2026 Spring Road Trip

With the support of our wonderful partners and our generous sponsors we came together from May 11th to May 13th in the vibrant city of Lincoln, Nebraska, for an uplifting gathering of booksellers, industry partners, and authors. The days were filled with so much inspiration and connection, it’s hard to put into words, but we’re trying our best to capture the warmth and excitement that made this event so special.

From the moment we arrived, Lincoln welcomed us with its rich history and deep appreciation for community—making it the perfect backdrop for Spring Road Trip. The energy was high as we dove into engaging panels, where passionate discussions about books, backgrounds, and storytelling sparked new ideas.

The days were packed with memorable moments:

• Cozy Kickoffs & Bookstore Tours: We began our adventure on Monday night by stepping into the world of Becky Chambers' beloved duology for a Monk & Robot game night hosted by Blanket Fort Gatherings. The next morning, we hit the road for an exciting bus tour, sponsored by Scholastic, visiting six local indie bookstores alongside bestselling author Kody Keplinger, getting an exclusive look into her upcoming YA book, Where Lost Girls Go.

• Powerful Keynotes & Panels: Back at the Nebraska Union, we kicked off our main programming with a phenomenal opening keynote featuring Mathilda Zeller and Alysandra Dutton discussing their highly anticipated books, It Looks Like You in the Dark and The Stolen Women. We were also deeply moved by the essayists and editors The Lives of Immigrants and Refugees who shared the powerful personal stories.

• Packed Rooms & Round Robin: Wednesday kept the momentum going with crucial financial insights on Co-Op Advertising from Tory Hall (Sower Books) and Marketing on a Shoestring Budget from Ryvre Hardrick (Goblin Market). To top it all off, Sourcebooks sponsored a whirlwind Author Round Robin that left us all with massive, inspired TBR piles, capped by a brilliant closing keynote from National Book Award finalists Deesha Philyaw and Bonnie Jo Campbell sharing True Confessions of First Lady Freeman and The Spirits.

MIBA Bookseller of the Year for 2026

We continued our favorite tradition: celebrating and honoring our Bookseller of the Year! The room was packed with love and celebration honoring CoriAnn Theroux from The Green Dragon Bookshop.

Sharing Wisdom

True to the spirit of collaboration, you all generously shared an abundance of knowledge and expertise during our attendee-driven Ideas That Work sessions, covering everything from pre-order campaigns to hidden everyday resources.

Here's what was shared by our amazing reps and vendors:

W. W. Norton

Sourcebooks collection

Princeton University Press

Fuji Associates collection

Wisconsin Historical Society Press collection

Feet Wet Writing collection

Penguin Random House collection

Indigo Maiden collection

University of Nebraska Press collection

Wandermore Publishing

Authors shared their entertaining and compelling titles:

Check them out in our Edelweiss collection and order them for your store.

Participating Stores

With gratitude,

There is no us without you! This wasn’t just an event—it was a celebration of community, creativity, and the magic that happens when book people come together. Thank you to everyone who made it so memorable, to our tireless exhibitors, and to the people of Lincoln for being such gracious and inviting hosts. We can’t wait for next year, and until then, we’ll carry the warmth of this gathering with us.

Opening Keynote Alysandra Dutton with MIBA Executive Director Grace Hagen	Closing Keynote featuring Bonnie Jo Campbell (The Spirits)
Author Round Robing featuring: Casey Sherman (The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright, Sourcebooks), Ali Novak (In a Heartbeat, Sourcebooks Fire), Rowan Beaird (Tenderness, Flatiron), Renee Gilmore (Wayfinding: A Memoir, Trio House), Peyton June (The Monsters We Made, W.W. Norton), Courtney Kocak (Girl Gone Wild, Trio House), Naomi Kritzer (Obstetrix, Tor), Laura Moriarty (Sunlight Finds You, Penguin Random House), Julie Murphy (Vera Stein is Fine, HarperCollins), Sierra Simone (Devil, Bloom)	Closing Keynote featuring Deesha Philyaw (True Confessions of First Lady Freeman)