickups, to finding efficient and cost-effective shipping solutions. We will begin with a short presentation by a bookseller who will share tips and tricks they've picked up throughout the pandemic for efficiently handling online orders without running yourself or your team into the ground.
Tuesday July 20
12pm PST, 1pm MST, 2pm CST, 3pm EST, 4pm AST, 4:30pm Newfoundland

Photo: Marsha Skrypuch

"It is amazing how often casual bias creeps in for people. It requires daily work to a) check my own bias and not make assumptions about the kinds of books people will want and b) gently challenge people’s ideas about what children will or won’t like."

Melissa Bourdon-King, a former store manager at Mabels' Fables, opened Once Upon a Bookstore in Kelowna in 2019. The store is a family affair, with both her mom Marlene and her daughter ("bookstore daughter") offering their contributions. Melissa spoke to CIBA about how she curates her store, her connection to her community, and more.

Read the article here.

“There are far more ‘book people’ than one might suspect. Taking the truck to free street festivals and open-air markets allowed us to learn from and serve the wide diversity of folks who enjoy reading.”

Hilary and Cliff Atleo launched Iron Dog Books five years ago. They began with a mobile bookshop and then expanded into a brick-and-mortar storefront. We asked Hilary to share some of the insights she’s gained while operating these two distinct spaces and for advice for anyone who is considering opening or adding a mobile bookshop to their business.

Read the interview in our member blog. Not a CIBA member? Join now to access exclusive benefits. 

As you may know, CIBA's social media channels are curated for Canadian readers. In addition to major campaigns, we run themed book features, share industry news, celebrate our members, and more. In short: we provide easy-to-share content for members and promote Canadian indies to our growing community of book lovers.

You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to take advantage of our plug-and-play content. Here’s what we have planned for the summer:

Themed Book Features

• Pride Month (June 7) – available to share now!
• National Indigenous Peoples Day (June 21)
• Summer Reading List (Adults – June 28 / Kids & YA – July 5)
• Paperback Book Day (July 30)
• Book Lovers Day (Aug 9)

Monthly Content

• #BookOfADifferentColour
• Love Notes to Indie Bookstores
• Meet Our Members
• Authors’ Corner (Instagram)
• #NameThatBook (Twitter) – this new trivia series will begin in July!

We want to boost your signal too. Please tag us (@CIBAbooks) when promoting virtual events, reviewing books, or sharing exciting news so we can share on our feeds. If you’re interested in being profiled on our social channels, please email Kayla Calder.

And remember to follow publishers, distributors, and industry organizations on social! Their content may relate to your goals and if you feature their titles and tag them, they are likely to share it and help promote your store to their community in turn.

When you join CIBA, you’re able to access members-only content on our website, including CIBA’s Professional Forum. The CIBA Professional Forum is the place to share ideas, initiatives and opportunities with peers. Members, make sure to subscribe so that you don't miss a post.

Here are some recent posts to the forum:

• First Book Canada is calling for Ontario-based indies to join in on the Raptors 905 Summer Reading Program.
• The Bookmark has shared a gofundme encouraging donations to rebuild Gaza's Samir Mansour bookstore, which was recently destroyed by air strikes during the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The two-story Samir Mansour bookstore was built 21 years ago and served as a community centre and book shop for the local Gaza community and Palestinian school children. Tens of thousands of books were destroyed.
• The Telling Tales festival has launched and will be promoting their 2021-22 virtual season across the country! On their website, Telling Tales shares a link to all independent bookstores. They invite anyone with a love of great children's books to become a designated bookseller for a specific geographic area.

Access the details of these opportunities on the CIBA Professional Forum.

Not a member yet? Join CIBA today and access the member portal (including the Professional Forum) as a benefit of your membership.

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