We’re celebrating the transformative power of independent booksellers by granting the Midwest Bookseller of the Year award to a pair of booksellers who’ve had an extraordinary impact on their community this year—Angela and Jamie Schwesnedl, owners of Moon Palace Books in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
 
Thanks to Angela and Jamie’s dedication over the past 8 years, Moon Palace is known for its expansive footprint—within its physical space and the hearts of the community. Moon Palace is radically welcoming, with a generosity of spirit that radiates throughout the community and the book industry at large. In a year no one could have predicted, Angela and Jamie responded to both the pandemic and the civil unrest after the killing of George Floyd by prioritizing the safety and well-being of their community before their bottom line.
 
Jessica Peterson White, owner of Content Books in Northfield, MN says “Jamie and Angela have adapted their business to the pandemic and the heartbreaking destruction of the neighborhood with agility and care, setting a brilliant example of resilience and allyship for booksellers across the Midwest and the country.”

What made them who they are today
Angela and Jamie carefully built Moon Palace book by book, decision by decision.
 
Opening in the fall of 2012, they started out in a small location a short walk off a popular thoroughfare in South Minneapolis. In July 2016, they upgraded to a larger location on the main drag next to other independent businesses. Famously, a 60-person team joined together to move 10,000 books down an assembly line and into the new store, a joyful event demonstrating the close ties between Moon Palace and its customers.
 
As much of an upgrade as this new location offered, Jamie and Angela still saw the move as an intermediary one as they geared up to operate in an even more expansive way. They dreamed about having enough space to create “a bookstore that has stuff going on in it beyond being a bookstore from dawn to dusk,” says CityPages.
 
In October 2017, Angela and Jamie found the location where they could fully demonstrate their deep commitment to community engagement. Moon Palace’s third home is a tremendous multipurpose space located at one of the most densely urban corners in Minneapolis, featuring two floors of new and used books, a restaurant called Geek Love Café, and a separate performance venue for readings and bands.
 
Anitra Budd, longtime South Minneapolis resident and customer of the store, says “it’s like their heart grew bigger each time they moved. Their location at Minnehaha and Lake is so welcoming and versatile, it allows them to demonstrate their values in a really big way. It’s one of the most welcoming and community-driven businesses in the city.”
 
The location is a “much-needed anchor that has had a profound impact on the community,” says Peterson White—“from kids who come to drag storytime, to farmers selling their goods on Saturday mornings, to poetry fans who've been treated to the work of Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop participants, to name a few.”
 
Moon Palace also hosts the Twin Cities Queer Book Club, provided free meals for people in the community experiencing homelessness during the pandemic, and worked with Milkweed Editions to donate books to inmates.

Industry players
Independent booksellers are known for their generosity towards one another, and the Schwesnedls exhibit that kind of caring regularly. Giving back to others, even their competitors, is built into their ethos.
 
Angela attends industry events, often with her young daughter on her arm. She’s become known as someone we all can reach out to. Claire Kirch, Publishers Weekly’s Midwest correspondent, says, “I've seen Angela at trade shows walking newbie and prospective booksellers around, introducing them to people, giving them pointers on how to do shows. Angela is one of this industry's unsung heroes.”
 
Tory Hall, a bookseller at Chapters Books & Gifts in Seward, NE, says “Angela is infinitely approachable to ask questions about the industry. I've reached out to her multiple times with questions and she always has time to listen and respond.”
 
When Zsamé Morgan began her preparations to open Babycakes Book Stack, she built a friendship with Moon Palace as a place to learn the ropes. She says, “Angela tirelessly mentored me, provided a listening ear and critical feedback and gave me a strong foothold in the bookselling community. Jamie has been generous to a fault with his wisdom and practical advice. Together, this powerhouse couple, the staff, and the store itself have become an immovable force for good—for diversity, inclusion, and community involvement, for honesty and integrity.”

Angela and Jamie are also lauded by our publishing partners for their finesse when it comes to navigating and hosting author events. In late July 2019, Anchor (an imprint of Penguin Random House) brought Oyinkan Braithwaite to the U.S. from Nigeria to tour for the paperback of her novel My Sister, the Serial Killer. Because the Upper Midwest hit above its weight in hardcover sales for the novel, Anchor decided to have one of Braithwaite’s five U.S. stops here and booked Moon Palace since they’d been an early supporter of the novel.
 
Jason Gobble, Moon Palace’s sales rep at Penguin Random House, says, “As we all know, just because a book does well doesn’t mean an event will, but it was a wonderful evening—a packed house, full of warmth and excitement. The author was happy, the publisher was happy, and I couldn’t have been happier. That’s what Angela and Jamie do—they work very hard, then make it seem effortless.”

Becoming a beacon
In a year that will go down in history as one of the most challenging in recent memory, Angela and Jamie showed their true colors once again by putting the well-being and safety of the community first with every decision they made.
 
During the pandemic, they closed their doors to foot traffic and turned the store into a busy shipping and customer service center. They let their creative spirit shine when they installed a pickup window so customers could safely interact to get their purchases. 

What might become the most emblematic decision of Moon Palace’s history is the way Angela and Jamie chose to respond to the massive civil unrest following the killing of George Floyd. Moon Palace is located at ground zero of the uprising, a few buildings down from the Minneapolis Third Police Precinct burned by demonstrators.
 
In a moving demonstration of solidarity, Angela and Jamie met the needs of the protestors—leading many people to conclude that it was their support that saved their business from harm. As widows were busted, stores looted, and the neighborhood burned around them, Moon Palace emerged unscathed, as Morgan says, “firmly standing as a living monument to justice and all things literary.”
 
Jamie emerged as a staunch supporter of the demonstrators and a national voice for putting people before property. He scrambled to stop the police from setting up a staging area next to the store and Geek Love Cafe turned out pizza for people in the streets. When customers offered to help pay, Jamie said to send donations to George Floyd’s family.
 
As quoted in the New York Times, Jamie shared a post to their social media asking people not to put themselves “at risk to protect our store. Things that may be lost or damaged in our building are just things, but your life is priceless, just like George Floyd’s life was priceless. Be safe.”

“Through Moon Palace, Angela and Jamie have been a voice and a fearless champion for the disenfranchised in a heartbroken community,” says Morgan.

The following is a slideshow of pictures Jamie took from in and around the store during the uprising.

Moon Palace’s story is ultimately one of perseverance, through three locations, a global pandemic, and civil unrest. The bright colors on their storefront, the adorable sloth mascot sitting on books and eating pizza--they tell you to keep calm and keep on reading. Their storefront untouched by fire or vandalism suggests there’s hope to be had, that we will come together to embrace a new day free from racism.
 
Jason Gobble, Moon Palace’s sales rep for Penguin Random House, says “They promote the power of books to make the world a better place, and the world's a better place because of them.”
 
Please join us in congratulating Angela and Jamie Schwesnedl and celebrating Moon Palace Books.

This event is open to association member booksellers only. Pre-registration is required. Approved registered attendees will receive a Zoom link prior to the event.

Heartland is teaming up with the other regional associations to present Reverend Al Sharpton as he discusses his important, timely book RISE UP: Confronting a Country at the Crossroads (Hanover Square Press; 9/29/20), on Tuesday, September 15, from 3:30 to 4:30 pm CDT.

REGISTER HERE
 
Rev. Al Sharpton is the host of MSNBC’s “PoliticsNation” and the founder and President of the National Action Network (NAN), one of the leading civil rights organizations in the world. With over 40 years of experience as a community leader, politician, minister and advocate, the Rev. Al Sharpton is one of America’s most-renowned civil rights leaders. Sharpton also hosts the nationally syndicated radio show, “Keepin’ It Real”, which broadcasts in 40 markets, five days a week.

In RISE UP, Rev. Sharpton revisits the highlights of the Obama administration, the 2016 election, Trump’s subsequent hold on the GOP and his interactions and relationships with other key players in politics and activism. He also amplifies the new voices and movements that have emerged in response to the Trump presidency.

Rev. Sharpton will be in conversation with Ramunda Lark Young of MahoganyBooks, and will take questions from attendees. This virtual event will be held via Zoom, and access will be limited to association member booksellers only. Booksellers may register for free now, via this link. Approved registered attendees will receive a Zoom link prior to the event.

Special thanks to Hanover Square Press/HarperCollins Publishers for their support.

About Hanover Square Press: Hanover Square Press publishes compelling fiction and nonfiction encompassing a broad range of genres—from crime, thrillers, literary and high-concept fiction to narrative history, journalism, science, biography and memoir, including New York Times bestsellers from Dan Abrams and David Fisher, and Rick Ross. www.hanoversqpress.com.

New this year! The Heartland Booksellers Award is a reflection of the powerful influence of independent booksellers throughout the Midwest.

This award was formed when the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association (MIBA) joined forces with the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers (GLIBA) to produce one unified awards program uplifting books with a Midwest angle that independent booksellers loved to sell this previous year. 

Celebrating our book awards as one industry force amplifies the impact of the award for booksellers, publishers, authors, and consumers--as 12 states and more than 300 bookstores throughout the Greater Midwest celebrate these titles. "It's really exciting to watch it all come together," says Carrie Obry, MIBA's executive director. "First, booksellers nominate titles. Next, they vote for their favorites. Finally, we invite all the winners to a big party and celebrate the work of these authors and booksellers. Of course, this year will be different, as we celebrate virtually, but it will still be a fun and rewarding evening. The awards ceremony will be on October 15."

Our award-winning titles often remain on our bestseller lists for weeks, months, and even years to come and reflect the powerful influence of the voice of independent booksellers.

Everywhere You Don't Belong, Gabriel Bump, Algonquin Books, 2/4/2020, 9781616208790
This Tender Land, William Kent Krueger, Atria Books, 5/26/2020, 9781476749303
The Lager Queen of Minnesota, J. Ryan Stradal, Penguin Books, 6/23/2020, 9780399563065
The Lost Book of Adana Moreau, Michael Zapata, Hanover Square Press, 2/4/2020, 9781335010124

Rust Belt Femme, Raechel Anne Jolie, Belt Publishing, 3/10/2020, 9781948742634
​In the Dream House, Carmen Maria Machado, Graywolf Press, 11/5/2019, 9781644450031
American Harvest, Marie Mutsuki Mockett, Graywolf Press, 4/7/2020, 9781644450178
Burn the Place, Iliana Regan, Scribner, 8/4/2020, 9781982157777

El Dorado Freddy's, Danny Caine, Belt Publishing, 3/3/2020, 9781948742627
HULL, Xandria Phillips, Nightboat Books, 10/8/2019, 9781643620084
Homie, Danez Smith, Graywolf Press, 1/21/2020, 9781644450109
​Dear Delinquent, Ann Townsend, Sarabande Books, 5/7/2019, 9781946448347

Beverly, Right Here, Kate DiCamillo, Candlewick, 9/24/2019, 9780763694647
Wink, Rob Harrell, Dial Books, 3/31/2020, 9781984815149
SLAY, Brittney Morris, Simon Pulse, 9/1/2020, 9781534445437
​The Fountains of Silence, Ruta Sepetys, Philomel Books, 10/1/2019, 9780399160318

​Hello, Neighbor!, Matthew Cordell, Neal Porter Books, 4/6/2020, 9780823446186
Wild Honey from the Moon, Kenneth Kraegel, Candlewick, 11/5/2019, 9780763681692
​My Footprints, Bao Phi, Capstone Editions, 9/1/2019, 9781684460007
A Map into the World, Kao Kalia Yang, Carolrhoda Books, 10/1/2019, 9781541538368

MIBA is seeking two BIPOC booksellers (owners, managers, or frontline) to join our board of directors.

Historically, MIBA has been governed by a 7-member board of directors. In the 2020 nomination season, we are expanding to a 9-person board of directors to add diverse perspectives and improve our representation. All of our existing board members are in the middle of their terms and will continue to serve.

Please submit the names of BIPOC booksellers you strongly believe would serve as excellent board members. We also encourage you to nominate yourself.

Eligibility criteria

• Candidates must be the owner or employee of an independent bookstore operating according to sound business principles.
• Board candidates must have enough recent experience as an owner or employee of a member bookstore in order to contribute substantively to furthering our mission.
• Board candidates exhibit qualities of leadership and creativity, have a strong reputation for integrity and character, are willing to carry out various assignments, and are dedicated to the association’s mission and objectives. 
• All candidates must operate within our portion of the Midwest--Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

NOMINATION FORM

Read an overview of MIBA's board of directors nomination process.

The timeline is as follows:

• September 3: Call for nominations
• September 16: Nominations due
• September 29: Voting ballot released
• October 9: Voting ballot due
• October 26: Annual meeting

Important details to note:

• Typically, our board members are eligible to serve two three-year terms. We are willing to consider shorter-term board appointments if it make sense for the candidate.
• Our board meetings have traditionally occurred four times per year: January, March/April, June, and October (during the trade show). Due to COVID, we are conducting virtual board meetings throughout 2020 and intend to host more of our meetings online in 2021 (i.e., not all four meetings will be in person)
• Directors do not receive compensation for their services, but are reimbursed for authorized expenses, including travel and lodging for all of our meetings, which includes the annual trade show
• Arrangements can be made for the association to pay board members’ expenses up front

If you have questions about this process, please email either our executive director, Carrie Obry, at carrie@midwestbooksellers.org, or our board president, Kate Rattenborg, at kate@dragonflybooks.com.

Like everyone in the publishing industry, we've been having ongoing conversations about how to support the bookselling industry during the time of coronavirus. We've been thrown a huge plot twist and we're all writing the next chapters together. 

For everyone's safety, we've decided to postpone this year's Heartland Fall Forum until 2021. We're sticking with the same venue, so we'll be able to convene again October 20, 21, and 22, 2021 at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch. 

Our annual celebration is always a major highlight of our year and we are eager to see you all again under the banner of Midwest bookselling, where we can raise a glass, meet loads of authors, and learn from each other in person. Until then!

In the meantime, we're eager to bring the book industry more opportunities to connect, learn new ways of doing business, and discover books and authors. When we laid out everything Heartland offers, however, it became impossible to try to fit it all into one short span of time, so we're moving forward with a creative mix of extended programming.
Welcome to Heartland Summer!

During the months of June, July, August, and September, we will offer an ongoing array of events - rep picks, education, and authors events - all virtual and easy to attend and enjoy. It will be sustained by an exhibits page on our website that allows publishers and industry members to bring you the show specials, creative assets, and the necessary forms of connection we usually provide.

In October, we will host a bigger virtual celebration, including a Heartland Booksellers Award celebration, the Heartland Book Club.

The goal is to deliver key pre-pub opportunities that allow us to do business together at a time when we really need it, while also opening up the fall schedule to host a bigger celebration of bookselling in the Midwest.

Thank you for your support and we'll be in touch within the next few weeks as we create the infrastructure to make our plans a reality.

We wholeheartedly support BookStock, a 100 percent grassroots celebration of musicians and independent bookstores dreamed to life by one of our member booksellers, Eddy Nix of Driftless Books and Music in Viroqua, WI. BookStock is a fundraiser hoping to bring a much-needed cash bump to bookstores and musicians whose stores have been closed and shows cancelled due to the pandemic.   

BookStock is run by a volunteer network of generous folks in Driftless Book's network. MIBA is supporting the cause by collecting and distributing the funds to participating bookstores and musicians. 

Give to BookStock via the following link. 

FAQ

What is BookStock?
This weekend, May 15-17, musicians and independent bookstores will join forces to celebrate music and books. The nationwide celebration, with Midwest roots, will bring joyful content to viewers across the country while raising funds for indie bookstores and musicians, whose stores have been closed and shows cancelled due to the pandemic.  

How can bookstores and musicians participate?
See BookStock's letter below, along with the steps you need to take to participate. Via networking on social media, pairings of musicians and bookstores have happened organically online. Eddy suggests bookstores do the same--reach out to a local musician partner you know well to request their participation. If all are comfortable, record the performance in a bookstore. If you'd rather distance, the musician(s) can record at home and still be paired with a bookstore. Eddy suggests "keep it simple and folky, too much sound does not translate well across the interwebs, unless someone knows a lot about sound."

What's the schedule?
This is a 100-percent grassroots effort coming together quickly and changing daily. Stay tuned for a big mid-week update that includes this weekend’s schedule. 

How can I tune in?
BookStock will be streaming live the following ways.

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bookstock2020/
• Website: books.coop
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCleE3hzuswDFlcm34Uu6zFw

Can authors support the effort?
BookStock is requesting pro bono 2- to 5-minute author videos to add to the streaming content. Focus on fun bookstore stories and anecdotes, musicans you love that you’d like folks to discover, etc. Make your video casual and DIY and show your personality. To submit, visit their website and head to the author page.

BookStocks' letter to booksellers and musicians

​To our dear book and music friends:

Announcing a new coalition of bookshops, authors and musicians - a cooperative effort to raise and distribute funds (to you!) while celebrating the magic of music and the printed word. We invite you to join us for BookStock 2020 by submitting a short video. The more participation the better. 

Eddy Nix (Driftless Books and Music/Viroqua, WI) and David Huckfelt (singer-songwriter of The Pines) felt helpless watching their beloved community of musicians and bookshops shutter their doors and go silent. From a seed idea, momentum and community rallied, now 100+ participants will gather from coast to coast in a two-day event streamed live to benefit bookstores, musicians, and the people who rely upon both for comfort, inspiration, and joy. 

We are working to build something that will give you something in return for the important role you play in your towns and communities. It’s got the makings of something really big, and truly meaningful.

To participate: Fill out the intake form at www.books.coop
To ask questions: Email bookstock2020@gmail.com

After completing the intake form, you’ll be contacted shortly to confirm participation. A media toolkit/timeline including Press Release, digital banner/logo etc. will be provided. 

Step 1: Sign up
Step 2: Make a video
Step 3: Send it in
Step 4: Share your video, share the event!

P.S. tag it ! #bookstockchallenge #bookstock2020

Stay-at-home safety measures are affecting every bookstore differently depending on their size, staff, location, and community. This weekly Zoom series features a bookseller talking about the new business models they've implemented, highlighting ideas that worked and those that didn't. We'll share stories of success and struggle from bookstores of all kinds, hoping to capture a supportive spirit of camaraderie as we all figure this out together. This happy hour is intended to be interactive, so come with your ideas and questions.

• RSVP for the event series and talk to attendees on Facebook

​April 15 / Register via Zoom; this is required to receive the meeting URL
Danny Caine, owner of The Raven Book Store in Lawrence, KS, a mid-sized college town with a strong downtown shopping district, has "tried everything" during the virus crisis and has managed to keep his sales steady. Hear about his creative forms of bookselling, from being a book benefactor to installing a delivery sign on his car.

April 22 / Register via Zoom
Kristen Sandstrom, manager of Apostle Islands Booksellers in Bayfield, WI, runs a bookstore in a small town whose sales are driven by tourists and warm-weather foot traffic. Hear about running a bookstore with a microstaff whose customers are spread across many miles, cities, and states. 

April 29 / Register via Zoom
Holland Saltsman and Melissa Posten from The Novel Neighbor in St. Louis, MO talk about the success they’ve had selling books during the pandemic via digital promotions such as text, FaceTime, Facebook Live, and email—bringing the in-store indie experience successfully into the online realm--and how they have they managed to sell “an absolute Kilimanjaro size mountain of puzzles." 

May 6 / Register via Zoom
Join featured guests Kalan Bavinck (The Book Store, Appleton, WI) and Dana Westedt (Main Street Books, Reedsburg, WI) as we talk about how used bookstores and stores with a used/new mix of titles have adapted to pandemic safety measures, as used merchandise is often built on in-store discovery. Topics include how to safely take in used books again, what’s safest for staff vs. customer expectations, pivoting to more curb side and mail order, appointment shopping, and what the future of in-store shopping at used book stores with social distancing in place will be like.