We help publishers sell more books during the holidays

Our book lover’s consumer catalog is a highly valued, direct-to-consumer marketing piece featuring about 100 gift-worthy books in a wide range of subjects for adults and children of all ages. Designed as an interactive winter traffic-builder for indie bookstores, our catalog drives indie bookstore sales during the busy gift-giving season. The catalog is a time-tested and proven marketing tool. Stores report a higher rate of traffic once the catalog is in their customers’ hands.
New to advertisers in 2018

Combined circulation of 500,000

New! Digital catalog delivery of 75,000
​Major new initiative! We're pairing with Shelf Awareness to offer an extensive digital marketing campaign. Shelf's custom email template will deliver catalog titles directly to the inboxes of our stores' most dedicated customers via 4-5 emails of 20-25 titles each. This proven method dramatically decreases the gap between discovery and purchase. The email is branded to each store and is free to all participating bookstores. 

Increased print circulation of 400,000+
We're increasing our print circulation to more than 400,000 through extensive direct mail support for bookstores. 

​Saturation mailing
In 2018, we are offering stores deeper discounts on a proven form of direct mail by paying for the first 1,000 pieces of a bookstore's saturation campaign. With these direct mail campaigns, booksellers "saturate" a geographic radius around their store, and the catalog is delivered via USPS directly to those homes' mailboxes. Last year, our booksellers saturated their neighborhoods with 200,000 catalogs. ​

Social media
Inspired by the great reception of NCIBA's social media campaign, we are adding a strategic social media campaign to our catalog sales strategy.
Download the campaign kit for rates and benefits!
Benefits
​
Print Edition: Circulation of 400,000
We reach this goal by offering our stores deep discounts on all facets of our campaign
  • 70 stores place a customized order, distributing the catalog via direct mail, newspaper insert, and creative in-store methods 
  • All stores receive up to 10 boxes of catalogs (ie, 1,000 pieces) free of charge
  • Every store that customizes the catalog receives a complimentary hard-copy point-of-sale package, including shelf-talkers, posters, readymade print ads (for local print advertising), bookmarks, and catalog-branded store decor​
Direct Mail
  • 200,000 catalogs are delivered via USPS directly to customer's mailboxes via "saturation mailing," our most effective direct mail option for reaching new customers, where booksellers "saturate" zip codes close to their store with catalogs
  • Every store that customizes the catalog receives a free 1,000-piece saturation mailing 
  • 15,000 catalogs are sent via USPS direct mail to our stores' existing customer list
Newspaper Insert
  • 50,000 catalogs are distributed via newspaper insert directly into our stores' communities

Digital Edition: Circulation of 75,000​
  • The Shelf-powered digital newsletters will be sent to an estimated 100,000 customers via our stores' in-house customer lists.
  • We send digital point-of-sale packages to each store, including banner ads and cover/profile images for all social media platforms
  • We give stores cash rebates for promoting every campaign's new initiative; stores will receive a rebate for participating in the Shelf Awareness campaign
Rates
​
$6,000
Be our theme! Includes 1 standard ad 
Art from your holiday- or winter-inspired title is fashioned into our comprehensive theme, including cover art, interior design, and an extensive array of digital and print point-of-sale items, such as banner ads, shelf-talkers, social media cover/profile images, and the cover image on the Shelf e-newsletter template. Includes one standard print ad for this title. 

$5,000
First feature in Shelf e-newsletter +  ½ page print ad
Each e-newsletter highlights 2-3 feature titles at the top of the issue. Designed for key indie break-out titles. Includes a 1/2 page ad in our print edition.

$3,500
Second feature in Shelf e-newsletter + 1/3 page print ad
Each e-newsletter highlights 4-6 feature titles in the secondmost top position. Includes a 1/3 page ad in our print edition. 

$2,500
Standard ad in print and digital editions
Each Shelf e-newsletter includes 20 titles in the body of the email. Includes a standard ad in the print edition, which is 1/6 of a page.

$1,500
Midwest Favorite
Enjoy a discounted rate on titles with a consumer-facing regional hook. Includes standard e-newsletter placement and 1/6 of a page in the print edition.

$1,250
​Paperback Rate
Enjoy a discounted rate on titles previously released in hardcover. Includes standard e-newsletter placement and 1/6 of a page in the print edition.
Placing Your Order
1. Download our rate kit to review comprehensive information about our catalog program

2. Email us the following information for each title you’d like to place in the catalog. 
  • Which ad type you’d like to secure
  • Link to Edelweiss or publisher page for each title
  • Book jacket (at least 300 dpi and CMYK)
  • Standard ad: 1) 40 words of descriptive copy for the print edition and 2) 100 words of copy for the e-newsletter edition
  • First feature: 40 words of descriptive copy for the print edition and 150 words of descriptive copy for the e-newsletter 
  • Second feature: 40 words of descriptive copy for the print edition and 150 words of descriptive copy for the e-newsletter 
3. Payment
  • We’ll email you an invoice that can be paid either online via credit card or a check.
  • All invoices must be paid within 60 days of receipt of invoice or your order may not be included in the catalog campaign. 

4. Ship 2 copies of the book to our office immediately upon publication (and before September 15) for our catalog booth at Heartland Fall Forum. If unavailable before September 27, please personally bring copies to the MIBA catalog booth or ship a jacket if available. Ship to: MIBA, 2355 Louisiana Ave N, Golden Valley, MN 55427. Label the box CATALOG BOOTH.

Background: Each year at our trade show, we create a booth specifically to showcase the titles in our winter catalog. Along with the books, we include copies of the full title list, a specially-printed advance copy of the catalog (we called it a catalog ARC), and free posters of the catalog cover for booksellers to use in store displays. At the end of the show, the books are donated to a silent auction for booksellers to bid on. The proceeds from the auction will be given to the Book Industry Charitable Foundation. Last year, we collected just over $5,000 for this great charity.
Review last year's catalog to see our ad types and sample text.