About MBA

What is MBA?
The Midwest Booksellers Association (MBA) is a regional not-for-profit trade association formally established in 1981 to promote retail bookselling and support professional independent booksellers throughout our region. Our members include locally owned and operated independent bookstores; book publishers, distributors, reps, and vendors who do business with our bookstores; and other individuals and businesses allied to the book industry.

Our member states include Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. (Additional member stores are in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.)

MBA’S Mission Statement
To strengthen Midwest independent booksellers and their partnerships within the larger bookselling and publishing community by providing opportunities to network and exchange information, educational programs, and tools to sell books to their customers and to grow a vibrant book culture.

To learn more about MBA membership and its benefits, please go to our Become a Member  page — and take a good look around our website, too.


Thank you for visiting midwestbooksellers.org and shopping at our member bookstores. We urge you to support your locally owned and operated independent bookstores and businesses in your community!

Through midwestbooksellers.org you can:

  • Find a locally owned and operated independent bookstore that’s conveniently located near you.
  • Choose the bookstore that best suits your interests and needs.
  • Contact our stores via web site, e-mail, phone, fax, or regular mail to purchase the books you want. Or, stop by for a visit in person!
  • Choose from new, used, general interest and specialty bookstores. Out of print and collector book services are available at many stores, too. Visit our stores and their web sites to find hundreds of Midwest regional interest books. Regional titles are our stores’ specialty!
  • Participate in special events, author visits, book clubs, storytelling, children’s activities, and many more community-based bookstore programs.
    Get helpful, personal service from our friendly, knowledgeable member booksellers.
  • Support your community by SHOPPING LOCALLY!
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