Important Reminders About the Indies First Movement

As the Indies First movement continues to grow, more than 375 authors have answered Sherman Alexie’s call to spend November 30, Small Business Saturday, handselling titles at independent bookstores across the country. Over 300 bookstores will be welcoming authors through their doors on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, to rally support and excitement for hometown indies and other local businesses.

As we round the corner into November, booksellers and authors are encouraged to sign up now for this grassroots movement. The signup form will close on November 15; after that date, bookstores and authors looking to participate should contact ABA Chief Program Officer Joy Dallanegra-Sanger and Industry Relations Assistant Anne Caldwell.

Participating bookstores should note some significant developments in the Indies First movement:

• The American Booksellers Association has been working hard to reach out to all bookstores that have signed up to participate but have not yet been paired with an author. To facilitate connections, ABA is providing these stores with a list of participating authors within a 60-mile radius who do not yet have a bookstore.
   
• All stores that have signed up to participate and have enlisted authors to work on November 30 have been contacted by ABA via e-mail to confirm these details. If any information is incorrect or incomplete, contact Anne Caldwell.
   
• An interactive map of participating Indies First stores and their visiting authors will go live on Indiebound.org on November 8. Booksellers should make sure they are signed up and have listed their visiting authors in order to appear on the map.

In the spirit of Indies First and shopping local, authors are encouraged to add a buy button for indie bookstores as the top purchasing option on their websites. Newly designed Indies First buttons are now available for use, along with other shop local designs and text.

After signing up to participate in Indies First, authors are asked to reach out to their chosen bookstore to coordinate their appearance; likewise, bookstores should reach out to authors in their communities who may be interested in participating to encourage them to join in.

Follow the trail of excitement for Indies First on Twitter at #IndiesFirst, and visit BookWeb’s Designs and Downloads to get the Indies First logo for use in marketing efforts.