Midwest Indie Bookstore Roadmap

Released every year on Independent Bookstore Day (the last Saturday of April), the Midwest Indie Bookstore Roadmap celebrates the beautiful diversity of bookstores in MIBA's 9+ state portion of the Midwest

Now in its seventh year, The Midwest Indie Bookstore Roadmap is a promotional tool that 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 125,000 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

2024 front cover roadmap

2024 Roadmap

2024 Bookstore Directory and Roadmap Partners


Ad sales for 2024 are closed 
2025 will be posted soon

With your buy-in as a Roadmap Partner, we're able to offer this amazing resource to bookstores and their customers for free. Your partnership covers a portion of the program, while we supplement printing and shipping costs with our own funds.

It's a win-win!

  • You help us proudly celebrate indie bookstores in our region and get more customers through their doors
  • We help you get your message into the hands of the most dedicated book-buying population in the Midwest: 100,000 indie bookstore customers

Your partnership includes:

  • The satisfaction that you helped spread 100,000 print roadmaps across the Midwest and beyond (anyone living outside of the Midwest can buy maps here)
  • Print ad in in 100,000 print roadmaps
  • Books featured in print ads are pulled into an Edelweiss collection and sent to our 270+ bookstores as an ordering tool
  • Dedicated social media posts across our most popular channels
  • Permanent placement on our Roadmap Partner page

View #BookstoreRoadmap on Instagram to see the roadmap in our bookstores' customers' hands


"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)

Independent bookstores put their towns on the map. The shelves of a bookstore are a destination, and each purchase is a new journey. That's the magic of a bookstore. It celebrates where it is while taking you anywhere you want to go.

Enter our consumer roadmap contest in two easy steps:
  1. Post a picture of yourself on Instagram or Facebook inside or in front of any bookstore featured on this map. If you are shopping at one of our pop-up or online bookstores, post a picture of your visit and/or your purchase. 
  2. Use the hashtag #BookstoreRoadmap, tag us using the handles listed below, and tag the bookstore.

social media handles

We’ll randomly select one entry each month to win a $50 gift card at the member bookstore of your choice. On next year’s Indie Bookstore Day (Saturday, April 26, 2025), we’ll randomly select one winner from all of the year’s entries to win a $500 gift card. The more stores you shop at and tag, the more likely you are to win the grand prize.

Book guy with pizza slice




Whichever bookstore gets tagged the most on social media between now and Indie Bookstore Day 2025 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.

Roadmaps and store art are free to all current bookstore members

Join MIBA by January 1 to get your custom store art, a spot on the map, 

and free maps shipped to your store

Getting started

  • When you join our association, you will receive a welcome e-mail. In that e-mail, you'll find a link to our Store Artwork Form. Once your store is in-operation and has signage, please fill out that form to be added to the queue of stores for Kevin to illustrate.
  • We produce and print the roadmap to be shipped to your store the week before Independent Bookstore Day, which is celebrated on the last Saturday in April. Each member stores receives 400 free copies with the ability to purchase more at a discounted rate. We also release each year's new art to owners before IBD, so you will be able to use it in your promos and help drive traffic to your store. 
  • Give away the roadmaps to your customers for free starting on Independent Bookstore Day! (Or whenever you receive them. That's up to you.)

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 to receive high quality images for merch with an address badge.
  • Order updated artwork for sign changes, location changes, etc.
  • Both are available here

Promote the roadmap all year long

The info below is for 2024

  • We have a robust offering of 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.