What Booksellers Need to Know Ahead of Independent Bookstore Day

Independent Bookstore Day (IBD), which will take place on Saturday, August 29, is fast approaching. Below is what booksellers need to know now to prepare for the event.

On Wednesday, August 19, at 1:00 p.m. ET, ABA will host a live, online, instructional webinar during which a member of the IndieCommerce team will discuss options for adding Independent Bookstore Day 2020 products to IndieCommerce and IndieLite websites.

The webinar will cover how to create booklists and other content for the event, how to manage IBD orders through IndieCommerce/IndieLite sites, and other resources available. Questions raised during the session will also be addressed.

Booksellers can sign up now for the webinar. Complete instructions for how to ready IndieCommerce/IndieLite sites for sales of IBD exclusives can be found here.

Booksellers can also watch a video or listen to a podcast of the informational roundtable that took place on Monday, August 10, with IBD Program Director Samantha Schoech.

In addition:

• All merchandise orders will ship form Ingram’s Tennessee warehouse this week, with booksellers receiving them this week or next, depending on their location.
• Items can be displayed at any time but may not be sold until August 29 (this includes online, not August 19 as previously announced). Booksellers are asked not to hold items for customers in advance.
• No discounting until September 29.
• Booksellers can talk to their Ingram rep about ordering additional items on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Share your IBD party plans to help with publicity.
• Visit the “For the Trade” section of the website to access the following:
  • Logos in many colors, with or without the date
  • Social media assets, including Facebook and website banners
  • Images of all the exclusive items
  • Ideas for online-only parties and socially distanced parties

Virtual author events taking place on August 29 are as follows. Booksellers are invited to share images and links on their store’s pages.

Kids’ and YA events:

• 1:00 p.m. ET: Lisa Brown drawing class from Goldfish Ghost
• 1:30 p.m. ET: Gene Luen Yang (Dragon Hoops) graphic novel discussion and tips
• 2:00 p.m. ET: Middle Grade Fun with Renee Watson (Ways to Make Sunshine) and illustrator Nina Mata (I Promise) with moderator Isaac Fitzgerald (How to Be a Pirate)
• 3:00 p.m. ET: Feminist, Fantasy YA with Kat Cho (Wicked Fox and Vicious Spirits), Rena Barron (Kingdom of Souls and Reaper of Souls), and Rebecca Kim Wells (Shatter the Sky).

Adult events:

• 4:00 p.m. ET: Amor Towles reading and discussing his book You Have Arrived at Your Destination
• 5:00 p.m. ET: Writing the West with Reyna Grande (The Distance Between Us), Lauren Francis-Sharma (Book of the Little Axe) and Rishi Reddi (Passage West: A Novel)
• 6:00 p.m. ET: Telling the Stories of the Pandemic: Allstar Author Panel from Alone Together: Stories of Love, Grief, and Comfort in the Time of COVID-19 (all profits from the book benefit the Book Industry Charitable Foundation)
• 8:00 p.m. ET: Bookstore Day Ambassador Showcase with Tayari Jones (An American Marriage), Lauren Groff (Fates & Furies and Florida) and Emma Straub (All Adults Here)

Visit the Independent Bookstore Day website to learn more about the annual event. Watch Bookselling This Week in the coming weeks for more information about Independent Bookstore Day, or sign up for the IBD newsletter.