Midwest Indie Bookstore Roadmap

Pick up a roadmap in one of our member bookstores. If you live outside of our region and would like to special order roadmaps, contact us. 

Now in its sixth year, The Midwest Indie Bookstore Roadmap is a promotional tool that both celebrates the thriving independent bookstores in our region and sends customers through their doors.

• The artist Kevin Cannon creates a custom image of each of our member stores and features them on a beautiful roadmap-inspired drawing of our region
• On the back of the map, we feature promotions from our industry partners as well as a bookstore directory
• We send 97,000 copies to our bookstores for free, to distribute to their customers for free on Independent Bookstore Day and thereafter as long as supplies last
• We host a contest to give away cash prizes to customers. See their posts on social at the hashtag #bookstoreroadmap

2023 Roadmap

2023 Bookstore Directory and Roadmap Partners

Getting started

When you join MIBA, your store is automatically put into a queue for our artist Kevin Cannon to draw. There's no need to do anything since he works with images of your store online, but if you want to share any special images to assist him, let us know. We produce and print the roadmap to be shipped to your store the week before Independent Bookstore Day, celebrated on April 29. We release each year's new store art to owners before Independent Bookstore Day, so you will be able to use this art in your promos and help drive traffic to your store.
Give away the roadmaps to your customers for free starting on Independent Bookstore Day!

Once you have your art

When your art is complete, you will get a free png. In addition, you can request two upgrades to the basic art.

• Order a vector package
• Order a designed badge with additional features
• Both are available here

Promote the roadmap all year long

• New this year is a robust offering of design assets based on this year's design. Click the button below to access all files (please note this is a member only page).
• If you post your promotion on social media be sure to tag us!
• View the ads to order the products advertised on the back of the map.

"We keep the roadmap up on the wall next to our cash register and customers are always drawn to it! Kids (and adults) love to find their hometowns and favorite bookstores. Book lovers are delighted to be able to take a copy of the map.
I always tell them it's the best way to travel and they agree. Customers often tell us they found us from the map."

--Gwen Danfelt, Drury Lane Books (Grand Marais, MN)

"The roadmap is the perfect way to promote independent bookstores in the region and we have run out of them each year. Our customers say they love seeing how many stores they can visit, and we’ve heard that some have it up on their walls. We had to put our framed map away when we ran out since customers were asking for a copy! I also love to use the graphics from the map, especially the custom graphic of our store, which we use in a lot of different, unique promotions."

--Carol Blizzard Dunn, Northwind Book & Fiber (Spooner, WI)

Whichever bookstore gets tagged the most on social media between now and Indie Bookstore Day 2024 will win a staff pizza party on us.

Booksellers, you know what to do! Spread indie bookstore love and encourage your customers to participate in the roadmap contest. Help promote the contest in your store and across your online channels by using these pre-built graphics. Two layouts let you customize the message with your own store artwork.