MIBA is thrilled to unveil the first annual Midwest Indie Bookstore Roadmap! Featuring the iconic work of Twin Cities-based illustrator Kevin Cannon, the Booktore Roadmap celebrates the vitality of indie bookselling in MIBA's region while encouraging customers to make visiting bookstores a part of their travel plans. The map also includes a "Bookstore Journey Contest" in which one bookstore customer a month will receive a $25 gift card to any store featured on the map. Anyone who participates in the contest throughout the year will be entered to win a $500 gift card to any store featured on the map.

Each MIBA member bookstore will receive 400 free copies of the map to distribute throughout the year, beginning on Independent Bookstore Day. Nonmember stores in MIBA's region will also receive a limited number of maps.

The map will be 22" x 28" and will fold into 4.4" x 7" panels to fit easily into glove compartments, backpacks, and purses. Fore more information about the map, the bookstore journey contest, and information for advertisers, click here.

Additional Opportunities for Booksellers
MIBA will produce a limited number of poster versions of the front of the map for stores to sell as souvenir items. Furthermore, all stores are invited to purchase the original illustration of their store featured on the map. Once purchased, there are no restrictions on how this artwork can be used.

For more information about ordering posters or your store's original illustration, contact Robert Martin at Robert@MidwestBooksellers.org

The Women’s National Book Association is pleased to announce the 2018 WNBA Pannell Award winners.
 
General Bookstore Category: NORTHSHIRE BOOKSTORE in Saratoga Springs, NY
Children’s Specialty Bookstore Category: RED BALLOON BOOKSHOP in St. Paul, MN
 
Upon hearing the good news, Nancy Scheemaker from Northshire Bookstore exclaimed, “We are deeply honored and so thrilled to be chosen for the WNBA Pannell Award. To be singled out from the prestigious list of nominees this year is all the more extraordinary. I cannot think of a stronger form of encouragement for a young and growing bookstore. We are so grateful and so excited!” Jurors noted that the store is one the most energetic bookstores and lauded its passionate staff and year-round schedule of creative programs and events. 

Holly Weinkauf from Red Balloon Bookshop, upon hearing the news, said “We are thrilled to win the WNBA Pannell Award!  What an incredible honor for our talented and hardworking booksellers, as well as our community that has supported us for 34 years.  We are deeply grateful.” Jurors praised Red Balloon Bookshop for its outstanding service to authors, children, and the community.
​
This year, dozens of bookstores across 16 different states received enthusiastic nominations from loyal customers, authors, bookstore employees, and publishing professionals. A five-member jury selected the 2018 WNBA Pannell Award recipients. The winning stores will each receive a check for $1,000 and a piece of original art from a children’s book illustrator, to be presented at BookExpo America’s Children’s Book and Author Breakfast on Friday, June 1, 2018. 
 
The WNBA Pannell Award jurors for 2018 are:   
·         Brenda Bowen, literary agent, Greenburger Associates 
·         Susan Katz Radin, publisher emeritus, HarperCollins Children’s Books  
·         Emily Romero, senior vice president of marketing, Penguin Young Readers  
·         Roger Sutton, editor in chief, The Horn Book  
·         Lisa Von Drasek, curator of Children’s Literature Research Collections, Univ. of Minnesota   
  
The Pannell Award co-chairs are Susan Knopf, President of Scout Books & Media, and Sally Kim, Marketing Director at Callisto Media.
 
Since 1983, the Women’s National Book Association (WNBA) has awarded one of the most prestigious honors in children’s bookselling. Along with WNBA, Penguin Young Readers Group co-sponsors the award, which was established in honor of Lucille Micheels Pannell, founding member of one of the WNBA chapters.

The Midwest Independent Booksellers Association is deeply disappointed by Chronicle Books’ recent decision to make A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo available upon publication only at Amazon.

​Independent booksellers have a long and successful history of handling confidential information about forthcoming books, acting as reliable, established partners in releasing countless books while exhibiting all the necessary discretion. Chronicle ignored that record of success for a very visible and important book, and in doing so harmed independent bookstores.

In agreeing to an unequal and unfair release of Marlon Bundo, Chronicle made independent bookstores appear irrelevant--not only to potential customers, but also to the customers we've worked so hard to establish. They reinforced the mistaken idea that the first and best source of desirable, topical books is a single online retailer, not any of the hundreds of local independent bookstores in communities across the Midwest and the country.

Independent bookstores have long championed free and full access to books, and we expect our partner businesses to do the same. We invite Chronicle Books to consider the lasting implications of their actions. We call on them to acknowledge the unfortunate results of their decision and to take steps to reassure booksellers and readers that they are committed to a fair and equitable marketplace for their books now and into the future.

With much respect,
The board of the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association

Dear ABA board, Regional Independent Trade Association Executive Directors and Presidents, 
 
On behalf of Chronicle Books, I apologize for any frustrations you have experienced these past few days following the launch of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Presents A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo. I hope you know from your history working with us as an indie ourselves that this was certainly not our intention.
 
Among the myriad ways you uphold civil rights every day, MANY THANKS to all of you who’ve pledged support for ‘every bunny who has ever felt different’ as well as to the work of the Trevor Project and AIDS United, which will be receiving proceeds from Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Chronicle Books, and so many of you through sales of this book.
 
We had to ensure that the book was a complete surprise for the Last Week Tonight with John Oliver audience. So, after much deliberation and exploration of other options, we ultimately agreed to make the book available for purchase at the time of the on-air surprise by allocating a percentage of the print run to Amazon and making the rest of the first print run available to all our other retailers as soon as possible. We knew it wasn’t a matter of embargoing the book, nor did we think a blind release would guarantee the integrity of the surprise.
 
While its launch isn’t how we’d normally go about business, none of us predicted how phenomenally viewers and readers would respond to John Oliver’s announcement – and that we’d go from 40,000 copies in print to 400,000 in the pipeline in 4 days. Our #1 goal right now is to get this book into your store and into those eager readers’ hands. I recognize this is not moving as quickly as we would like with current orders and we have addressed this with our distributor, Hachette Book Group.  We are working with multiple domestic printers to print more books quickly as possible. In the meantime, we thank you very much for your patience and your understanding.
 
I would be grateful if you shared this missive with your members as well.
 
With gratitude, appreciation, and renewed apologies,
Tyrrell Mahoney

In conjunciton with Independent Bookstore Day on April 28, 2018, the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association will distribute 50,000 copies of the first inaugural Midwest Indie Bookstore Roadmap. Featuring colorful original illustrations by Twin Cities artist Kevin Cannon (whose artwork is also featured in the Twin Cities Independnt Bookstore Passport), the map will feature approximately 150 bookstores across MIBA's region, which includes North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The 22" x 28" roadmap will fold to 4.4" x 7" and will be provided to regional booksellers to give out to their customers for free beginning on Independent Bookstore Day, but the map will continue to be used as part of a year-long contest and promotion.

The back of the map will feature publisher advertisements and details about the customer contest, which rewards readers for visiting bookstores featured on the map, taking a photo at the store, and posting it to social media using the hashtag #BookstoreRoadmap. Every month, MIBA will select one Twitter post to receive a $25 gift card to any store on the map. On the following year's Independent Bookstore Day, MIBA will select one post to receive a $500 gift card to any store on the map. 

The map will not be to scale, but will include familiar landmarks for each locale as well as major highway systems. Urban areas will feature pop-out illustrations, as shown in the preview images below.

Booksellers do not need to place an order--they will automatically receive a box of maps prior to April 28, 2018.

For more information about the map, contest structure, and advertising opportunities, click here.

We're thrilled to announce BookExpo’s “Introduce an Indie” program, designed to get more indie booksellers to New York for this key industry event.

BookExpo is pairing with the nine regional bookseller associations to bring 18 booksellers to New York City from May 30 through June 1 to experience the BookExpo. Two booksellers from every region will be awarded travel and lodging expenses, as well as a custom itinerary that maximizes their show experience as an independent bookseller.

• The program is open only to booksellers who have never attended BookExpo 
• Apply any time between now and April 6
• Winners will be announced the week of April 9
• Winning booksellers must be from an ABA member bookstore
• Complete the form on BookExpo's website to enter for a chance to win

​Booksellers will be selected by the board of their regional association and be treated to a scholarship to BookExpo which includes the following:

• A $400 American Express gift card to be used to pay for travel
• A room at the official ABA hotel (The New Yorker) (room and taxes only – incidentals not covered)
• A custom itinerary of meetings, education sessions, and author events
• Each bookseller will be paired with a mentor who will share tips and tricks on maximizing the BookExpo experience before, during, and after the event
• Each bookseller will receive a complimentary:
  • 3-Day badge to BookExpo for access to the exhibit floor and all conference sessions
  • Premium ticket to the BookExpo Adult Author Breakfast and Children’s Author Breakfast (one ticket per breakfast)
  • Collectible 2-Day BookCon badge for access to the exhibit floor and all panels
• BookExpo will host a reception for the eighteen booksellers in the VIP lounge onsite
• BookExpo leadership staff will provide an onsite overview and tour of BookExpo
• The eighteen booksellers will have the exclusive opportunity to participate in meetings with executives of top publishers in their booths
• Access to the ABA Lounge featuring a Galley Room, special autographing sessions and networking with your peers

Please email Carrie if you have any questions. 

A vibrant city that values a strong sense of community knows all the positive things an independent bookstore can do for the local area.
Becky Glewen, the mayor of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, has been in touch with us to help us locate a entrepreneur interested in opening a bookstore in her town. Please circulate this post far and wide and do what we can to support this wonderful initiative.

DOWNLOAD THE FLYER

From Beaver Dam Mayor Becky Glewen:

This is your opportunity to open a bookstore.
Why Beaver Dam, Wisconsin?

We are a thriving community of 16,000+ residents, near three major metropolitan areas. Our downtown is being developed as a theater-arts district. By the end of 2018, the Beaver Dam Area Community Theater will complete its $2.4M theater building project downtown. In addition to the theater, the local Arts Association, in partnership with community donors, businesses, and the city, funded a Wall Dog Mural Festival which placed fourteen murals throughout the City with a concentration on the downtown area. Beaver Dam is focused on creating downtown space for the community to gather. A book store would be a positive addition to our city and county, acting as a cultural hub and literary anchor for the downtown.
 
Why right now?
The opportunity is available to work with a building investor that is interested in renovating the space for the right new business start-up. Future grant funds are available for new business start-ups, facade, and awning improvements.  

• Resources will be available for you.
• Prime location, theater-arts district
• An investor (developer) is looking to speak with you.

For more information, contact:
Mayor Becky Glewen
rglewen@cityofbeaverdam.com
​920-887-4600 x398

Book World, a regional, family-run chain of bookstores founded in 1976, is closing all 45 of its locations. But the fate of Book World is not the fate of independent bookstores, which are on the rise.

by Carrie Obry

As has been reported by Publishers Weekly and Book World's website, all Book World locations are closing across the upper Midwest. While it's a blow to these communities that the bookstores they have relied on for so many years are closing, the loss of this many stores is also an opportunity. Book World owned all of its buildings and fixtures, and everything is up for sale. Along with each sale comes knowledge of Book World's top-earning locations, insight into each store's finances, and also a built-in customer base. ​At the time of posting this article, two locations have been sold, and two are in negotiation. Scroll to the bottom of this post to see a list of available properties, and click here to see more detail about the fixtures. We encourage all interested parties, from individuals to chambers of commerce, to circulate these opportunities far and wide.

To express interest, please contact Mark Dupont at markjdupont@gmail.com.
​
Of prime importance to the sale of these locations is the fact that independent bookstores, much unlike chains, are experiencing a renaissance while simultaneously embracing the digital age. Between 2009 and 2015, the American Booksellers Association reported a 35 percent growth in the number of independent bookstores, from 1,651 to 2,227. Independent bookstores are “thriving in ways that no one really expected,” says Ryan Raffaelli of Harvard Business School, who studies how industries faced with huge technological change reinvent themselves. “What makes these bookstores so unique is they understand the local community they’re operating in in ways that are quite different than the large mass retailers.”

History will say that Book World was the victim of the rise of e-commerce and the convenience of buying books online, and that their locations in struggling shopping malls were the anchor that drew them under. But these statements are only partially true. Much more has to be said about Book World's sales model to truly understand the forces at play, and why they are closing while independent bookstores numbers are increasing. 

Centrally run out of Appleton, Wisconsin, Book World didn't get involved in the book industry the way individual independent booksellers do, preferring to skip trade shows and lucrative bookseller/publisher relationship-building in favor of their specific regional approach. Individual store managers had limited buying power, leading to a feeling of sameness across all stores. Managers booked author events if they wanted, but they drew only from personal network, which rarely resulted in big names, and no one at Book World tapped into popular author touring schedules by partnering with publishers' marketing plans. Because it is hard to advertise in 45 markets, they often skipped it altogether (except when social media rose to prominence, which they used frequently). And all Book Worlds had that same mall-type feel, even when they were located on Main Street.

Book World was founded in 1976, and what was successful by its early standards of operation (45 or so family-run bookstores across 7 states is a major achievement) isn't as relevant to today's book buyers, who have grown to expect bookstores to bring them what Book World by and large didn't—that home-away-from-home feeling, with cozy places to sit, a calendar of inspiring events, cafes, a feeling of discovery, and the palpable sense that the store is rooted in the local community. When this magical combination is achieved, bookstores thrive.

​“Chains are difficult to maintain because everything happens from the top down," said Mark Dupont, Book World's senior vice president. "You can’t cultivate the local community and clientele the same way you can with a single store who has a committed owner and is passionate about their business.”

What's most telling is that Dupont himself is toying with the idea of opening an independent bookstore of his own. "There’s so many great books being published, and people still want to go an buy them in a bookstore.”

The following Book World locations are currently for sale to interested independent buyers.

Minnesota

• Baxter, 15528 Edgewood Drive, Baxter, MN, 56425, 6788 sq ft
• Bemidji, 316 Beltrami Avenue NW, Bemidji, MN, 56601, 7000 sq ft

Iowa

• Clinton, 321 5th S, #1 and #2, Clinton, IA, 52732, 6,504 sq ft

Wisconsin

• Antigo, 725 5th Avenue, Antigo, WI, 4589 sq ft
• Appleton, 322 W College Avenue, Appleton, WI, 54911, NEED
• Ashland, 301 W Main Street, Ashland, WI, 54806, 6900 sq ft
• Baraboo, 135 - 3rd Street, Baraboo, WI, 53913, 1800 sq ft
• Eagle River, 114 E Wall Street, PO Box 1298, Eagle River, WI, 54521, 2625 sq ft
• Fond du Lac, 85 S Main Street, Fond du Lac, WI, 54935, 4200 sq ft
• Manitowoc, 907 S 8th Street, Manitowoc, WI, 54220, 6000 sq ft
• Marinette, 1723 Main Street, Marinette, WI, 54143, 6900 sq ft
• Oshkosh, 408 North Main St, Oshkosh, WI, 54901, 6900 sq ft
• Rhinelander, 58 N Brown Street, Rhinelander, WI, 54501, 4000 sq ft
• Rice Lake, 105 N Main Street, Rice Lake, WI, 54868, 2912 sq ft
• Shawano, 134 S Main Street, Shawano, WI, 54166, 4494 sq ft
• Sister Bay, 10580 Country Walk Drive #11, Sister Bay, WI, 54234, 1200 sq ft
• Sturgeon Bay, 30 N 3rd Avenue, Sturgeon Bay, WI, 54235, 3726 sq ft

Illinois

• Galena, 300 S Main Street, Galena, IL, 61036, 2400 sq ft

Michigan

• Houghton, 515 Shelden Avenue, Houghton, MI, 49931, 6400 sq ft
• Ironwood, 112 E Aurora Street, Ironwood, MI, 49938, 3800 sq ft
• Marquette, 136 W Washington Street, Marquette, MI, 49855, 5564 sq ft
• St. Ignace, 52 N State Street, St. Ignace, MI, 49781, 2430 sq ft
• Sault Ste. Marie, 404 Ashmun Street, Sault Ste. Marie, MI, 49783, 2750 sq ft

As we reported here, Book World is closing and their locations and fixtures are up for sale. Here's a more detailed post about the fixtures that are available. 

Yellen Partners is leading the liquidation, and interested parties can contact them directly: ​Mark McMahan, 765-621-1762, mcmahan6132@gmail.com

Magazine Racks
Custom made magazine and book shelving
6', 8' and 10' all wood
Perfect for magazines and many types of books
Single-sided and many include lighting
These units are 70.5 inches tall and are perfect for fitting against any wall in your store

Bookcases
​Custom made, double-sided wood book shelves
4 feet wide with 4 adjustable shelves
Perfect for displaying books as well as many other products