Greetings,

November is here and with it comes cold weather and holiday shoppers—hopefully browsing your shelves as you read this! This month, we share some association updates, interviews, and more.

Let’s get into it.

Holiday Marketing Update

Our holiday marketing is in full swing! Thanks to everyone for spreading the word that the booksellers are “in.” Members can take advantage of our efforts by sharing our posts on Instagram and Facebook or creating unique content using assets found here.

We also welcome Canadian book recommendations from members to share throughout the campaign. If you’d like to suggest a title, please get in touch.

Supplier Relations Update

CIBA’s fearless Supplier Relations Committee recently wrapped their fall meetings with major suppliers. 

In these meetings, the committee discussed discounts, fall promotions, the need for in-person visits from sales reps, and more. They also stressed the importance of timely communication regarding service disruptions. Bookseller Members can now access a detailed report on these meetings in the Member Portal.

If you are facing difficulties with specific suppliers, please email the committee.

Event Recording

Penguin Random House Canada continues to examine the best and most efficient ways to attend to booksellers’ varied needs, considering their limited time and resources. The recording of our “Maximizing Your Relationship with Your PRHC Sales Manager” session will help booksellers understand PRHC’s thinking and plans, including maximizing their time with sales and customer service representatives.

This recording is only available to Bookseller and Provisional Members.

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

Recap: EIBF Bookseller Exchange Program

In June, we were delighted to share that two CIBA Bookseller Members would participate in the RISE Bookseller Exchange Program through the European and International Booksellers Association (EIBF).

We wanted to share this update from Jenna Doyle from Books & Shenanigans about the experience:

"I was so fortunate to be a part of the RISE Booksellers Exchange in September, where I travelled to Switzerland to work at an independent bookstore called Wynabuchhandlung in a little village called Reinach. I worked alongside Nina, Anita, and Azra for a few days and learned about the Swiss book trade.

We had so much fun chatting about books, business and Swiss culture. I learned a lot from my experience there, including some differences between the book industry in Canada and Switzerland. For example, you must go to school for three years to become a bookseller in Switzerland, and they order all their books from Buch Zentrum, rather than from the publishers directly. It was also interesting to learn that they speak Swiss German but read books in German or French because many regions in Switzerland speak Swiss German differently!

It was motivating and inspiring to hear of their successes at the bookstore and it felt so nice to talk to other women about our shared passion for books. I left the exchange filled with inspiring new ideas (and cheese and chocolate). I feel grateful to have gained some new bookish friends in Switzerland and, hopefully, they will visit me in Canada sometime."

Thank you for sharing, Jenna, and to EIBF for extending this application opportunity to CIBA Bookseller Members earlier this year!

Meet Our Member: The Wandering Albatross

The Wandering Albatross is a small bookshop in Bloomfield, ON. The new store carries an ever-changing selection of books including fiction, travel writing, history, nature, maps, and more. We spoke with owner Lindsay Casey about the store and her experience as a new indie bookseller. 

“I've always dreamed of having a bookstore—I've pictured myself in one for as long as I can remember… Just when I started taking the idea more seriously, a tiny space I'd always liked became available for rent. It was something I could manage, and I thought: if I don’t do it now, when will I?” 

Read the interview here.

Winter Reads

There is no better escape than a good book during the cold winter. We’ve compiled a list of recent and upcoming titles that readers can seek out at local indie bookstores this season. 

Explore our picks for adults, young adults, and kids now on IndieBookstores.ca.

You can also share our picks via Instagram or Facebook now!

Indie Bestsellers

As a reminder, we showcase the titles flying off indie shelves on IndieBookstores.ca every Wednesday! We feature the overall bestsellers as well as bestselling Canadian fiction and non-fiction, trade paperback fiction, and fiction for young readers.

The Bestsellers Lists are compiled by CIBA using information provided by BookNet Canada’s national sales tracking service, BNC SalesData.

Check out the most recent indie bestseller lists here.

This message was sent to you by the Canadian Independent Booksellers Association

If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe at any time

{Organization_URL}